Making a Friend

by Tammi Sauer (Author) Alison Friend (Illustrator)

Making a Friend
Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

A clever picture book about the fun of making new friends and building unlikely relationships--and playing in the snow! From the bestselling author of Nugget and Fang.

Beaver is good at making just about everything...but not friends. One winter day, Beaver sees some snowflakes in the sky and gets a great idea: he'll make a friend. Yes! A snowman will be a great friend!

Raccoon passes by as Beaver sets to work and offers a helping hand. The two work side by side to give their snowman everything a friend needs.

But when the snowman proves to be a little cold, Beaver discovers that he may have unknowingly "made" another buddy instead.

Perfect for snuggling together for a read-aloud, this sweet snowy friendship story from Tammi Sauer and Alison Friend will warm the hearts of young readers.

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Hardcover
$19.99

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School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1—Beaver is good at making lots of things yet despite all efforts, he's just not able to make a friend. Beaver decides to use a snowfall to make a friend in a different way. In doing, so he attracts the attention of Raccoon, and their collaborative effort in the creation of a snowman also develops a friendship. Raccoon and Beaver appear in digital art with large, expressive eyes and cartoon smiles featuring a range of emotions as they work together rolling, patting, and stacking snow. They add raisins and branches, offer opportunities to play or even join a parade to encourage their new snow friend to say "Wow" or "Thanks" or anything." Disappointment follows. "This friend was not much of a friend at all. In fact, he seemed rather cold." This title frames a friendship in the making as it first grows undiscovered, awareness of a true friendship arrives unexpectedly, and the relationship suddenly blossoms. Clever text, dialogue, and easily identifiable emotions of its characters make it a welcome addition to materials for social emotional learning. VERDICT A suggested general purchase for all libraries, this a fine choice for one-on-one and small group sharing.—Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Friend's anthropomorphic animals are adorable... [A] sure recipe for making a friend...real or snow."—Kirkus Reviews
Tammi Sauer
Tammi Sauer is the author of Chicken Dance, Bawk and Roll, Cowboy Camp, and Your Alien, which has earned starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus (all Sterling). She is an active blogger (tammisauer.com) and highly involved in the children's writer community, in addition to being a great promoter of her own books. Tammi has worked as a teacher and library media specialist and now lives in OK with her husband and their two children. Her local indie bookstore, Best of Books, in Edmond, OK, has named July 9th Tammi Sauer Day. Follow her on Twitter at @SauerTammi.

Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a self-taught illustrator whose passion for children's books began when she came across Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats as a child in the 1960s. Snowy Day marked one of the first representations of black children in picture books, and seeing a character that looked like her and lived in a neighborhood like her own was a turning point in Vanessa's life. Vanessa hopes to inspire young readers as Keats did for her and a generation of children. She is the author and illustrator of Let Freedom Sing and Don't Let Auntie Mabel Bless the Table (both Blue Apple Books), and has illustrated numerous children's books including One Love and Every Little Thing (both Chronicle), words by Bob & Cedella Marley, and Presenting Tallulah (Aladdin), written by Tori Spelling. Vanessa lives in Charlotte, NC, with her husband of 20 years, their daughter, and a very rambunctious cat named Stripes.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780062278937
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
HarperCollins
Publication date
November 13, 2018
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
JUV002160 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Mammals
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Animals
Snowmen

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