Friendship is such an important part of children’s lives. And that’s precisely why it’s such an important part of children’s books. Friendship is truly where so much of the drama, as well as the triumph and love, happens between children’s book characters. This is especially true in stories about unlikely friendships. Whether friendships are unlikely because of personality, character traits, or even species, there is an inherent tension in stories where there is some kind of perceived obstacle to characters becoming friends. It’s basically the same reason enemies to lovers is so popular in romance novels.
The following four books range from picture book to middle grade, were published within the last year, and all feature unlikely friendships. Some are funny, like the relationship between an owl who likes to stay up all night and a bird who prefers to wake up early. Some are sweet and poignant, like the story of a rescue dog who befriends an orphaned cheetah cub, and another where a young girl is best friends with a lion. And some are a little bit of both, like a picture book about a shy boy who creates friends out of inanimate objects in the classroom instead of reaching out to his classmates. All are beautiful stories that examine friendship from thoughtful and interesting angles.
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 My Lion Friend by Mao YangThis book tells the story of a friendship that develops between a young girl and a lion. They do many things together, like go to the playground and imaginatively play with cardboard boxes. Sometimes, they get mad at each other—especially when Lion eats all the cookies. But they always make up with a big hug. The story never addresses why or how a girl became friends with a lion, adding an air of mystery. But mostly, this book portrays a very gentle relationship between two unlikely friends. |
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Bengali (Bangladesh) · 
English (United States) ·