Making Friends

by Fred Rogers

Who better to teach children about making friends than the friendliest neighbor of them all, Mr. Rogers! In his gently written picture book, children will see firsthand how much fun making new friends can be. Loaded with real pictures of friends having fun together, this will help any early reader get excited about meeting new people.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Nonfiction, Parenting

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Fred McFeely Rogers was an American educator, minister, songwriter, and television host. Rogers was the host of the television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, in production from 1968 to 2001. Rogers was also an ordained Presbyterian minister.

Reviews

[Mallory White · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the beginning of this book it talks about what makes people friends. It states that friends could be older than you, younger than you, a different gender, or someone at school. This book does a great job in explaining how to get along with your friends even if you want to play different games, or if you add new friends into the picture. At the end of the story it talks about what to do when a friend makes you mad. The author, Fred Rogers, is very good at looking at the problem and dealing with it in a friendly manner. He shares that if you are angry with a friend, you can always talk to an adult or express your feelings to your friend as well. The characters in this book are never given names, but they are illustrated in the picture. This book does a great job in showing the differences in friendships and how two friends can be from different genders or races. This is something important to teach our students in our classes. Students sometimes like to hang out with the people who look exactly like them or live in their neighborhood, but anyone can be your friend. Students can write a story about a friend that is different than themselves, and later share it with the class. They can share why that person is their friend and what they like to do together. This is important to teach in younger grades like Kindergarten, because this is where we see the struggles of friendships and the lack of caring and sharing in our classrooms. By having the students share about their friends, they are learning that friendships can be very diverse and exciting!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a picture book with photographs of young children doing things together. In very gentle language, Mr. Rogers explains what it is like to be a friend. Sometimes friends don't always get along, but that doesn't mean that they're not friends anymore. Friends can have other friends, which can make a child feel sad, but they learn that it's good to have more than one friend. Mr. Rogers really understands children and how they think and behave. He accepts them as they are and wants to reassure them that they can be good friends. This is a great book for a preschool classroom where children are just working on developing social skills. Even though it's an old book, the message is still fresh today and relevant to young children.

[Divine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book details what and who a friend can be. It also explains how friends can sometimes disgaree and how you can work through it and be a good friend. I like the details in this book. I would recommend this book because I feel it does a good job at helping talk through the small conflicts that 3, 4, and 5 year olds go through every day. The book also mentions the different feelings. It states that adults caan help you when you are struggling. I think this book would be good for both parents and teachers. This is a good book to keep in the reading center year round.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this season and early 2020 will be about reading a lot of books by and about Mr. Rogers. Good messages for my overly sensitive son.

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down this is my favorite book about what a friend is. This is an informative introduction to forming relationships and interacting with others while managing feelings.

[Stephanie Salas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great to help children build social skills.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite being woefully unstylish, this is a nice little book. I wonder if sometimes parents don't realize just what children need to be taught. I'm not involved in the day-to-day parenting of children, but I do watch the same children day in and day out and am surprised at how often basic topics are not really covered with children. Take a 3- or 4-year-old, tell them you're going to teach them how to ask to play, ask to share, talk when angry, etc., and show them step-by-step and they will watch, fascinated.

[Cana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gentle explanations of the hows and whys of friendship for little ones. Very sweet.

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some slightly advanced social-emotional concepts for Camille - but still fantastic. Fred Rogers is a genius.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most boring book ever. I'm sure it's much more useful for parents. Can't think how to use it in a program though.