How to Have Friends

by Maryann MacDonald (Author) Cyndi Wojciechowski (Illustrator)

How to Have Friends
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Finding and keeping friends is important.

What do you need to do--or not do--to have friends? Helping them is good. Keeping a secret is, too. Paying attention, sharing, and doing things together are important. And don't forget to be kind, and stick up for them.

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School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2--Sure, "Everything is better with friends," but sometimes it's hard to know how to be a good friend. This engaging picture book offers numerous tidbits of advice about how to be a respectful, compassionate, and generous friend. Each suggestion is couched within a distinct scenario, and the specificity of these contribute to the book's charm. Being supportive means helping a friend search for a missing backpack; patience is listening to a friend "tell a long, LONG story;" empathy is refraining from telling your friend you got a gold star when they forgot their homework. The effectiveness of each situation is in its relatability to kids' lives. Most kids can probably imagine at least some of these events happening to them, and that accessibility increases the odds of empathetic responses. The language is appropriate to the way kids would describe these situations: "If a friend beats you at tic-tac-toe, you might feel like making a mean face at her. But if you want to keep your friend, just say, 'Good game.'" Digital illustrations filled with emotive faces and a soft color palette portray a diverse group of children with a wide variety of skin, hair, and eye colors; one girl using a wheelchair. VERDICT This winsome picture book offers a wealth of lessons and could be effectively used in discussions about kindness and community.--Elizabeth Lovsin

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes



Maryann MacDonald
Maryann Macdonald is the author of 25 books for children including The Christmas Cat, How to Hug, and The Pink Party. She lives in New York City. Rahele Jomepour Bell has an MFA in Integrated Visual Arts from Iowa State University and lives in Iowa. She is a recipient of the 2018 Illustration Mentorship from We Need Diverse Books.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780807533611
Lexile Measure
500
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Albert Whitman & Company
Publication date
April 01, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
JUV039220 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Values & Virtues
Library of Congress categories
Friendship

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