How to Make Friends: A Bear's Guide

by Cat Rabbit

Overview

Jim Henson meets Wes Anderson in this story about making friends from textile artist extraordinaire Cat Rabbit. 

Bear has lots of friends if you count her toys, but she's note sure how to make real friends. And she especially wants to be friends with Koala and Lamb. They both have fluffy ears and like green things. What can she possibly do to fit in? 

Luckily, Bear discovers that friends don't have to like all the same things; they just have to find things they enjoy doing together. And Bear is great at that.

This is a  story about making friends while keeping the qualities (and quirks!) that make you unique. It's also that rare photographic picture book that takes you into the characters' world and makes them all seem real. As fans of creator Cat Rabbit know, all of her felted creations are filled with the kind of warmth, humor, and personality that makes them leap off the page and into your heart. 

"A friendship tale that stands out for its unusual visuals and modeling of a flexible, supportive threesome.” Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781922610560
Publisher:	Berbay Publishing
Publication date:	06/06/2023
Pages:	36
Product dimensions:	9.01(w) x 10.02(h) x (d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Cat Rabbit is a textile artist and designer from Melbourne Australia. She makes plush sculptural works of imagined characters and the worlds they might live in. She has collaborated with Instagram, the National Gallery of Victoria, Lady Magazine, Frankie Magazine and several other high profile journals. 

Editorial Reviews

A quirky, winsome tale that provides a solid example of how to make friends. A friendship tale that stands out for its unusual visuals and modeling of a flexible, supportive threesome.” Kirkus Reviews

"This book is beautifully illustrated with photographs of the artist’s signature soft sculptures, as her previous picture books have been... How to Make Friends: A Bear’s Guide is a perfect book to share with kids aged four and up who are struggling to fit in or reconcile their love of quiet activities with their desire to make friends." Books and Publishing

"How to Make Friends – A Bear’s Guide is more than a read-out-loud book about making friends and being yourself. It is a lovely visual experience which is sure to engender all sorts of conversations between children and adults about the characters and the process involved in making them and their clothes as well as the message the book conveys."  Children's Book Council of Australia Reading Time

From the Publisher

2023-03-14
How do you make friends?

Bear doesn’t have friends other than her toys, but she would like some, specifically Lamb and Koala. But she’s forgotten the most basic friendship rule: Be yourself. Instead, Bear creates a “How To Make Friend” list (“follow them everywhere,” “dress to impress,” “bake treats”). But Bear gets out of breath while jogging behind Koala and Lamb, and she scares them when she puts on “her best, most spectacular outfit.” Finally, she bakes a cake. Who doesn’t like cake? Unfortunately, Koala and Lamb eat only green things. Bear gives up and grabs toys and a sketchbook to go draw in the park. She’s so wrapped up that she doesn’t notice Koala and Lamb jogging past. They notice her, though, and join in for a drawing party. Soon, the three are friends. Note, too, that this trio successfully navigates the “dangers of three” and contentedly finds things that they like to do in pairs. “Lamb and Bear practice recorder. (Koala doesn’t like the noise.)” “Lamb and Koala learn routines from their favorite musicals. Bear prefers opera.” The author/illustrator is a textile artist who has created characters and physical objects from felt and fabric, set against simple backgrounds with cardboard cutout details—the result is a quirky, winsome tale that provides a solid example of how to make friends. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A friendship tale that stands out for its unusual visuals and modeling of a flexible, supportive threesome. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews