Friendship

What's the most exciting thing about heading to preschool in the fall? Friends, of course! If your child picks up a few ABCs and 123s along the way, that's all well and good. But the really fun stuff is watching your little one make friendships all his own. Any preschool teacher will tell you that learning to navigate the social milieu of the classroom and schoolyard is what this first school experience is all about. Greeting, playing, listening, helping, sharing, quarreling and making up, and then saying goodbye 'til next time -- after a few months at a good preschool, some children are better at these things than their parents! And before you know it, your child will be the one introducing you to new friends, little and big ones, that you may well keep for a lifetime. So enjoy this amazing process, as well as some of our favorite picture books about the delights and complexities of young friendships.

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Play With Me

This gem of a classic teaches a valuable lesson about how to make new friends, and respect the natural world too. Our young heroine walks out into a meadow one morning, and meets a grasshopper, a frog, a turtle, a chipmunk, and other meadow creatures. "Will you play with me?" is her cry, as she tries to catch them each in turn. But the shy animals elude her, and quickly disappear. What is an eager little girl in search of playmates to do? Just sit very quietly, and wait for a while. And soon enough, at their own pace, the animals return. "Oh now I was happy, as happy as could be! For all of them -- ALL OF THEM -- were playing with me!? It's a sweet and simple story that preschoolers get right away, and just love.

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