A Sick Day for Amos McGee - Story Snug

Picture Books for International Friendship Day

To celebrate International Friendship Day we have put together a list of our favourite picture books about friends and the activities that they like to do together (or in Amos McGee’s case, friends who take care of each other).

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead

This is a heartwarming story about friends looking after each other. Amos and his friends (a tortoise, a rhinoceros, an elephant, a penguin and an owl) are creatures of habit and do the same thing every day (he plays chess with one, reads stories to another). Their relationships are so strong that when Amos is sick the animals find a way to take care of him. 

A Sick Day for Amos McGee - Story Snug

Maisy goes Camping by Lucy Cousins

We love Maisy and her animal friends. The stories, written and illustrated by Lucy Cousins, are great for introducing very young children to a wealth of familiar experiences through the Maisy’s adventures. 

Maisy Goes Camping - Story Snug

Pip and Posy: The Super Scooter by Axel Scheffler

The familiar subjects of sharing toys, asking before you borrow something and friendship are dealt with in a very gentle way and children will easily empathise with both characters as they navigate the ups and downs of friendship.

Pip and Posy: The Super Scooter

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers

This is one of our favourite picture books. It’s a really heartwarming story about the friendship between a boy and a penguin.

Lost and Found - Story Snug

Friends by Helme Heine

Friends portrays a positive view of friendship through the adventures of a trio of very different farm animals. It includes situations that children may encounter in their own friendships (mutually deciding on which game they would like to play, sharing and wanting to be together). 

Friends - Story Snug

Ruby, Blue and Blanket by Jane Hissey

We love the way that Ruby (a mouse), Blue (a rabbit) and Blanket (a horse) have fun together when they decide to dress up. 

Ruby, Blue and Blanket - Story Snug

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12 responses to “Picture Books for International Friendship Day”


  1. Chris avatar

    Wow, I think not a lot of people value international friendship day. Everyday should be friendship day. These books might help readers understand its true meaning. I thank my friends for being there every step of the way. Thank you for the great list!


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s never too early to introduce children to the beauty of friendship. Thank you for visiting Story Snug 🙂


  2. Jaymie Shook avatar

    Great idea! We can’t do enough to thank our friends for accepting us as we are. Thanks for linking into the Kid Lit blog hop!


    1. Catherine avatar

      There are so many lovely picture books about friendship that it was hard to choose what to include.


  3. Tina avatar

    What a fun list! I didn’t even know it was international friendship day, so thanks for the heads-up! 🙂 Thanks for sharing this review. I found you at the Kid Lit Blog Hop. I also host a weekly link-up on Thursdays for all things book related at my site, mommynificent.com. I’d love for you to join us anytime!
    Have a magnificent week!
    Tina


    1. Catherine avatar

      Thank you for visiting Story Snug Tina. I would definitely like to link up to your blog hop 🙂


  4. Lynn @ more4mums avatar

    Some lovely books here that I have not heard of before. Maisy was a favourite of my eldest girl though.
    I just found your blog via Mummy’s little monkeys.


  5. Commonsense Mum avatar

    A lovely list. Lost and Found is definitely one of my favourites!
    I’d also recommend Duck and Goose.


    1. Catherine avatar

      Thank you, I don’t know Duck and Goose, they look really cute 🙂


  6. Reshama avatar

    Nice list Catherine. Sick Day for Mr. McGee is a classic of course, but we loved the others as well. During summer we pored over the Elephant and Piggie series and I can’t help but recommend these addition to the list. They are absolutely wonderful and have a strong theme of friendship to them. Thanks for sharing on Kid Lit Blog Hop!
    -Reshama @StackingBooks.com


  7. Ulrike A. avatar
    Ulrike A.

    As always, thank you for your recommendations and great taste in books. There’s nothing like a friend that loves to read!


    1. Catherine avatar

      I can’t imagine not loving reading. There are so many wonderful books being published that I’m sure that there’s a book out there for even the most reluctant reader 🙂