3 new picture books about friendship

I regularly receive picture books to review, and here are three titles I’ve enjoyed with messages about friendship:

Meet the Penguins by Mike Brownlow (£6.99, Oxford University Press)
With colourful and cute illustrations, Meet the Penguins by Mike Brownlow is a sweet book for pre-schoolers who are sure to recognise the question repeated in the story: ‘Please can we play?’ In the story, two penguins ask different animals if they can play with them, but the others all have excuses for refusing to include the newcomers. When a bear asks the penguins if he can play, they are thrilled and have lots of fun, prompting the others to want to join too. The book has an open-ended finish, which invites readers to think about what the penguins might say to the other animals wanting to join in after all. Many pre-schoolers will relate to the language and situation in the book, which I think is sure to make it a favourite with the age group.

Lubna and Pebble by Wendy Meddour (£11.99, Oxford University Press)
For a moving and thought-provoking picture book about friendship, I would recommend looking out for Lubna and Pebble by Wendy Meddour, which is a book that could also work as a starting point for talking to children about the refugee crisis. This beautiful book tells the story about a girl called Lubna and her best friend, which is a pebble. Pebble listens to Lubna’s stories and Lubna draws a smile on her pebble and takes good care of him. One day she meets a boy who becomes a friend, and she realises he needs Pebble more than herself, so when Lubna and her dad are leaving the area, she gives Pebble to the boy. The text and illustrations (illustrated by Daniel Egneus) are equally moving, and my eyes can easily well up when reading this story.

Chatterbox Bear by Pippa Curnick (£12.99, Hodder Children’s Books)
In Chatterbox Bear by Pippa Curnick, the chatty bear Gary sails off to a new island in search of others like him, and he arrives at an island full of birds who first struggle to make sense of what Gary tries to say. But the challenge doesn’t stop Gary and the birds making friends and having fun and they soon learn a new way to communicate by reading facial expressions. I adore the bright and funny illustrations in this book, which repeatedly make us smile.

Tags: Children's books, Friendship, Hodder Children’s Books, Oxford University Press, Picture books, Review