All about friends by Felicity Brooks

Illus. by Mar Ferrero. Usborne, 2020. ISBN: 9781474968386. 32pp., hbk.
It can be fun to spend time by yourself, You can play whatever you want and you don't have to share your toys or your snacks . . .
But what every one of us has learned over the isolation of the last few months is that friends are critical and a crucial part of our mental well-being. As schools gradually return to full-time face-to-face teaching, some little ones may have been at home for so long that they have forgotten what it is like to work and play with others and how to be a friend, so this beautifully designed book will be the perfect platform for getting things back on an even keel. Each double page spread focuses on an issue such as what are friends, why we need them, what makes a good friend, who can be friends and so on, offering lots of scope for sharing personal stories and contributing to discussions in a way they haven't done for some time. There are also pages devoted to how friendships grow and change, how they can be destroyed and how they can be mended so that the children realise that there will be ups and downs and part of growing up is knowing what to do and doing it, developing tolerance, understanding, forgiveness and resilience.
The final pages include a "friendship puzzle" offering the reader a few scenarios for which they have to select the most appropriate behaviour, and two pages of information for new parents about their children's friendships, skills and strategies to help them develop and some reassuring words about imaginary friends and dealing with conflict - the most important being to give the child time to try to sort it out. That perspective alone tells me that this author knows her stuff and her advice is sound.
Barbara Braxton