One of my favorite teaching strategies is using picture books to teach SEL skills. Picture books are powerful tools that make social emotional learning topics fun and meaningful. They are also very accessible. Even if you don’t have a robust collection of high quality children’s literature in your classroom library, you likely have access to books through your school library, public library, or on the internet. The best part is that students love listening to and discussing stories about relatable characters and storylines. They learn so much from them! In this post, I share my favorite read alouds for teaching friendship.
All of the friendship read alouds on this list are part of my Starts With a Story collection. The Cool Bean, You Will Be My Friend, Chester’s Way and Enemy Pie are part of our friendship SEL Unit, which includes interactive read aloud lesson plans among tons of other resources for teaching friendship. Check out the list of friendship read alouds below!
10 Friendship Read Alouds
Below are 10 quality friendship children’s books for elementary teachers to use as read alouds. Your kids will love these read alouds! They are great for teaching friendship, as well as many other concepts and skills.
1. The Cool Bean by Jory John and Pete Oswald
One bean is just uncool! No matter how hard he tries, he is not popular. That is, until a cool bean shows him that being kind is cool! This story lends itself to teaching about friendship, kindness, and the importance of being yourself! My Friendship SEL bundle includes an SEL lesson based on this picture book!
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2. You Will Be My Friend by Peter Brown
A bear named Lucille who decides she is going to go into the forest to make a new friend. She tried to fit in with every animal that she met but nothing worked. Eventually she decided she needed to calm down and be herself. A flamingo approaches her and asks if he can be her friend and the two form a very fun and exciting friendship! Students will be reminded of the importance of being authentic in friendships, as well as ways to find friends appropriately. My Friendship SEL bundle includes an SEL lesson based on this picture book!
3. Chester’s Way by Kevin Henkes
Chester and Wilson have their own way of doing things, and they did everything together. They did everything the same way each time. This all changed when Lilly, who has her own way of doing things, moved into the neighborhood. One day, Lilly stuck up for Chester and Wilson when they were being teased. The three mice realize they have lots in common and become great friends. With this, students will learn about the importance of standing up for our friends and being flexible when people want to join our groups. My Friendship SEL bundle includes an SEL lesson based on this picture book!
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4. Enemy Pie by Derek Munson
The main character in this story has an enemy, and his name is Jeremy Ross. The boy goes to his dad about having an enemy, and his dad says that he has the perfect way to get rid of enemies: enemy pie. The boys spend time together while dad baked the pie and they discover they have a lot in common! When it is time for pie, the boy panics and tells Jeremy to not eat it. The boys are officially no longer enemies, and have developed a great friendship. This story teaches students that making new friends can be hard, but it also can be very rewarding! My Friendship SEL bundle includes an SEL lesson based on this picture book!
5. Bird Hugs by Jed Adamson
The fifth book on this list of friendship read alouds is Bird Hugs. In this story, Bernard the bird was different than his friends that were birds. Soon, all of his friends had left in search of new places and Bernard still could not fly. Through comforting others, Bernard found his place in the forest. The animals started sharing their problems with Bernard and he listened to them and gave hugs. It made Bernard feel good to help the animals and he made many new friends. Bernard learned that although he could not fly, he still had a purpose. By helping others he could make friends, and when he had friends, he could do anything. This story is sure to spark conversations around friendship and making connections! Check out these Bird Hugs activities!
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6. Corduroy by Don Freeman
Each day, Corduroy the stuffed bear sits in a store, hoping that someone will take him home. One day, a little girl named Lisa stops by to look at Corduroy. While she wanted to take the bear home, her mother said she had already spent too much money in the store. The next day, Lisa took Corduroy home where she had a small bed set up for him and replaced his missing button. That is when Corduroy realized Lisa was a friend, something they both had always wanted. This classic story reminds students of the importance of friendship and how we can find it in unexpected places! Check out these Corduroy activities!
7. The Other Side by Jacqueline Woods
This summer, the fence that separated the two sides felt longer to Clover. Clover’s mom told her she cannot cross the fence because it separates where the white people and black people lived. But each day, she saw a white girl playing and sitting on the fence. Eventually, these two become friends and hope for days when the fence will be taken down. This story of friendship beautifully shows how segregated the country was, and how relationships can overpower this type of thinking. Check out these The Other Side activities!
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8. The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
Rainbow Fish was unlike any of the other fish in the sea. He had sparkling, shimmering scales all over, but refused to share them with others. He found himself feeling very lonely, and quickly learned that he got joy from giving away his shiny scales. This beautiful story reminds students that friendship is a give and take- literally! It also is a great resource to use when teaching about sharing and spreading kindness. Check out these The Rainbow Fish activities!
9. The Seed of Compassion by His Holiness The Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama narrates the book himself and shares his experiences growing up. He learned that compassion is a special capability humans have, that other living creatures do not. Throughout the book, the Dalai Lama explains that children can grow to be more compassionate and it helps make the world a better place. Students will learn by reading this book that compassion is a key element of friendship. Check out these The Seed of Compassion activities!
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10. It Fell From the Sky by Terry and Eric Fan
It was a Thursday when something magical fell from the sky and landed in the garden. Critters from all over came to view as they have never seen such a thing! Oddly enough, Spider happened to make a web right where it fell. Claiming the item as his own, Spider learns a lesson in sharing and community. He would rather have friends than have the special item. With this, It Fell From the Sky provides conversation starters around friendship, community, and greed. Check out these It Fell From the Sky activities!
Integrated SEL and Literacy Activities
Below are some integrated SEL and literacy resources for elementary teachers.
SEL Unit
Our Friendship Unit, which is available individually or as part of a year-long SEL bundle, includes lessons for the first four books on this list. This unit is packed with lesson plans, teaching resources, games, and activities. Click an image below to either get this individual friendship unit or get ALL 30 SEL units!
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SEL Book Companions
As I mentioned earlier, I love teaching SEL skills using picture books. That’s why I created the Starts With a Story Collection. High quality children’s literature supports elementary teachers in delivering meaningful and accessible SEL lessons. All of the read alouds on this list are part of this book companion collection. Check out the book companions below!
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In closing, we hope you found this list of friendship read alouds helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts:
