my best friend

A young girl arrives at school without any friends and observes her classmates from a distance. She notices another student who seems different from the others and begins to imagine what it would be like to be friends with her. The story follows the narrator's inner thoughts as she considers approaching this potential new friend. Through simple, stream-of-consciousness narration, the text captures the uncertainty and hope involved in making a first connection. Both the illustrations and text represent the authentic voice of a child navigating social relationships. The book reveals truths about friendship, bravery, and the universal experience of wanting to belong while finding one's place in a group.

Readers connect with the book's authentic portrayal of childhood friendship through simple, poetic text. Parents and teachers note how the story validates children's emotions about making friends. Likes: - Captures the hesitation and excitement of forming new friendships - Jillian Tamaki's illustrations show diverse children and settings - Text resonates with both shy and outgoing kids - Works well as a read-aloud for classroom discussions Dislikes: - Some found the narrative too abstract for young children - A few readers wanted more concrete story elements - Price point considered high for length Ratings: Goodreads: 4.34/5 (1,200+ ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (250+ ratings) "Perfectly captures that nervous-excited feeling of wanting to make friends," wrote one teacher on Goodreads. Several parent reviewers mentioned using the book to help children process friendship anxiety. School Library Journal gave it a starred review, praising how it "speaks directly to young readers' experiences."

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🌟 Julie Fogliano wrote this tender story about friendship after observing her own children's experiences making and keeping friends at school 🌸 The book's illustrator, Jillian Tamaki, is a celebrated comics artist who won the Caldecott Honor for her work on "This One Summer" 🌟 The story captures the universal experience of finding a "best friend," which child psychologists note typically begins to happen around ages 4-6 🌸 The book uses a unique stream-of-consciousness style that mirrors how young children actually think and speak about their friendships 🌟 Published in 2020, this book became especially meaningful during the COVID-19 pandemic when many children were separated from their friends and needed to remember the special bonds they shared