Books about Friendship for Kids
Below are our favorite new books about friendship for kids. They cover topics like how to make friends, the importance of working together, and how to include new friends into our circle. They include books for very young readers as well as graphic novels and chapter books for emerging readers.
Disclosure: I received complimentary copies of some of the books below for review purposes; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no cost to you.
Books about Friendship for Kids
Teach kids about the art of relationships with these books about friendship for kids!
This graphic novel is perfect for younger readers. As they follow the little group of friends on a series of wacky adventures on the playground, children will learn about the give and take of friendship and the art of working together towards a goal. But most of all, they will enjoy the short, silly stories and antics of the characters.
Buy We Have a Playdate on Amazon or Bookshop
My daughter adores the Kitty-Corn series (read my review of the first book in the series). They combine some of her favorite elements: cats, unicorns, and glitter! Best of all, they teach important lessons about friendship and self-love. Kitty has the perfect friendship with Unicorn, but when Puppy comes along, he threatens to ruin everything. In the end, Unicorn’s unwavering love teaches Kitty that true friendship can withstand any changes, and there is always room to include someone new – even someone as slobbery and messy (but loveable!) as Puppy.
Buy Party Hearty, Kitty Corn on Amazon or Bookshop
This is a lovely new book from Latin Grammy Award-winning musician Mister G (Ben Gundersheimer) is one of my favorite new books about friendship for kids. (See my review of another recent book of his). This new book (and the song that inspired it) celebrate how teamwork makes every job go by more quickly – and is much more fun! The diverse families in the book (including a mixed race family) demonstrate how working together (whether making breakfast or cleaning the park) helps build stronger communities where everyone can thrive.
Buy We’ll Make Things Better Together on Amazon or Bookshop
This sweet new book uses the metaphor of origami to show how friendship, just like any other skill, takes practice and persistence. Anzu struggles to connect with her new classmates, but with patience she is able to share her love for origami – and comes to appreciate their own special qualities, too. A beautiful book to teach about not giving up, whether you are folding origami or making friends. Don’t miss my review of the author’s earlier book or my recent interview with her.
Buy Anzu and the Art of Friendship on Amazon or Bookshop
Best friends Llewellyn and Evelyn have the most amazing collection – of rainbows, heart-shaped stones, and summer shadows. But when Evelyn must move with her family to a new town, the friends have to find a way to maintain their friendship – and their special collection. A beautiful book about appreciating the beauty around us and finding creative ways to share it with our loved ones, even when they are not physically with us.
Buy In a Jar on Amazon or Bookshop
Little Rabbit explores the world in the daytime, while Little Owl explores at night. The two never meet until one night a full moon means both come out and play. The new friends, with the help of their parents, then must figure out a way they can maintain their friendship despite the different (though overlapping) worlds they inhabit. A beautiful picture book about how friendship always finds a way.
Buy When Little Owl Met Little Rabbit on Amazon or Bookshop
Gustav and Henri are total opposites, yet they manage to work through their differences, ultimately realizing that these differences are what make them a great team. The pair’s wacky adventures are always entertaining, making this graphic novel perfect for young readers to explore.
Buy Gustav and Henri: Island of Tiny Aunts on Amazon or Bookshop
This full color graphic novel about two best friends is perfect for emerging readers. While Fox and Rabbit might seem like opposites, they are just perfect for each other. Together, they take readers with them on adventures that introduce them to new wonders and help them overcome their fears. A fun collection with gentle humor and tender acceptance of differences, as this unlikely pair learns they can face anything together.
Buy Fox & Rabbit on Amazon or Bookshop
This quiet little book celebrates the adventures of two friends, Sun and his dog Shiro. Each year they look forward to harvesting apples in the orchard, alongside all of their animal friends. But one day a new creature appears – a polka dot snake! The snake loves apples just as much as Sun and Shiro, but because he is so small, he soon finds himself stuck inside some apple cores he was munching his way through. With Sun’s help, the snake is freed, and a new friendship is born with the unusual little snake. A lovely book that also celebrates nature and the changing seasons.
Buy Sun and Shiro and the Polka Dot Snake on Amazon or Bookshop
This gorgeous book addresses the problem of how to make a new friend without alienating your old one – or feeling like a third wheel yourself! Hazel the dormouse is finally waking up after hibernation, and her friend Little Red the fox cannot wait! But he is also not sure how to introduce Hazel to Brock the badger, a new friend he made over the long winter. What if Hazel prefers Brock to Little Red? A gentle story about the insecurities that can often accompany friendship, and finding the courage to open your heart to someone new.
Buy The Friendship Surprise on Amazon or Bookshop
This collection of short stories translated from the Dutch features best friends Panda and Squirrel. The adventures are often silly and fun (such as trying to reach the moon so they can play with it), but the friendship is always sincere and heartfelt.
Buy The Moon Is a Ball on Amazon or Bookshop
This lovely picture book is a sweet story of belonging and acceptance. Tiger and Cat are inseparable, until Tiger must go to Tiger camp to earn his stripes by learning to be a “real” wild Tiger. The months apart help him realize the value of having a friend that accepts him just as he is, without having to change a thing.
Buy Tiger and Cat on Amazon or Bookshop
With spare text and vibrant illustrations, this comic style book is perfect for emerging readers. This story of friendship has an unexpected ending that will delight young readers. When a lizard offers his carefully chosen gifts to his owl friend, on the surface it seems to go disastrously wrong, as the owl devours everything he is given. It looks as though he might eat the lizard, too, but readers soon discover that the lizard and owl know each other perfectly well, and that the presents were just right, after all.
Buy Perfect Presents! on Amazon or Bookshop
Percy’s Perfect Friend is a wonderful book for any child who has felt alone in a crowd of unfamiliar kids. When Percy feels nervous when starting at a new school, his first friend is a stuffed cat. But soon Miss Petticomb is snatched by other children, and, worst of all, she is having a great time with them. He soon realizes, however, that what Miss Petticomb really wants is for all of her friends to play together! A tribute to toys and their ability to comfort children and even help them make new friends. While to adults they may just seem “cute,” this book helps us understand that toys can play an important role in developing social skills and making transitions into new situtions.
Buy Percy’s Perfect Friend on Amazon or Bookshop
Does it feel like every day is lucha libre at your house? Here is a great book to help your little luchadores learn to work together! El Toro and friends are back, with the origin story of how they became such a great team. (Read my review of an earlier book in the series). The young wrestlers-to-be are learning all of their skills at the wrestling school set up by the great Ricky Ratón, but their final lesson will be most important one of all: by working together, they can defeat any opponent! Really fun graphic novel from the award-winning Raul the Third that is also a fun way to celebrate Latinx culture and practice your Spanish!
Buy Team Up on Amazon or Bookshop
What are your favorite books about friendship for kids?
Related Posts:
Children’s Books About Being a True Friend
Children’s Books About Friendship Around the World
