Make New Friends
A Picture Book
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
An empathetic and reassuring picture book about the loaded question that every “new kid” or socially anxious child dreads: “Did you make any new friends today?”
A New York Times Best Children’s Books of the Year!
Tomasso doesn’t know anyone at his new school and has no one to play with at recess. So, knowing his dad will ask, he resolves to make a few new friends.
Each day his crew grows; there’s Roland (a foam ball), Coco (a milk carton), and Karen (a very pink eraser). But when his dad insists on having his friends over for pizza, Tomasso knows that soon his secret will be out. Will his dad welcome his new friends, even if they’re not who he expects?
Written for any child who struggles with making friends or social anxiety, and featuring warm, witty illustrations, Make New Friends is both silly and sincere, inviting kids to trust the unconditional love and acceptance of a parent.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Tomasso, the new kid at school, feels the weight of his father's well-intentioned daily question: "Did you make any new friends?" Rather than admit he's sitting by himself at lunch, Tomasso begins creating companions, drawing smiling faces on a milk carton, an eraser, and other objects he finds around school; giving them names; and creating stories to tell Dad at dinner. Eager to celebrate his son's adjustment, Dad nudges Tomasso to invite the new friends for pizza, and the story reaches an extraordinary crescendo. Astutely observational colored pencil and watercolor illustrations by Di Giorgio portray a touching parent-child relationship throughout, but when Dad is confronted with his son's literalized coping mechanism, readers may find themselves holding their breath around his reaction. Dad's ability to meet Tomasso exactly where he is becomes a profoundly moving display of parental love and, as the final pages hint, may even pave the way for genuine connection in the outside world. Protagonists are shown with pale skin; background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8.
