Friendship is Like a Seesaw offers children an easy to understand explanation of how friendships work – that friendships are sometimes uneven when friends aren’t feeling the same way about a situation and that friendships work best when both people are balanced and even in the way they deal with each other.
The text is simple and easy to follow as it explains friendships and what can sometimes cause friends to be unhappy with each other. Friendship is Like a Seesaw also offers some wonderful strategies for children to follow to deal with a friendship that is feeling uneven including looking at their own behaviour, avoiding hurting the other person just because they made you feel bad, and maybe stepping away from the friendship for a little while to help things get back into balance.
Írisz Agócs' illustrations are gorgeous, adding a wonderful visual appeal to the book that balances the text to ensure that the story is enjoyable as well as informative. Together, the words and text offer a very conversational approach to discussing the ups and downs of friendship.
Friendship is Like a Seesaw offers parents, teachers and all those who spend time with children a wonderful opportunity to start conversations about friendships – how they work, why they sometimes make us sad and how to do our part to keep our friendships happy and healthy. This book is part of the Big Hug series by psychologist and author Shona Innes, designed to help young readers deal with some of life’s tricky situations.
Title: Friendship is Like a Seesaw
Author: Shona Innes
Illustrator: Írisz Agócs
Publisher: Five Mile Press, $14.95 RRP
Publication Date: March 2014
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781760060565
For ages: 4-7
Type: Picture Book
