Skip To Main Content

Book Suggestion

Theme  “Friends”

Friends, friendship, bad friends, schoolmates, old friends, best friends... "Friends'' play an important role in every aspect of our lives. Let’s have a look at some children's books that explore the question of what a “friend” is. 

Kindergarten

“Friends” by Rob Lewis

Andy the rabbit moves to a new house and is determined to make lots of friends. He hopes they like swimming too. But none of the children he meets are interested in swimming. And there’s no one just like Andy: One is too loud, one is too shy, and one is too dim... Andy finds himself alone. So he decides to start all over again.
 

“ALDO” by John Burningham

A girl who spends most of her time alone has a special friend named "Aldo." Aldo always helps her when she is in trouble. But what kind of a friend is "Aldo"? Please take the time to read this thought-provoking book carefully.
 

Elementary G1-4

“Ninkimono no hiketsu” by Eto Mori

On Valentine's Day, Komatsu-kun, who is in the same class as me, received 27 chocolates. I only got one. I asked Kanae, a girl in my class, why and she said, "It's because Komatsu-kun is more popular than you.” So, I decided to find out why Komatsu-kun is so popular.
 

“The Boy Who Had (Nearly) Everything” by  Ian Whybrow

Lucky Fries, the son of a wealthy family, has everything: toys, candy, amusement parks, safari parks... everything. His father and mother are both busy, and the only people who are always with him are his housekeepers. On his 7th birthday, when Fries doesn't know what he wants anymore, the housekeeper suggests that he invite an ordinary boy, Billy, to the house to show him all the things he has and make him jealous. What does Fries discover while playing with Billy

 

Elementary G4-6 & Secondary

“Jane, the Fox & Me” by Fanny Britt

Hélène, a fifth grader who has been ostracized and teased by her schoolmates, always reads her favorite book, "Jane Eyre," as a means of escaping and ignoring her tormentors. One day, while Hélène is away on a school camp, an incident triggers a small change in Hélène. Winner of the Governor General's Literary Award of Canada, this graphic novel depicts the sensitive mind of a young girl.
 

“ALMOND” by Won-pyung Sohn

Yoon-jae is a boy whose almond-shaped amygdalae, parts of the brain which control emotions, are underdeveloped, making him unable to feel anger or fear. Even when his grandmother and mother were involved in a heinous crime, he remains silent and watches. Then a troubled teenager, Gon, enters his life. This encounter with Gon, who has intense emotions, changes Yoon-jae's life.
 

“Kagami no Kojo / Lonely Castle in the Mirror” by Mizuki Tsujimura

Kokoro, a first-year junior high school student who has been withdrawn at home and unable to go to school, suddenly sees a mirror in her room that begins to glow. She is sucked into the shining mirror and arrives at a mysterious castle-like building, where she meets six others in a similar situation to herself. Why were these seven people brought together here?

This book was featured in a bibliobattle held by KIA's G5 Japanese language class, and it was successfully selected as one of the winning books. It won the 2018 Bookstore of the Year Award and nine other awards, and will be adapted into a movie this winter.
 

Article List

HealthSafetyNewsletter