7 Books Celebrating Best Friends

Otis & Sydney and the Best Birthday Ever, by Laura Numeroff and Dan Andreasen
Sharing an umbrella at the bus stop leads Sydney and Otis to discover their mutual love of dressing in costumes, tug-of-war, and jumping on a trampoline. Soon they are making music together and throwing annual birthday parties for one another. When Otis decides to throw his best friend a surprise party, the best birthday ever, it turns out there’s a surprise for Otis, too: he printed the wrong date on the invitations! Otis attempts to make the best of things, but he’s certain he’s ruined it. Sydney might not have even noticed, if not for the enormous cake. Sweetly, Otis’s best friend reassures him the day was indeed the best ever, because they spent it together.

Little Blue and Little Yellow, by Leo Lionni
Best friends little blue and little yellow are spots of color who live with their respective blue and yellow families. They have lots of other friends and they love to play, and run, and jump. They sit nicely in school, in school and love to play hide-and-seek. After searching here and there for his friend, little blue finds little yellow, and they hug each other until they turn green. After some exploration and adventure, they each head home to confused parents who don’t recognize the new hues of their children. Eventually the parents figure out what happened, and everyone lives happily together once more. Parents, teach your children the consequences of hugging, please.

Frog and Toad Are Friends, by Arnold Lobel
Featuring five of the best Frog and Toad stories (and that’s saying something,) Frog and Toad Are Friends is a collection of poignant examples of how best friends treat one another. In “Spring”, Frog decides his friend has slept for too long and is missing his company. Toad has asked to be roused in May, and by changing the calendar, Frog makes it so, despite the actual month. In “The Story”, Toad attempts to entertain his sick friend with a story, but has increasingly amusing difficulty thinking of one. “A Lost Button” refers to Toad’s big, round, thick, white button with four holes that the two friends spend all day searching for, to no avail. Toad stomps angrily home, finds the button, and realizes he’s had a bit of a temper tantrum and “made a lot of work” for Frog. His apology to Frog comes in the form of the gift of his beloved jacket, newly bedecked with all the buttons from the day’s adventure. In “A Swim”, Toad asks his friend to make sure none of the other animals see him in his bathing suit, because he “looks funny”. Frog attempts to do what his friend has asked, but the crowd that gathers soon makes it impossible. In “The Letter”, Frog learns that Toad is sad because he never gets any mail. Frog writes his friend a sweet letter, and they spend four days happily waiting together for the snail who will deliver it.
For more tales of this epic amphibian relationship, hop on over to Frog and Toad All Year, Days with Frog and Toad, and Frog and Toad Together. Pick up copies for yourself and your best friend.

Jasper & Joop, by Olivier Dunrea
Jasper and Joop are an odd couple of goslings: Jasper is tidy, and Joop is messy. They see the world differently, using the same descriptive words to convey conflicting feelings about encounters and situation. Jasper’s “too wet!” keeps him out of the puddle that Jasper gleefully splashes into, agreeing, “too wet!” The friends enjoy a day exploring the farm together, avoiding mud (or not), rolling in straw (or not), and investigating the beehive. Despite their divergent world views, Jasper and Joop truly enjoy each other’s company and have a lot of fun spending time together.

Best Friends for Frances, by Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban
Frances’s little sister Gloria is an unappealing playmate, especially when compared to Albert. But when Albert excludes his friend from the “no girls” baseball game, Frances turns to Gloria to see what she can offer. Can sisters be best friends? Indeed they can. Gloria proves her mettle by catching frogs in her Father’s old hat and asking Frances to teach her how to print her name. They plan an excellent “Best Friends Outing—No Boys” and pack a picnic awesome enough to convince Albert of the error of his ways. Friends can be wrong, but real friends come around in the end, especially if there’s food involved.

My New Friend Is So Fun!, by Mo Willems
When Gerald and Snake’s best friends spend the day together, Snake and Gerald pass the time wondering what Piggie and Brian Bat are doing. They know they are both super nice and they are having a super fun time. But what if they are having too much fun? What if they are having more fun than they do with their original friends? The speculation quickly grows from harmless to an anxiety explosion while Snake and Gerald agonize over the possibility that they have been replaced. And have they? Of course not!

George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends, James Marshall
Great friends (and hippos) George and Martha display so much information about their friendship, and our humanity, in these brief, delightful tales. The illustrations convey a depth of emotion one might not expect from the simplicity of the artwork. Along the way, the two friends learn about privacy, vanity, honesty, pranks, confidence, the importance of following directions, favoritism, being considerate, and fibbing, all through subtle humor and simple prose. Despite losing a favorite tooth or being afflicted by fleas, these friends always stand up for one another and stick together through thick and thin.
What are your favorite children’s books about best friends?