Ways to Make Friends (Aldana Libros)
by Jairo Buitrago (Author) Mariana Ruiz Johnson (Illustrator)
This "sublime picture book" (Kirkus STARRED Review) offers a hilarious and insightful guide to making new friends at your own pace.
For kids aged 4 to 7, Ways to Make Friends will bolster compassion and make kids laugh on their way back to school.
What's the best way to make friends? Toad has the most magnificent ideas! Sometimes they don't go according to plan... but that's okay. Eventually Toad tires of making new friends, but comes to a marvelous conclusion: sometimes being with yourself is a good way to pass the time too.
A hilarious and heartfelt read for kids who are starting school or experiencing other unfamiliar social situations, Ways to Make Friends will give them the courage to stand on their own--and maybe try one of Toad's unconventional methods to make a friend for themselves.
Locate at a Library Near You WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.
Find books about:
More books in the series - See All
Kirkus
Peppered among moments of pure hilarity and suggested creative outlets are nuggets of encouragement meant to bolster compassion.
ALA/Booklist
This whimsical playbook for making friends explores a universal theme in a humorous and appealing way.
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2--A young frog offers earnest advice to anyone looking to make a friend. There's good advice ("Say hi to the shy kid who never says hi to anyone"); silly advice ("You can dress up like an apple or a pear and give away a pear or an apple"); and advice that is questionable at best ("When you are at your aunt's house, you can free a bird"). And if none of it works, the narrator suggests becoming your own best friend by learning a few ways to entertain yourself. By the end of the book, the narrator has indeed made a couple of friends, and the end papers show all the young creatures interacting happily. Comical illustrations just this side of surreal done with colored pens and digital colors show a skewed world with a diverse cast of animal (and insect and plant) characters learning to navigate new relationships. This is certain to spark lively debate at story hours. VERDICT Best when shared with youngsters along with a conversation about good and not-so-good ways to pursue friendship.--Mara Alpert
Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
The art reminds me of the friendly animal world of Richard Scarry....A fun and silly way to think about friendship and self sufficiency for the very young. —Youth Services Book Review
Sweet and funny with helpful but quirky advice, you will love this book's gentle message about kindness toward others as well as learning how to be your own best friend....I adore this book! —Imagination Soup
First grade books about friendship are essential for starting the school year. Toad has lots of quirky ideas for making friends that are great for class discussion. We appreciate that this book also acknowledges that working on making friends can be tiring sometimes; time alone can feel good too. —We Are Teachers
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
Picture books
Individuality
Social interaction
Toads
