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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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