Stories About Friendship
/The Ottawa Public Library is back to share stories about Friendship. This month’s post is by Ann-Marie (Annie) Miller, Supervising Librarian, Children’s Department at the Ruth E. Dickinson Library.
The world is just a better place when you have a friend. Sometimes it is not all that easy to be a friend, or to have one. Friendship is never instant or guaranteed. Nevertheless, the process of becoming a friend can be rewarding. Here are a few books celebrating the joys of friendship in its many forms.
Bear Can’t Sleep by Karma Wilson; illustrated by Jane Chapman
https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1126750026
If you have yet to meet up with Bear and his circle of friends, this latest book is a great introduction to the series. Bear should hibernate, but he just cannot get to sleep. This is when his friends - Mouse, Hare, Badger, Gopher, Mole, Raven and Wren - all gather round to help out. In rhyming text and luscious illustrations, we read about the friends making hot milk and singing lullabies. When Bear sits up and begins to tell a story for his friends, he finally puts himself to sleep. There are lots of books about Bear and his friends and you can read these stories to children from newborn to 5 years old.
Giraffe and Bird by Rebecca Bender
https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/617329026
Giraffe and Bird annoy each other all the time. Bird makes faces at Giraffe; Giraffe sticks his tongue out at Bird; Bird tweets in Giraffe’s ear; and Giraffe glares back at Bird. So it goes all day long each one annoying the other until finally they just walk away. When the big storm comes in at night, though, each one wishes the other was close by. So, in the lonely light of day, they seek out one another once again. Giraffe and Bird are the most annoying of friends but they just cannot abide being apart. This is only the first of four Gerald and bird stories each one illustrated with Rebecca’s expressive drawings. They will help to shed a little light on sibling struggles for those two to five years old in your household.
Poetree by Shauna LaVoy Reynolds; illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani
https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1174168026
Shy Sylvia delights in writing poetry for her favourite tree. She hides her poems in the tree’s branches and one day a new poem falls out of the tree landing at her feet. Someone else is writing poems. At first Sylvia believes that the tree is writing back to her; that the tree is a new friend. Then Sylvia finds out that it is Walt, a classmate, who is writing the poems. Sylvia and Walt form a new friendship composing poems for their tree and for one another while sitting together under the branches. Their poems are a delight to read. This is a lovely, rich story joyfully illustrated for those 5 to 7 years old.
Harold and Hog Pretend For Real! by Dan Santat
https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1167672026
Every Grade One child loves to read about Mo Willem’s Elephant and Piggie. Harold and Hog idolize them, too, and do their best to pretend to be Elephant and Piggie. They discover that Hog is too careful to be Piggie and Harold is too carefree to be Elephant. However, it is still fun to pretend to be best friends when you actually are best friends. A great addition to the early reading shelf for children 5 to 7 years old.
Come Over to My House by Dr. Seuss; illustrated by Katie Kath
https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/983845026
If your child started out reading with Hop on Pop and The Cat in the Hat, they will dive into this slightly more advanced reader with enthusiasm. In finely crafted rhyming text, Dr. Seuss takes us on a worldwide adventure exploring houses and customs on every continent. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world the reader is invited to ‘come over and play’. We find that all houses all over the world are alike ‘when a friend asks you in’. This book will expand your child’s world and keep those 6 and 7 years old reading.
Wolfie & Fly Band on the Run by Cary Fagan; illustrated by Zoe Si
https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1078918026
Renata Wolfman is always called Wolfie by her neighbour, Livingston Flott. Wolfie calls Livingston, Fly. Wolfie likes to read and learn new things; Fly likes to have imaginative adventures. There is a talent show coming up at school and Wolfie’s parents are encouraging her to enter. Wolfie is happier just learning about her interest of the day – helicopters. That is all before Fly comes in through the window with his guitar and gets Wolfie drumming along with to his new song. Fly’s imagination takes off and before long it’s like the two of them are on stage in a stadium performing before thousands of screaming fans. When they come back to the kitchen, they are ready to take on the annual Talent Show. An entertaining story for those 7 or 8 years old.
Tom Swift Inventor’s Academy: the Drone Pursuit by Victor Appleton https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1167734026
Tom and Noah have spent the weekend building a surveillance drone and now they want to test it out in the hallways of their school, the prestigious Swift Academy. When their drone is spotted, they park it unobtrusively in the ceiling just outside a classroom. When they go to retrieve the drone after class, it is gone. So, begins the mystery. Who has taken the drone, where is it now and why was it taken? Tom and his friends worry that the theft is mixed up with an attempt to hack into the high tech company next door – the company owned by Tom’s father. It takes quite a lot of adventuresome sleuthing to uncover the truth. This is an exciting early novel for children 9 to 12 years old. There are more mysteries to come in this series.
Journey of the Pale Bear by Susan Fletcher
https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1145907026
A fatherless boy and a newly captured polar bear are an unlikely pair to form the bonds of lifelong friendship yet this is exactly what happens when they meet. The boy, Arthur, is a runaway looking for his Father’s family and hoping to obtain his inheritance. The bear is a gift from the King of Norway to the King of England and the year is 1252. Arthur’s only hope of gaining passage to England is to sign onto the ship transporting the bear and to become the bear’s caregiver. As it turns out, Arthur has a way with animals and the pair develops a true understanding of one another. Whether they are dealing with the bullies on board ship, a pirate attack, a shipwreck or their run through the countryside, Arthur and the bear stick together. This novel is based on the true story of a pale bear kept in the menagerie at the Tower of London by King Henry III. The bear lived for many years and this version suggests it was because of the gentle care given to it by his friend, Arthur. A unique plotline for this age group but there is enough adventure here to engage those 10 to 12 years old.
Hidden Gem
Gus & Me: The Story of My Granddad and My First Guitar by Keith Richards; illustrated by Theodora Richards
https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/item/show/792141026
Yes, this is a picture book by that Keith Richards and it is illustrated by his daughter, Theodora. The book recounts Keith’s close relationship with his Grandfather formed during their long walks together throughout Keith’s childhood. Grandfather Gus lived in a ‘house full of instruments and cake’ and had been a ‘soldier, a baker and the leader of a dance band’. It was Gus who handed Keith his first guitar and challenged him to learn how to play it. Each double page spread is illustrated with Theodora’s fanciful drawings. This is a book and CD set which means you can have the text read to you by Keith himself. The back matter includes a set of family photos. This is what I call a picture book for adults. Keep the tissues close at hand.
