The Best Friendship Books for Kids

These friendship books are sure to be a hit with kids, teachers, and parents too. For even more great book ideas, see our list of the best preschool books!

Being a good friend is a complex skill with many important parts! From sharing to taking turns and being a good listener, it’s not always easy for little people to practice those skills. Learning to be kind, thoughtful, honest, and accepting is so crucial, especially in our modern world.

Friendship is one of our favorite preschool themes! With today’s technology, social skills can sometimes fall by the wayside. All kids benefit from explicit social-emotional learning and books full of examples of what friendships look like, sound like, and act like. Take a look at these amazing friendship books and get your hands on some today!

These books will be a wonderful addition to your regular circle time. Or, they can be the starting point for an entire preschool theme on friendship! Check out this great friends lesson plan from our friends at Preschool Teacher 101.

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Friendship Books for Preschool

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

Duncan’s crayons are feeling overworked and under-appreciated. In this memorable book, Duncan’s crayons have all quit and Duncan opens up his crayon box to a bunch of letters. Each crayon has an opinion and they are not happy! Black crayon wants a bigger job than just outlining pictures. Pink is determined to be a boy AND a girl color. And as Duncan’s favorite and overused color, red just needs a rest! Don’t worry, Duncan thinks of a clever way to get all the crayons back to being friends again. A truly imaginative story that will have kids grabbing their crayon boxes and making sure to give each special color their time to shine.

Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller

When her classmate spills grape juice all over her shirt, this young girl begins to question, what does it mean to be kind? Since her mom is always telling her to be kind, she starts to think about what that looks like in real life. Maybe it’s making cookies for someone or using their name when you talk to them. Or sticking up for kids that aren’t being kind even though that can feel scary. This friendship book presents so many situations that young children face and through the gentle thoughts of this young classmate, we learn what kindness truly looks like.

Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev

On Pet Club day, all the local children are invited to bring their pets to show and tell. But when the young boy shows up, they won’t allow his pet elephant to join in! The Pet Club doesn’t understand that friends come in all shapes and sizes, so he sets out to make a new club… a club where EVERYONE is welcome! The author frequently uses the tag line, “Because that’s what friends do,” which really opens the door to thoughtful conversation about what friends really do for each other.

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson and Tara Calahan King

This clever title showcases the importance of getting to know others before we decide whether or not to like them. In this story, a young boy is feeling disgruntled by a certain new neighborhood boy and shares with his father that he has an enemy. His wise old dad shares his recipe for Enemy Pie (which is really quite yummy) in an effort to sneakily trick him into learning more about this new neighbor and perhaps, they don’t have to be enemies after all. This friendship book is so cleverly written and so engaging that it’s a great fit for just about any age!

How do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

This mischievous book guides young children through play by modeling the “wrong” way to play. Yolen begins by sharing page after page of dinosaurs who are poor friends and haven’t learned how to play the right way…“What if a dinosaur’s friend comes to play? Does he hide all his dump trucks, refusing to share?” But not to worry, these dinosaurs are actually very well-mannered and show us all the “right” ways to play and make friends. They teach us to share and use kind words, listen and take turns. An adorable way to build friendship skills with such fun characters!

Scribble Stones by Diane Alber

This is the story of one happy stone who knows in his heart he has a purpose to brighten someone’s day. When he is finally chosen, he is set to be a paperweight. He thinks, “This must be a mistake, this can’t be my skill.” When the colorful scribbles head his way, they color up all the paper and begin to fret. But stone knows just what to do! He will make them smile and grin and let them color him in! Stones all around want to be colorful too so they joined the party and became beautiful too! The author includes a wonderful art project at the end. Wouldn’t you love a scribble stone that makes happiness grow?

Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld

This quick and funny read is a great example of how two strangers can become fast friends and the importance of sticking up for one another. With rhyming text and charming illustrations, this book is a great tool when helping children become new friends. Sometimes a simple act of kindness builds great friendships!

Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship by Edward Hemingway

Mac the Apple lives a great life. He is a good friend, plays well with others, and absolutely loves to take naps. After waking from a nap, he learned he wasn’t alone! Will the worm decided to take his nap and wiggled his way into Mac’s apple. When Mac woke up, he learned that he had a new friend and he was over the moon about it! They played all day and neither Mac nor Will could remember a better day. Until Mac went back to the orchard and all his apple friends teased him for having worms. But Mac decided he’d rather be a bad apple with Will than be a sad apple without him. This story really hones in on being true to your feelings even when others have a different opinion. True friendship stands tall over harsh words.

 Kindness Starts with You- At School by Jacquelyn Skag

One thing is certain, real-life situations help kids make connections to their own lives. This clever author uses a young classmate to walk us through all the ways she is kind throughout the day. She uses kind words, helps her peers, uses manners, and shows the best way to be a friend! Each page ends with the same phrase, “This is what I would want someone to do for me”! A great read to help children see the value in how they would want to be treated and how that translates into treating others.

What Should Danny Do by Adir Levy and Ganit Levy

<center?This unique and interactive story illustrates the importance of each choice that we make. Written in a Choose Your Own Story format, we follow Danny through his day as he makes decisions about the situations he faces. The reader makes the “choices” and turns to the corresponding page to learn how that choice impacted his mood and the rest of his day. This book encourages young readers to experience the ups and downs of Danny’s day and learn from the choices he makes, both poor and positive. This empowering friendship book really helps to hone in on positive choices and sparks important dialogue both in the classroom and at home.

The Things I Love About Friends by Trace Moroney

A soft and sweet story about being a friend touches your heart and reminds us of the lovely moments we get to share with each other. Whether you have 100 or just one or two, having a friend is just so special. Alike or different, friends treat each other with kindness and love. This friendship book for preschool is a perfect example of what true friendship looks like and a true aspiration for young ones to be THIS kind of friend.

You, Me, and Empathy by Jayneen Sanders and Sofia Cardosa

Teaching empathy can be such a hard skill for little ones to grasp. As they live in a world that is often centered around their own needs, it can be so challenging to recognize how others are feeling. Sanders does a beautiful job in this rhyming and soothing story about noticing how others feel. The main character notices at home and at school and offers words of encouragement and compassion when we feel scared or lonely. Beautifully illustrated with questions for the reader to ask on each page, this book is a must-read to build awareness and compassion for each other.

The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates

In this adorable take on being inclusive and kind, the big red umbrella opens its wide canopy to include everyone. Bates does a beautiful job of pairing the simple text to the soothing and inviting illustrations. This book about friendship leaves a smile on your face and is a lovely addition to a child’s library!

Unlikely Friendships for Kids: Stories of Animal Friendships by Jennifer S. Hollland

These adorable true tales of animal friendships tug at your heartstrings and show us how important good friends are and how to take care of one another. Kids love the unusual relationships and the tender affection that these pairs share. A great read any time and a sure way to get kids thinking about being a good friend in their own life.

I’m Like You, You’re Like Me by Cindy Gainer and Miki Sakamoto

The author uses bright colors and all the best real-life examples of kids doing everyday things while accepting and caring for each other. She manages to tie in diversity while including 6 important concepts- comparing, acceptance, listening, understanding, kindness, and cooperation. This is a perfect read when you need to remind children how to really listen to each other, how to show kindness even when it’s difficult, and how to see comparisons, in a positive way. A friendship book for kids that’s designed to be re-read time and time again. The author also provides questions at the end to help guide teachers and parents with thought-provoking questions.

Best Friends: We are Better Together by Roger Priddy

This cheeky book will have your kiddos laughing and making up their own friendship matches! We are Better Together illustrates how different things come together to make something wonderful. We all love cake, so we sure are thankful that flour, sugar, and egg come together to create that yummy treat! What’s better than opening presents? So thankful that the tape, wrapping paper, and scissors are friends so we can enjoy big surprises! The real photos of the items paired with cutesy illustrations make this book so fun and entertaining!

How to Be a Friend: A Guide to Making Friends and Keeping Them by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown

Learning to be a friend is hard work. This book on friendship guides young kiddos through different social situations including how to make and keep friends, how to treat others who aren’t being kind to you, and how to handle arguments with a friend. These everyday situations are played out in this colorful book that incorporates lots of dialogue and speech bubbles to present these real-life dilemmas. An ideal book for young students and a valuable resource for preschool teachers and parents to help establish friendships.

I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoet

This wordless picture book has so much power and emotion that it is the perfect choice to teach young children about showing kindness and love for one another. When a new student arrives at school, she feels lonely and left out. When a classmate bullies the new student, a group of children join the new girl and become her ally, her friend. Without any text, this book has an almost poetic/musical feel that plays out with a wonderful ending. The themes of acceptance, anti-bullying, and kindness are woven beautifully throughout this story. A one-of-a-kind read that will have any reader picking it up time and time again.

Books on Friendship

Kind Ninja by Mary Nhin and Jelena Stupar

Ninjas are fun for all ages, right? This life-hack series of Ninjas include books that focus on anger, anxiety, laziness, dishonesty, and many more. In this book about friendship, Kind Ninja we learn that being kind is a choice and one that the Kind Ninja hasn’t always made. His mother’s words, “Acts of kindness, both big and small, can make a difference” ring in his head as he sees his friend hurt and Kind Ninja decides to make a change. The author uses wit and bold pictures to convey this powerful and important message.

The Fruit Salad Friend: Recipe for a True Friend by Maria Dismondy and Kathyrn Selbert

“What do you do when friends don’t treat you with kindness?” Chloe adores going to school but lately, she notices that things aren’t the same. When a few students aren’t kind to her, Chloe learns to be brave and tell the others how she feels and solves her own friendship problems. She stands up for herself and in turn, shows others how important it is to share how you are feeling and how hurtful words can be.

We often want our children to be independent problem solvers but it can be very difficult for young children to express themselves in a precise and kind way. This friendship book spotlights how to solve problems, in a positive manner, independently.

My Friend is Sad by Mo Willems

A super silly take on helping our friends when they are feeling down. Piggie is on a mission to make his friend Elephant feel better. He dresses up as a cowboy, a clown, and a robot to boost his pal Elephant’s spirits. But nothing works. When Piggie returns, Elephant is so happy! Elephant was sad because his friend Piggie wasn’t with him to see all the dressed-up people. Sometimes sharing an experience with friends is all it takes to make us smile. Kids LOVE Mo Willems stories because they are relatable, silly, and fast-paced and always give us a smile!

Peanut Butter and Cupcake by Terry Border

What goes better than Peanut Butter and… cupcake? This witty book will have little ones laughing and cheering for Peanut Butter. Peanut Butter just moved to a new town and is looking for a friend. He finds hamburger, but they just don’t go together. He then discovers cupcakes, and soup, but they don’t seem to be a good fit either. He starts to feel lonely and disappointed when Jelly finds him and asks to play. Peanut Butter finds his perfect friend and manages to make a couple of other friends along the way. Young readers will follow along with glee as they know the answers before you even turn the page. An engaging book about friendship with fun food and silliness!

 

Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel

This book of short stories outlines the sweet friendship that Frog and Toad share. Through the seasons, Frog and Toad share special days, sledding and playing in the snow and also warm sunny days eating ice cream at the beach. A true example of best friends and how being together is always better than being alone! This is a perfect friendship book for preschool and older kids, too.

 

Friends by Helme Heine

Charlie, Johnny, and Percy are the best of friends. They do EVERYTHING together. They play hide-and-seek, ride a boat, and go cherry-picking together. They even attempted a sleepover but struggled to all fit together in one place, so they decided that sometimes friends can’t be together… but they always have their dreams. The author thoughtfully added reminders about what friends do for each other on each page. An adorable book on friendship for preschool with unusual farm animals who are the best of friends.

My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann

In this almost wordless picture book, Rabbit is an adventurous little animal that often gets himself into trouble. Mouse is his best friend and helps him even when things get hard. The incredible illustrations tell the hilarious story of what happens when Rabbit gets his airplane stuck in a tree. The other animals come to help but do they manage to get the airplane free? A creative and vibrant read designed to grab the attention of any little one.

The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill

“Mean Jean was Recess Queen and nobody said anything different.” All the kids were terrified of Jean and for good reason, she was MEAN! That is until a new kid comes to town and invites Jean to play. No other kids had ever thought to play with Jean, they just made sure to stay away! Jean couldn’t believe her ears when someone wanted to play with her. She soon joined in and had a great time jumping rope with her new friend Katie Sue. Now the school playground is a welcome place to play. All the students feel safe, happy and best of all-included! A great friendship book for teaching students that sometimes bullies behave in a mean way because they don’t know how to express their need for friendship. It’s our job to help them by being kind and considerate, and we might just make a new friend out of it!

We hope you and your kids loved these books about friendship! We’ve also got a whole library of book lists to covering all different themes and seasons. Find your favorites below or see our entire list of best preschool books!

Best of Books

• Best Books About Farm Animals
• Best Ocean Books for Kids
• Best Read-Aloud Preschool Books
• Best Rhyming Books for Kids
• Best Yoga Books for Kids

Books for Social/Emotional Growth

• Powerful Preschool Books that Celebrate and Accept Differences
• Books on Kindness
• Books that Teach Gratitude and Thankfulness for Kids
• Books About School for Kids

Seasonal Books

• Pumpkin Books Perfect for Reading this Fall
• Fantastic Fall Books for Preschoolers
• Not So Scary Monster Books for Kids
• Winter Books