When You Meet My Friend

4.0

0.0 (0)

146 0

Write Review Add to favorites

Author(s)

Mark Sperring

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Marisa Morea

Publisher

Tiger Tales

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

May 05, 2026

ISBN

978-1664300880

Buy This Book

It’s a young boy’s first day at a new school, and he’s feeling a little lost. This lyrical, reassuring story takes us through the boy’s day and all the ways the other children make him feel welcome, from showing him where to hang up his coat to saving him a seat at lunchtime. This sweet story illustrates the ripple effect of friendship as the boy is welcomed in and the narrator shows that he will also be a great friend to them.

And at the end of the school day, there’s someone very special waiting for him….

Editor review

1 review

Good Advice for Good Friends

June 03, 2026 (Updated: June 23, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

A little boy starts at a new school, and is a little apprehensive. A voice over asks the students in his class to look out for him in specific ways. It's hard to know where everything is, so new classmates should help him find where to hang his coat. It's helpful to be welcoming and to make him feel at home. Including a new student in activities makes everyone happy, and introducing him to others widens his circle of friends. Ask others to play and work together, since this is a great way to make new friends. The old friend also asks that the little boy is reminded that after school is over, the two can be together again, since the old friend is... the little boy's dog!

Good Points

Aside from the happy surprise ending, this is a helpful book to teach young children how to interact with others. For years, it seems like it was assumed that children just knew instrictively how to make friends; I can't think of any books like this when I was young! My own children struggled to make friends a little, since they were quiet and shy, but it seems like the need for instruction on how to make and support friendships is growing. I loved that the classmates were friendly and helpful, and provided good examples for the little boy of how he should act.

There are lots of fun activities in the classroom, and the pastel illustrations are comforting. There are lots of good details, like flower gardens, music classes, and books to be read, that make school seem like an exciting place. The classmates show a range of skin tones and body types.
I plan on reading my grandson a LOT of books about being at school so that when he finally is able to go, he will be looking forward to the experience. It's also a good idea to start teaching children how to conduct positive friendships early with books like this as well as Brozo and Deas' The Buddy Bench, Bush and Friedman's The Little Book of Friendship, Bailey and Song's A Friend for Henry, or Brooks and Ferrero's A Book About Friends.