Book picks similar to
Ellie Makes a Friend by Mike Wu


picture-books
friendship
art
children-s-books

The Little Reindeer


Nicola Killen - 2017
    They set off on a magical adventure and it becomes a Christmas never to forget. Nicola Killen’s evocative illustrations are sure to enchant in this beautiful book with die cut pages, foil, and flashes of festive red.

See You Later, Alligator


Sally Hopgood - 2015
    Affectionate farewells, of the sort that parents and their children share, are uttered to each animal as he slowly progresses through the zoo. Unfortunately, Tortoise spends so long with his heart-warming goodbyes that it is too dark for an adventure by the time he reaches the exit to the zoo.

Tell Me a Tattoo Story


Alison McGhee - 2016
    The father tells his little son the story behind each of his tattoos, and together they go on a beautiful journey through family history. There's a tattoo from a favorite book his mother used to read him, one from something his father used to tell him, and one from the longest trip he ever took. And there is a little heart with numbers inside—which might be the best tattoo of them all. Tender pictures by New York Times bestselling illustrator Eliza Wheeler complement this lovely ode to all that's indelible—ink and love.

I'd Really Like to Eat a Child


Sylviane Donnio - 2004
    He's tired of bananas; today he'd like to eat a child. But he's smaller than he thinks, and the little girl he chooses for his first meal puts him in his place—she picks him up and tickles his tummy! The little crocodile is going to have to eat a lot of bananas and grow a lot bigger before he can add children to his menu! Simple yet hilarious artwork brings this droll story to life.

Just Add Glitter


Angela DiTerlizzi - 2018
    Before long there’s glitter here, glitter there—glitter, glitter EVERYWHERE! But just when she’s about to add more glitter, the little girl realizes maybe there is such a thing as too much bling when you and your best pal start to get lost in it…From beloved author Angela DiTerlizzi and illustrator Samantha Cotterill comes a silly and sweet story that celebrates imagination, creativity, and knowing when enough is enough—or is it?!

Claymates


Dev Petty - 2017
    Things might get a little crazy.In this photographic friendship adventure, the claymates squish, smash, and sculpt themselves into the funniest shapes imaginable. But can they fix a giant mess before they're caught in the act?

Paul Meets Bernadette


Rosy Lamb - 2013
    He made big circles and little circles. He circled from left to right and from right to left. He circled from top to bottom and from bottom to top. What else was there to do? Until one day Bernadette drops in and shows Paul that there is a whole world out there, right outside his bowl, with so many things to see. A banana-shaped boat! A blue elephant with a spoutlike trunk (be quiet when she’s feeding her babies)! A lovely lunetta butterfly, with tortoise-shell rims! Simple saturated paintings play off this charming ode to an active imagination — and the way that life changes when a bewitching creature opens your eyes.

Fish is Fish


Leo Lionni - 1970
    When the tadpole, now a frog, returns to tell his friend of the extraordinary things he’s seen, the minnow, now a fish, tries to follow in his footsteps, but quickly finds that land is not what he expected. Friendship truly saves the day in this imaginative tale of a fish out of water.

Every Color


Erin Eitter Kono - 2016
    A simple story about a bear, that meets a girl, who introduces him to the world, and changes how he sees; everything.

Penguin


Polly Dunbar - 2007
    "Hello, Penguin!" he says. "What shall we play?" But Penguin says nothing. Even when Ben tickles its belly, sings a funny song, does a dizzy dance, stands on his head, sticks out his tongue, and resorts to increasingly rude and drastic measures, Penguin makes no response. What will it take for Penguin to say something — or for Ben to understand what Penguin has to say? Fresh, spare illustrations bring whimsy to this wonderful tale, in which a silent Penguin turns marvelously eloquent and a little boy finally gets his heart’s desire.

Hank's Big Day: The Story of a Bug


Evan Kuhlman - 2016
    Hank is a pill bug with a busy life—for a pill bug, that is. His daily routine involves nibbling a dead leaf, climbing up a long stick, avoiding a skateboarder, and playing pretend with his best friend, a human girl named Amelia, in her backyard. And when day is done, Hank likes nothing better than returning home to his cozy rock.

Tea with Oliver


Mika Song - 2017
    He likes cookies and tea. Just like me.I think we will be best friends…if he will just read one of my letters!Philbert the mouse.

Dessert Island


Ben Zhu - 2021
    It is made of frosting, berries, and other delicious things. Fox is on a desert island. It is made of dirt, rocks, and sand.But as time goes on, their fortunes change, and Monkey and Fox discover that no animal is an island.This wonderfully layered story has themes of consumption and conservation at its center, and wraps up with a sweet and satisfying ending.