Oct 12, 2021
Learning how to make friends is an important developmental goal for young children. Through early friendships, children grow their ability to talk and listen, to take someone else’s feelings into account, to play or work with others, and to understand social cues. Best of all, they gain a sense of belonging, and experience hours and days of laughter and fun!
Friendship skills can be hard to learn, and pose different challenges for every child. As a parent, communicating with your child about friendship, listening to their concerns, and modelling social and emotional skills, will help them. That’s where these picture books from OPL’s children’s collection come in handy! Young children can enjoy these wonderful stories, and absorb some ideas for developing their social skills along the way.
Maybe your child is nervous about making friends… so is Bear in “A Visitor for Bear” by Bonny Becker. Or anxious about going out to play at all… so is Hector in “Hector’s Favourite Place” by Jo Rooks. Maybe they feel competitive… so do Owl and Rabbit in “Too Tall Houses” by Gianna Marino. Maybe they find their friend very different from themselves – so does Sorrel in “Sorrel and the Sleepover” by Corrinne Averiss and Rhino in “Friends Stick Together” by Hannah E. Harrison. And maybe they just need a little help from their friends… so does Mouse in “The Mouse Who Reached the Sky” by Petr Horáček.
No matter what title you read together, we encourage you to take time to talk with your child about the story, to ask questions, point out the illustrations, and listen to their ideas. Their wisdom may already surprise you! And who knows? – one of these books may just become their new – storytime - “best friend.”
October is Library Month in Canada, and all month we’re celebrating friendship. For all the ways OPL has been a friend to you, tell a friend, so they can enjoy it too! They can sign up for a free library card in person at one of 33 Ottawa Public Library branches across the city, or sign up online, either way something special awaits, when you bring a friend to the Library, or bring the Library to a friend!
