Books! Books! Books!

All books listed here have been reviewed by the Friend editorial staff and are generally available in libraries/bookstores.

How marvelous a thing is a good book! President Gordon B. Hinckley

What Shall We Do When We All Go Out? Simple music for this traditional song follows the text. Bright, big pictures by Shari Halpern show the actions: riding “three-wheel bikes,” somersaulting, eating lunch, feeding ducks, flying kites, more.
2–5 years

The Day My Mom Almost Enrolled in Preschool! Who’s more worried about the first day of preschool, Jordan or his mom? And who feels better about it first?
Dianne Dannhaus
3–5 years

Jamaica’s Blue Marker Jamaica shared her markers with Russell—because the teacher asked her to. Then Russell scribbled all over the picture she had worked so hard on. So why did she give him her blue marker to keep?
Juanita Havill
3–6 years

Grandfather’s Lovesong “I love you tall / Like trees in Fall / When red leaves fly / And wild geese call.” Magnificent pictures illustrate each short rhyme that Grandfather uses to tell of his love for his grandson.
Reeve Lindbergh
3–7 years

So Much in Common Philomena lived in an old house and collected things; Horace lived in a new house and got rid of anything he wasn’t using. They were good friends—until Philomena hit Horace with her bicycle. … Then came the flower show, and soon they were better friends than ever.
Laurie A. Jacobs
3–8 years

The Painter This story is about a painter, his little daughter, his wife, and their dog—and their love for each other. It is told with a few (mostly short) sentences and beautiful art.
Peter Catalanotto
4–7 years

Choose the Right This booklet by a Church member has pictures to color, rhymes, 2 short stories about the prophet Daniel, and a game, all to help you learn to choose the right.
Elaine Cannon
4–7 years

Bub, Or the Very Best Thing What’s “the very best thing” for the little Prince? Books and other people couldn’t tell the King and Queen. The Prince told them: “Bub.” He was too young to explain what bub was, but Cook’s Daughter knew. …
Natalie Babbitt
4–7 years

Simple Signs You’ve always been interested in making signs with your hands, but it looks hard or like it would take too long to learn. Well, this book will show you 28 simple (but useful!) signs that are easy to learn fast! Among them are mother, father, dog, cat, eat, cookie, and more.
Cindy Wheeler
4–8 years

The Empress and the Silkworm Did you know that a large silkworm cocoon may have a thread a mile long? Do you know how the thread is taken from the cocoon and made into material for sewing? Did you know that the Chinese kept the secret of silk-making for over three thousand years? This beautiful book tells how they learned about silk so long ago.
Lily Toy Hong
4–8 years

The Surprise Family When the chick hatched, she saw a boy—was this her mother? He raised her till she was a hen; then he brought her some eggs to sit on. They were duck eggs! It didn’t matter. The family of the boy, the hen, and the ducklings loved each other. That was what mattered!
Lynn Reiser
5–8 years

What Do Authors Do? Sure, they write—but how does it all happen? Well, it starts with an idea. … Told with humor, cartoons, and factual information.
Eileen Christelow
5–9 years

Hippopotamus Hunt The story is both fun and silly. Of most interest is seeing all the words made from the letters in hippopotamus and used to tell the story.
Bernard Most
6–8 years

Mandy Sue Day Mandy spends her special day with her best friend, Ben, the family’s horse. “‘Will Ben take good care of you?’ asks Papa.” Can you guess, before Mandy Sue tells you, why Papa asked that? A beautiful story with beautiful art.
Roberta Karim
6–9 years

The Illustrated Rules of Football (Patey), The Illustrated Rules of Tennis (Tym), and The Illustrated Rules of Ice Hockey (Ayers) These thin paperback books do not include plays or strategies. They explain the equipment, playing areas, positions, and basic rules of the games very simply.
R. L. “Buddy” Patey, Wanda Tym, and Tom Ayers
6–9 years

Roommates Again When her best friend can’t go to camp with her, Mimi talks her sister into going, even though Beth is a very picky eater. At camp, Beth learns that Mimi has a hang-up, too. But the sisters stick up for each other. Easy-to-read.
Kathryn O. Galbraith
6–9 years

Across the Wide Dark Sea “Author’s Note: This is the [true] story of one voyage, but also of many. Some took place hundreds of years ago, others … are taking place even today. In all of them, families left behind everything they knew … to make a new life in a new land. It is because of this that I have used no names in my story.” The narrator is a young boy.
Jean Van Leeuwen
6–10 years

I Can Make Toys With things you probably have around the house, like an odd sock, play clay, paper clips, colored paper, twist-ties, and glue, you can make a Flying Flapper, a toy train, a race car, Eensy Weensy People, toy furniture, a dinosaur puzzle, and more. Simple instructions and step-by-step photos.
Mary Wallace
6–10 years

Playtime Crafts and Activities Made with things you either have around the house or can easily substitute for, are a Birdarama, an Island Party, a Sailing Raft, Peanut People, a Bottle Fountain, Dancing Butterflies, games, recipes for treats, more.
Liz Dwyer (editor)
6–11 years

Get the Picture, Jenny Archer? Jenny’s surprise gift from her grandparents leads her into suspecting that two of her neighbors are criminals. … Not again, Jenny Archer!
Ellen Conford
7–9 years

The Peppermint Race The fourth graders were selling peppermint candy to raise money for books for their new library. Tony wanted to sell the most and win the shiny red guitar. He bought, ate, and sold a lot of peppermint candy, but Veronica, who also wanted the shiny red guitar, sold more. …
Dian Curtis Regan
7–9 years

Guinea Pigs Don’t Talk They don’t unless they’re the means of revenge. Lisa came up with a plan to stop the “I’ll do something even worse to you” syndrome. But would it work?
Laurie Myers
7–10 years

Valyra and the Dragons and Other Fanciful Adventure Stories Each of the 16 stories in this collection from Highlights magazine is only 3 to 5 pages long, but all are exciting and fascinating—perfect for sharing with family and friends.
7–10 years

Don’t Call Me Beanhead! Beany worries—about the F she got on a test, about her favorite sweater being given away, about reciting a poem for the talent show (she really wants to turn cartwheels). She is lots of fun to read about!
Susan Wojciechowski
7–10 years

Sewing by Hand Big pictures of everything needed and detailed instructions for every step (including knots and different kinds of stitches) show a beginner how to make a pillow, a beanbag cat, and a flower girl doll and button boy doll.
Christine Hoffman
8–11 years

Jo’s Story If you like Little Women, you’ll like the series, Portraits of Little Women, about each girl when she is ten years old. This one is of Jo trying to sacrifice herself for her sisters. A craft, a recipe, and a sample chapter from the other books in the series are included.
Susan Beth Pfeffer
8–12 years

Peas and Honey: Recipes for Kids (with a pinch of poetry) Fun poems and helpful tips accompany tasty recipes such as Banana Mouse, Crunchy Salad, and Ham and Cheese Accordion Sandwich. A sample poem: “Through the teeth / And past the gums / Look out stomach, / Here it comes!”
Kimberly Colen
8–12 years

101 Science Surprises Along with fun fascinating facts, this book has games, mazes, toys, gadget gardens, art and craft projects, and simple science experiments.
Roy Richards
8 years and up

Hobbyhorse Amelia was not just a little troublemaker—she also started a stampede that almost killed Max!
Bonnie Bryant
9–12 years

Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio This author of more than 20 books for children was stricken with polio when she was twelve. This story of her struggles—of their beginnings, when she was paralyzed from the neck down, and, in an epilogue, of the recurrence of health problems that polio survivors still face today is powerful. It will make you laugh, and cry.
Peg Kehret
9–14 years

Holiday Books

Silver Packages Each Christmastime, the poor children in Appalachia were given silver packages by the man on the Christmas Train. Frankie prayed for a toy doctor’s kit. He was given needed clothes and toys, but not the kit. When he grew up, he became a doctor—and knew then that he’d been given something more valuable than toys in the silver packages: an understanding of the real meaning of Christmas.
Cynthia Rylant
5–8 years

The Trees of the Dancing Goats They were Jewish; their neighbors were Christians—Christians with the dreaded scarlet fever at Christmastime. What could they do for their neighbors? They could give them the trees of the dancing goats. You see, they weren’t just neighbors. They were friends.
Patricia Polacco
5–9 years

Gus and Grandpa and the Christmas Cookies Gus and Grandpa made six dozen cookies. Nice neighbors gave them six dozen more! What could they do with all those cookies? Very easy to read.
Claudia Mills
6–8 years

Snowshoe Thompson Danny was sad. His letter asking his dad to come home for Christmas would not get to him because of the snow. People in Placerville, California, in those days didn’t know about skis. No one there knew about skis—except John Thompson. … An easy-to-read biography.
Nancy Smiler Levinson
6–8 years

The Christmas Cup Ann Megan McCallie was impulsive, sometimes naughty, smart, and loving. Impulsive, she spent the money she’d earned selling lemonade for a battered cup. Naughty, she threw stones at a Mennonite wagon. Smart, she learned from her mistakes. Loving, she turned the battered cup into the Christmas cup and had a late-night adventure with her grandma. This book will be read often and not just at Christmas.
Nancy Ruth Patterson
8–11 years

The Christmas We Moved to the Barn The letter saying that they had to be out of their house by 24 December was delivered that very day. With only four more sentences of text, the art shows the mother, two daughters, and twelve animals moving all their things to the barn that Christmas Eve day. Even the two birds helped! This is a must-read book. Get it at the library or a bookstore; it would also be a wonderful gift.
Alexandra Day and Cooper Edens
all ages

Illustrated by Dick Brown