When the young boy narrating the story has an argument with his friend Quentin, he decides that he doesn’t need to be Quentin’s friend anymore. After all, he has lots of other friends that he enjoys spending time with. Some make him laugh. Some like to play hide-and-go-seek. Some like different things he also enjoys like robots and being an astronaut.
Of course, Quentin is a good friend too and once he calms down, he starts to wonder what Quentin is doing. Maybe they could play together again after all.
Friends Always is a gentle reminder for children that we enjoy different things with different friends. It also notes that we don’t need to spend time with people who do things that hurt us and our friends don’t have to share all of our interests.
Specifically published by Magination press to help autistic children navigate friendship challenges, Friends Always is a useful book for parents and teachers to use to spark conversations with any child about what makes a good friendship and how to resolve conflicts with friends. The book includes two pages of notes for parents and caregivers written by Elizabeth McCallum PhD, a certified school psychologist, explaining how to use this book to help children manage disagreements with their friends and discuss friendship issues.
Friends Always is a wonderful resource for parents, caregivers and teachers involved in helping children develop social skills. While it is obviously a story with a purpose, the charming illustrations by author/illustrator Tanja Wenisch and lists of wonderful things children can enjoy with their friends also make this story an entertaining one for young readers.
This book was originally published in French as T’es plus mon ami.
Title: Friends Always
Author/Illustrator: Tanja Wenisch
Publisher: Magination Press, $15.95 RRP
Publication Date: March 2014
Format: Softcover
ISBN: 9781433816406
For ages: 4-8
Type: Picture Book
