Book picks similar to
The Word for Friend by Aidan Cassie


picture-books
friendship
picture-book
children-s

Little Mole's Wish


Sang-Keun Kim - 2017
    On his way home from school on a winter day, he rolls a snowball all the way to the bus stop. He tells it his problems and grows very attached. But when Little Mole tries to take the snowball home with him on the bus, the driver refuses and leaves without them. So Little Mole comes up with a plan: mold the snowball into a bear. Surely that will do the trick? After much effort, he finally convinces a bus driver to pick them up. The bus is warm and cozy, and Little Mole falls asleep. But we all know what happens to snowballs when they get warm. . . . Luckily, Grandma is waiting at home, and she finds a way to return her grandson's new friend to him. With a classic, timeless feel and stunning illustrations, this heartwarming story of friendship and love is full of mood, atmosphere, and poignancy.An Indie Next List Top 10 Pick!

The Three Questions


Jon J. Muth - 2002
    So he goes to ask Leo, the wise turtle. When he arrives, the turtle is struggling to dig in his garden, and Nikolai rushes to help him. As he finishes work, a violent storm rolls in. Nikolai runs for Leo's cottage, but on his way, he hears cries for help from an injured panda. Nikolai brings her in from the cold, and then rushes back outside to rescue her baby too.

Memoirs of a Goldfish


Devin Scillian - 2010
    A personal account from a goldfish on life in his bowl as other intruders crowd him.

My Name Is Yoon


Helen Recorvits - 2003
    But her father tells her that she must learn to write it in English. In English, all the lines and circles stand alone, which is just how Yoon feels in the United States. Yoon isn't sure that she wants to be YOON. At her new school, she tries out different names – maybe CAT or BIRD. Maybe CUPCAKE!Helen Recorvits's spare and inspiring story about a little girl finding her place in a new country is given luminous pictures filled with surprising vistas and dreamscapes by Gabi Swiatkowska.My Name Is Yoon is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Little Tree


Loren Long - 2015
    Life is perfect just the way it is. Autumn arrives, and with it the cool winds that ruffle Little Tree's leaves. One by one the other trees drop their leaves, facing the cold of winter head on. But not Little Tree—he hugs his leaves as tightly as he can. Year after year Little Tree remains unchanged, despite words of encouragement from a squirrel, a fawn, and a fox, his leaves having long since turned brown and withered. As Little Tree sits in the shadow of the other trees, now grown sturdy and tall as though to touch the sun, he remembers when they were all the same size. And he knows he has an important decision to make.

The Three Billy Goats Buenos


Susan Middleton Elya - 2020
    But then one of the billy goats wonders: Why is that gigante so grumpy, anyway?This thoughtful question sends their plan in a new direction, and the results are better than they ever imagined.Dashes of humor, empathy, and kindness make this modern twist on a classic tale a charming delight.

Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You


Sonia Sotomayor - 2019
    But in the same way that different types of plants and flowers make a garden more beautiful and enjoyable, different types of people make our world more vibrant and wonderful.In Just Ask, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor celebrates the different abilities kids (and people of all ages) have. Using her own experience as a child who was diagnosed with diabetes, Justice Sotomayor writes about children with all sorts of challenges—and looks at the special powers those kids have as well. As the kids work together to build a community garden, asking questions of each other along the way, this book encourages readers to do the same: When we come across someone who is different from us but we're not sure why, all we have to do is Just Ask.