Home LearningFive Books on Friendship for your Child

Friendship is the first step a child takes into a world outside of their family bubble. Our first few friends, be it around the neighborhood or elementary school, pave a way to cherish a garland of memories. Initially, it could be awkward, shy, and very confusing. Then you meet someone who is just as puzzled as you, or maybe too energetic to help you out of your coyness, and that is what boosts up the confidence for social interaction and a possibly long-lasting emotional bond.

If you are worried about your child missing out on the magic of friendship during this time of social distancing, here I have listed five books that can make your child visualize the affection, attachment, trust, and support that comes with friendship through some amusing and enlightening bookish tales!

 

APPAKA

Our first book suggestion revolves around the blend of an emotional attachment towards a pet. If you already have one, this would be so relatable. And if you don’t, well, you might just get a reason to get one! Appaka by Sreelatha Radhakrishnan is a tale about Nonnu and her pet goat kid named Appaka vis-a-vis our book’s title. Appaka is Nonnu’s hope and muse, whom she adores the most! Your child can feel the flavor of love and friendship through this fluffy smooshy pet. But, the pangs of worry hit when Appakka goes missing! How does it feel? What is to be done? Will they meet again? Well, read aloud with your little one and go through the exceptional illustrations to enhance your child’s imagination of being in the world of Nonnu and Apakka. This read is an absolute pleasure and would make your children feel care and empathy towards little pets and make them more kind.

Want to know more? Tune into https://tottolearning.com/blog/the-story-of-nonnus-pet/

 

RAMYA’S SNACK BOX

This is an authentically crafted Children’s book by C.G Salamander that revolves around the aroma of lunch boxes and clanking water bottles in school life; quite a nostalgia for us parents! But a whole new world of relationships for our little ones. Cute little kids are all crowded while Ramya opens her lunch box, full of chips and Indian sweets. Ram, her classmate, comes up to her, and she shares her candies with him. Eventually, all her friends approach her, and she shares with everyone to the extent that now all she is left with are tiny crumbs which further are licked off by a puppy. It’s lunchtime, but Ramya has nothing left to eat! Is she about to starve? Should she have not shared it with her friends? Soon, her mercy and morality pay off as she encounters the goodwill of friendship. Hop on this book with your child and go through the enticing images of delicious lunch and uniforms! The book depicts how sharing is caring and how even a little good in you will never let you down.

 

 

 

RAMYA’S FANCY DRESS MESS

We always want to be at the top, but would jealousy get in the way of friendship while doing so? Karishma Mahbubani has vividly described through Ramya’s Fancy Dress Mess a very realistic tale of schools that most of us have often gone through in our own lives. Ramya’s teacher announces a fancy dress competition. Students are in the best of their enthusiasm; one of her classmates wants to dress up as a king, while the other is a famous athlete. Ramya wants to be unique! What should she be? She finally decides on her glamorous costume, and her family cheers her up. The emotional support from family is quite moving through the illustrations. Now, hoping to astound the audience, she is all set to go, but, oh wait! Her friend Anaya has the same costume! She is disappointed! Will this get the best of her? Who will win the competition? Become a part of this happy-ending school tale with your children to enrich the values of understanding, acceptance, and empathy. The story delivers the message that there could be multiple conflicts among friends, ups and downs. Still, genuine sincerity lies when you could be happy for each other’s happiness, regardless of your expectations.

 

 

SODA AND BONDA

The most passable tunnel to take your child towards unconditional equality in friendship is through Niveditha Subramaniam’s piece, Soda and Bonda. We all have unique appearances; some are tall, short, chubby, have curly hair or long noses, etc. But these physical attributes only identify us; they can’t define us! This concept is explored alongside a dog named Soda, a typical dog, and a cat named Bonda, who feels like a dog! Bonda imitates Soda in every way possible by playing with the same toys, wagging the tail, and whatnot, which Soda resents. Our poor cat gets upset for being misunderstood only because of the way that it looks! How do they get over these physical barriers and become best of friends? Find out with your children! It’s quite an accomplishment to portray such poignant illustrations and differentiates between appearances from one’s inner self. The story unfurls the truth that we must look beyond the surface towards the goodness in one’s heart! In short, Soda and Bonda is a beautiful book to teach kids to be nonjudgemental about appearance or what they see on the surface.

 

 

THREE FRIENDS

Last but not least, we have Three Friends by Indu Harikumar, which takes us through the journey of benevolence through bright colors. Red, Blue, and Yellow are three best friends that seek out to find more friends. Red was found in delicious items, tomatoes, apples, plums, etc. The glow of the sun radiated the color yellow! The calmness of the sky and wavy oceans and drops of rain marked the beauty of blue! The graphics would strike such imaginative instances in your children’s minds as they go through these earnest sceneries. These primary colors, when combined, gave rise to new colors! Don’t you want to find out who those new friends are? If you’re wondering what more the story offers apart from colors, try to think of it on a deeper level. It makes your little one realize how everyone is different, how every friend they would make will be different, and the shared interests, the joy, the bond will be different. It will make your children embrace every friendship as it is unique! This book is all about how new companians makes this world more colorful.

 

Picture books are always tentative to create that spark of creativity and imagination in children. And what better way to brush up some new vocabulary as an add-on, right? Especially around the friendship day aura, these tales about friendship, the moral values, and boundaries to be acknowledged for a healthy emotional bond will be a perfect idea for you and your child to indulge in! Reading the cliffhanger on each page, the curiosity of turning them and hopping onto the next scene is such revelry. However, you might not always find it easy to buy a book and read it, especially when you’re very short on time, so here we offer you some help to where to buy it from, or some audio reads as well:

Appaka by Sreelatha Radhakrishnan: https://www.tulikabooks.com/general-picture-books/appaka-english.html

Ramya’s Snack Box by C.G Salamander: https://youtu.be/NyA7Ba7PRxA

Ramya’s Fancy Dress Mess by Karishma Mahbubani: https://www.amazon.in/Ramyas-Fancy-Dress-Karishma-Mahbubani/dp/9385290320

Soda and Bonda by Niveditha Subramaniam’s piece, Soda and Bonda: https://youtu.be/TZQiokiv7n0

Three Friends by Indu Harikumar: https://www.facebook.com/pitara.eklavya/videos/three-friends/316723906134302/