10 Apr / All Kinds of Friends by Norma Simon, illustrated by Cherie Zamazing
“All of us have all kinds of friends,” author Norma Simon writes. We have friends at school, in our family, friends we see all the time, and friends we can only see once in a while. You can have old friends and new friends who are adults or kiddies. And, you can even be the bestest of buddies with your pets and even your toys.
Of course, to have good friends, you also need to be a good friend, to know how to care, talk, and listen to each other. Sometimes, though, even BFFs can say and do unkind things, but two small words – “I’m sorry” – have a magical quality to repairing friendships. In our brave new world of interconnectedness, staying in touch even thousands of miles away is easier than ever before. And while making new friends in new places can be hard, sharing that first question of “‘What’s your name?'” can put you well on your way to “one friend two friends, and a few more friends.”
Author Norma Simon, whose numerous books celebrate diversity among families and children with such titles as All Kinds of Families, All Kinds of Children, and All Families Are Special, offers a resounding voice for the importance of nurturing friendships for children (and really, for us all). British illustrator Cherie Zamazing perfectly mirrors Simon’s words with pictures filled with multi-ethnic faces from around the world, from cities to farms and everywhere in between. “Wherever you live, whoever you are, friends are important, all kinds of friends.” No arguments to that!
Readers: Children
Published: 2013