10 Picture Books About Friendship

Friendship seems to be a common theme in picture books written for ages 5-10. It makes sense as this is the time in a child’s life when they first start forming their friendships.

I’m particularly fond of friendship books that aren’t all sunshine and rainbows.

I enjoy a book that teaches kids how to be a good friend when it’s hard to be one, how to help a friend through a difficult time, or how to keep a friendship after a conflict.

Here are my favorite 10 Picture Books about Friendship

Two by Kathryn Otoshi

Otoshi’s books are incredibly multifaceted, combining social lessons with math and art in a way I have never seen before. This book is no exception. The story follows One and Two as they work to resolve a conflict and learn that friends can have other friends without breaking their relationship apart. You can read my full review of this book HERE.

Rita and Ralph’s Rotten Day By Carmen Agra Deedy

I really enjoyed this one. The repetition and rhythm of this book (“up the hill and down the hill and up the hill and down the hill” ) was fun to read aloud. I like that this one isn’t just a happy friendship story. It shows that friends fight and follows two friends as they reconcile their differences and find a way to get along again. I grabbed this one from the library, but I think I will need to add it to my own personal collection soon. It’s memorable and has a great lesson about resolving conflict.

The Friend Ship by Kat Yeh

This one is a cute play on words with the Animals searching for a “Friend Ship” throughout the book, only to find that they create one on their journey as the go along. There’s a clear and predictable pattern to this one, which makes it work good as a read aloud. Children can make guesses about what will happen next and the “Friend Ship” is a great first pun that might get a chuckle, even from younger kids.

The Rabbit Listened By Cory Doerrfeld

I’ve mentioned this book before, on a list of books about Kindness, but i wanted to add it to this list as well. It’s one of the children’s pictures books that I feel truly illustrates what a friend is. The focus of this book is listening and being there for your friends when they need you. The illustrations are very tender and so is the message.

The Snail and the Whale By Julia Donaldson

I don’t feel like you can go wrong with Julia Donaldson’s books. I have yet to read one that I don’t like. This sweet friendship story is about a snail who wants to see the world and a whale who befriends him. When whale gets in trouble, the snail finds a way to help. I like the lesson about friends going out of the way to help each other and that nobody is too small to make a difference.

When Pencil Met Eraser By Karen Kilpatrick

The illustrations in this book are incredible. There is a mix of animation and real world images that is very eye catching. This book tells the story of how pencil and eraser became friends, but it isn’t an instant friendship. They start out having a very hard time working together. The book illustrates how two very different people can be friends and find value in each other’s differences.

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

This one takes a different approach to the friendship topic by talking about enemies. In “Enemy Pie”, a boy enlists the help of his father to defeat an enemy, but his dad has a different plan. Eventually the kids learn that an enemy can turn to a friend if you get to know each other.

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers

When a boy finds a penguin on his doorstep, he immediately sets out to get it back home. Once he does get the penguin home, however, he realizes that the penguin did not want to go home at all and just wanted a friend. This is a cute story and I love Oliver Jeffers illustrations.

Stick and Stone By Beth Ferry

This book does a lot with very few words and simple rhymes. The pictures tell the majority of the story, which can be great for an early reader. It all comes together to tell a great story about friends sticking up for each other.

Ninja Bunny By Jennifer Gray Olson

“Ninja Bunny” wants to go it alone. That’s rule number one of being a super awesome ninja. But what happens when he comes up against an enemy much bigger than himself? This book illustrates that everyone needs a friend every now and then.

What do you think?

Are there any books you feel belong on this list?

What is your favorite picture book about friendship?

If you enjoyed this list, be sure and check out our list from last week of books about bullying.