The Friendship Guide

by Jillian Roberts, Andrea Armstrong (Illustrator)

Overview

Friendship is important—and life would be so dull without it!

Friendships are essential for social-emotional learning and mental health, but sometimes children struggle with making and keeping friendships. In The Friendship Guide, child psychologist Jillian Roberts outlines central ideas on how to be the best friend you can be. Alongside each of the principles is a scenario showing how it relates to real life—at the playground, at the park, at school or on a playdate. For parents, guardians and kids themselves, it can be difficult to recognize what makes friendships work. With this book, readers will have a comforting and straightforward resource to help guide them toward a lifetime of beautiful friendships.

Praise for Jillian Roberts:

"This book handles a sensitive topic with kindness, compassion, and empathy...A good beginning look at how to broach a complicated topic that's filled with positivity and hope."—Booklist, for On the News

"Gentle but straightforward...[A] reassuring backdrop for the big questions being discussed." —Publishers Weekly, for What Happens When a Loved One Dies?

"A cheery and buoyant introduction to timely and imperative topics for young readers; especially useful in a guidance setting."—School Library Journal, for Under Our Clothes

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459839311
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	02/11/2025
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.31(d)
Lexile:	630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Dr. Jillian Roberts is a child psychologist, author, professor at the University of Victoria and mother of three children. Considered a go-to child psychology expert for journalists, Dr. Roberts is a contributor to the Globe and Mail, Global News and CBC. She is the author of two bestselling and award-winning series of children’s books: the Just Enough and the World Around Us series. Dr. Roberts' most recent titles (Calm and My Promise) are for the very youngest of readers and focus on building child resilience. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Andrea Armstrong is a visual artist who spends her days (and often nights) illustrating, painting and designing. With roots in rural Indonesia, small-town Manitoba and metropolitan Singapore, the gathered impressions of her childhood inspire her palette. Andrea holds a bachelor's degree in visual communications from Capilano University. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Editorial Reviews

Focuses on the importance of friendships for children’s social-emotional learning and mental health. A practical resource for parents, guardians and children about what makes friendships work and how to make lasting and meaningful connections.”

BC BookWorld

Rather than simply instructing kids, the book provides a series of brightly illustrated double-page spreads, each stating a basic rule of friendship, dramatizing a related situation involving friends, and offering tips on how to deal with it. This format offers an opportunity for kids and their parents to share their experiences. A useful guide with a practical approach.”

Booklist

Roberts’ book offers a greatest hits of friendship advice…The situations are relatable, while the writing is direct, not overly pedantic, and suitably engaging for a young audience. Valuable guidance on becoming a better friend, with solid insights and concrete examples.

Kirkus Reviews

Readers of all ages will benefit from the lessons shared in this book. Thoughtful and positive, this nonfiction text presents useful tools that can be used to gain and retain positive relationships in a way that is accessible to all. This well-researched guide helps children make a connection with the important choices that make a person a good friend.

School Library Journal (SLJ)

Delves into a variety of friendship-related scenarios, each crafted to provide meaningful lessons and practical advice for young children...Each example presented in The Friendship Guide is designed to capture common interpersonal dynamics, making the lessons practical and easy to comprehend. One of the book's standout features is its vibrant illustrations which depict a diverse cast of multicultural characters. These visuals are not only appealing but also contribute to the book's inclusivity and relevance, offering representation that ensures children from varied backgrounds can see themselves reflected in the pages. Suitable for classroom collections. Highly recommended.”

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

2024-12-14
What does it mean to be a good pal?

Roberts’ book offers a greatest hits of friendship advice, starting with the golden rule of amity: Be the friend you want to have. Eight more principles follow: Think of others, not just yourself. Be patient and kind. Do the right thing, and help others to do that, too. Make room in your friend group for newcomers. Share, and invite others to play. Don’t name-call, tease, or bully—and protect others from such behaviors. Remember to compromise. Don’t interrupt, and show respect for others’ boundaries. Each rule is followed by a brief scenario (two kids want the same swing; a child notices a new student alone at lunch), a possible resolution, and, when relevant, a question posed to the audience: If there is no one right solution, what wouldyou do? When the fix is obvious, the author expands on the advice. Roberts also addresses the importance of fairness, small gestures, getting adult help with bullies, taking turns, and giving friends space. The situations are relatable, while the writing is direct, not overly pedantic, and suitably engaging for a young audience. Appealing cartoonish watercolorlike illustrations depict a cast diverse in terms of race and ability; one child wears a hijab.

Valuable guidance on becoming a better friend, with solid insights and concrete examples. (author’s note, activities)(Informational picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews