Pre-K

12 Books About Friendship for
Kids Ages 3 – 5

by Devon A. Corneal

Image credit: SbytovaMN/Getty Images

Preschool is the perfect time to learn how to be a good friend. At this age, children typically have daily opportunities to practice sharing, compromising, listening to, and learning from each other. And even though that’s not currently the case, these books will help prepare your little reader for when they can meet their friends again in person.

We hope this collection of silly, touching, funny, and honest stories help your children learn the value of friendship and give them tools to build happy healthy relationships with the people they decide to let into their lives.

No One Likes a Fart

by Zoe Foster Blake, illustrated by Adam Nickel

Also available from:

Farts are smelly, loud, and kind of gross. But they also have feelings and don’t like being alone. Make your kids laugh out loud with this sweet story of the Fart who persevered to find friends who accept him just the way he is.

Also available from:

The Pups Save Friendship Day!

by Golden Books, illustrated by Mike Jackson

Also available from:

Calling all Paw Patrol fans! The pups are on a mission to save Friendship Day by delivering the mail when no one else can.

Also available from:

Sorry (Really Sorry)

by Joanna Cotler, illustrated by Harry Bliss

Also available from:

Sometimes we can hurt our friends when we’re in a bad mood and we take it out on the people around us. But with just two little words, we can show our friends that we really do care about them and help everyone feel better. A great lesson on how to say, “I’m Sorry,” and mean it.

Also available from:

Kiki & Jax

by Marie Kondo and Salina Yoon, illustrated by Salina Yoon

Also available from:

Marie Kondo has been teaching adults all over the world how to spark joy by removing clutter. Now she’s turning her attention to helping kids prioritize the people and relationships in their lives. Kids will love this sweet story about two friends who take action when they realize things are getting in the way of their friendship.

Also available from:

Can I Play Too?

by Samantha Cotterill

Also available from:

Is there anything harder than sharing? Kids know that no matter how much you love your friends, sometimes you just want to do things your own way. Can I Play Too? addresses this challenge head on and gives kids useful tools to help them compromise and see another person’s point of view.

Also available from:

Best Friends

by Margery Cuyler, illustrated by David L. Walker

Also available from:

This Level One reader is perfect for children who have a best friend but might not know how to include others in that very special relationship. With simple repetitive rhymes, kids improve their reading and learn that there’s always room for more friends.

Also available from:

Jasper & Ollie Build a Fort

by Alex Willan

Also available from:

Jasper and Ollie couldn’t be more different – Jasper is quick and energetic while Ollie is slow and deliberate. When the two friends decide to build forts, they discover they have to work together to create the perfect playhouse.

Also available from:

Duck & Goose, Goose Needs a Hug

by Tad Hills

Also available from:

Hugs are important, especially on important occasions like Valentine’s Day, which is why Goose is so lucky to have his best friend Duck around to give him a little love when he needs it.

Also available from:

Boy and Bot

by Amy Dyckman, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

Also available from:

When Boy and Bot find each other in the woods, they quickly become the best of friends. But when Bot gets switched off, Boy has to figure out just what’s wrong with his new friend, and how to fix him. A funny story of misunderstanding and caring, you’ll want to read this story with your little ones again and again.

Also available from:

I Got A New Friend

by Karl Newsom Edwards

Also available from:

Is there anything better than getting a new puppy? Not only are they sweet and cuddly, they are also the very best friends you could ask for.

Also available from:

The Heart of a Whale

by Anna Pignataro

Also available from:

Whale spends his days singing a beautiful song that calms the other creatures of the sea, but wonders if anyone will ever sing a song for him. Luckily, his friends in the ocean decide to find him a companion and Whale soon discovers that he won’t ever be lonely again.

Also available from:

Sophie’s Squash

by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf

Also available from:

This is one of my all-time favorite friendship stories – because it shows that friends can come in all shapes and sizes. In fact, they can even be a butternut squash. The only thing that limits our friendships is our capacity to love someone (or something) just they way they are.

Also available from: