15 Books that Celebrate International Friendship Day

In honor of the United Nations International Day of Friendship, we are bringing you a list of children’s books from around the world that celebrate friendship. These 15 books emulate the UN’s message that friendship is the foundation for mutual understanding and solidarity:

Our world face many challenges, crises and forces of division — such as poverty, violence, and human rights abuses — among many others — that undermine peace, security, development and social harmony among the world's peoples.

To confront those crises and challenges, their root causes must be addressed by promoting and defending a shared spirit of human solidarity that takes many forms — the simplest of which is friendship.

Through friendship — by accumulating bonds of camaraderie and developing strong ties of trust — we can contribute to the fundamental shifts that are urgently needed to achieve lasting stability, weave a safety net that will protect us all, and generate passion for a better world where all are united for the greater good.

Australia

My Two Blankets written by Irena Kobald, illustrated by Freya Blackwood

Moving story about a young girl nicknamed Cartwheel who moves with her aunt from Sudan to Australia and experiences culture shock. Everything feels strange and cold to her until she befriends a young Aussie girl in the park who shares new words with her everyday. Over time, Cartwheel begins to feel at home in Australia and accepts that her new home and language aren't as cold and scary as she once believed.

Canada

Without You by Geneviève Côté

After two friends fight over a spilled wagon of toys, they discuss all of the activities they can do alone—read a book, bake cookies, paint a sunset, play dress-up, visit the park, play the trumpet—but soon discover that they have more fun doing things together. Humorous illustrations featuring the friends Pig and Rabbit will delight young readers and show the fluctuations of young friendship.

Cuba

Amigos/Friends written by Alma Flor Ada, illustrated by Barry Koch

In this picturebook about inclusivity and diversity, colorful squares, rectangles, circles, and triangles all live in the same town but stick to their own neighborhoods. The parent shapes instruct their children not to play with the other shapes because "they aren’t like us." One day a little red circle and a little yellow circle roll into town and meet a little green rectangle. They turn themselves into a wagon and play until they come to the square neighborhood. With the help of two little squares and a triangle, they turn themselves into a locomotive. From that day on the little shapes always play together, forming themselves into boats, kites, planes, and other fun activities.

France

Secret Letters from 0 to 10 by Susie Morgenstern

Ten-year-old Ernest lives a mundane life with his elderly grandmother—eating the same soup for dinner, same afternoon snack, clothes too modern for the last century but too antiquated for this, no television, no friends, and no talking about the past—until he meets Victoria, the new girl in his class. She and her thirteen brothers bulldoze their way into his life and pique his curiosity in the world around him. With their help, Ernest and his grandmother finally learn what happened to his father and discover the secret of his grandfather’s mysterious letters. A 1999 Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book, ALA Notable Children’s Book, and winner of several French literary prizes, this delightful book shows how friendship can transform worldviews and bring joy to life.

Germany

Friends by Helme Heine

Johnny Mouse, Charlie Rooster, and Percy the pig are true friends who do everything together because "that’s what best friends do." They borrow a bicycle and spend a magical day together traipsing through nature, fishing, and eating cherries. When night comes, they attempt to find a place for all three to sleep, but the pigsty, henhouse, and mouse hole don’t make a good fit for the trio. So they decide that it’s okay for best friends to do some things apart. Readers will laugh at the humorous illustrations and predicaments these three friends create all for the sake of friendship.

India

My Facebook Friends by Kavita Singh Kale

Join author Kavita Singh Kale on a virtual tour of the world as she invites readers to meet her friends and learn about a day in their lives. Inspired by the virtual world of Facebook, this colorful book takes readers across India, Nepal, Korea, Kenya, Spain, and more to meet a soccer playing monk, a designer with a passion for tap dancing, a documentary filmmaker, artists, and a professor who studies earthworms.

Iran

The Orange House by Nahid Kazemi

In this unusual story about friendship, the old Orange House lives at the end of an alley and spends her time listening to the new high-rises admire each other’s latest features. Compared to the imposing elevators and working pipes, the Orange House’s crumbling stone steps and infrastructure feel out of place in the new world. But then the tall houses remember the gardens, birds, fish, and ponds that littered the neighborhood before they became high-rises. They remember how the air used to smell and taste fresher and realize the impact that they have had on the neighborhood. They decide to band together and protect the Orange House from the workmen who come to replace her.

Italy

The House in the Tree written by Bianca Pitzorno, illustrated by Quentin Blake

Two friends Aglaia and Bianca live in a house in a magical tree with their dog Amadeus and talking cat Prunilde. Throughout the novel, the tree provides all types of fruit and bread for the pair and enlarges their chaotic family to include four misdelivered babies, a Saint Bernard that transforms into a bird, a stingray originally stolen from the aquarium by their neighbor, and a carnivorous plant named Nina. The friends often clash with their neighbor the miserly Signor Beccaris Brullo who disrupts the girls’ party by rolling cans down the branches and singing bawdy songs. This endearing intergenerational story by acclaimed Italian author Bianca Pitzorno shows how friendship can transcend traditional age boundaries and family can be created through the strangest circumstances.

Japan

My Friends by Tarō Gomi

Internationally acclaimed Japanese children’s author Tarō Gomi, who is also known for Everyone Poops, Santa Through the Window, Where's the Fish?, and The Crocodile and the Dentist, wrote this charming picturebook for young readers. A little girl tells about all the things she has learned from her friends—to climb from the monkeys, to nap from the crocodile, to explore the earth from the ants, to sing from the birds, and to play from her friends at school. This endearing tale of a young girl learning from the world around her provides a good introduction to friendship and learning from friends for young readers.

Jordan

The Sandwich Swap written by Queen Rania of Jordan Al Abdullah and Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Tricia Tusa

Salma and Lily are best friends who do everything together—draw pictures, play on the swings, jump rope, and eat lunch—until they fight about whose sandwich is stranger and grosser. One school-wide food fight later, Salma and Lily learn that friendship is more important than sandwiches, and perhaps pita and humus and peanut butter and jelly really aren’t so yucky after all. Inspired by the author's own childhood experiences at school, this picturebook shows how petty disagreements between two friends can often escalate.

Korea

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

Unhei has moved to the US from Korea and feels self-conscious about her name after several students laugh at her pronunciation on the bus. Instead of introducing herself on the first day of class, she tells her fellow students that she will pick a name by the following week. The American students fill a jar with names for Unhei to try out, but none of the names seem to fit. When the time comes for Unhei to pick a name, she decides to choose her Korean name and explains the special significance and meaning to her new classmates.

Latvia

The Bear and the Mouse by Darcy Danovsky

In winter, a tiny mouse slips into a bear’s cave looking for some food. The bear, disturbed in his slumber, awakens and catches the mouse. The mouse begs for his life, pleading that he will be of service to the bear in the future. The bear scoffs at the mouse’s request, saying what could a tiny mouse possibly do for me? But since he is a gentle bear, he acquiesces to the mouse’s demands. Only later does he learn that small and weak does not equate to useless. Based on the Latvian folktale, readers will enjoy this tale of friendship between a crusty, ill-tempered bear and a feisty mouse.

The Netherlands

Get on Your Bike written by Joukje Akveld, illustrated by Philip Hopman

Best friends Bobby (a panda) and William (a Brussels Griffon) have an argument that ends with William shouting, “Go on! Just get on your bike and leave!” Bobby rides off on his bicycle fuming at William and their argument. As he rides through busy city streets and lush Dutch countryside, he becomes less angry with William and decides to head home. He finds William waiting at the door for him, and the two make up, have dinner, and decide to ride together the following day. Readers won’t know the circumstances surrounding William and Bobby’s argument but they will delight in locating Bobby in his red and white hoodie amongst the colorful characters on his angst-ridden bike ride.

Tanzania

True Friends: A Tale from Tanzania by John Kilaka

Elephant and Rat are best friends but they couldn’t be more different. While Rat likes to work, harvesting and storing food, Elephant prefers to sit on his porch. When the drought comes, Elephant suggests that Rat stores his carefully harvested food in Elephant’s house; however he refuses to share with Rat. Rat angrily leaves the village, prompting his neighbors to suggest that he might burn down Elephant’s house. Worried Elephant goes in search of his friend to apologize, only to return to find Rat sharing his food with his friends in the village. Elephant apologizes and confesses that “true friends don’t think only of themselves even when times are hard.” This delightful rendition of a traditional Tanzanian animal fable won the Bologna Ragazzi New Horizons Award in 2005.

Thailand

Mekong Kids by Khemachat

Mekong Kids is a translation of the award-winning Thai-language children's novel Luk Mae Nam Khong (ลูกแม่น้ำโขง). Chubby nine-year-old Boom lives in a rural village in northeastern Thailand by the Mekong River and longs to have friends besides his beloved dog Joe. The village children insult him because his parents are civil servants and he travels to the nearby city for school everyday. During children’s day, he helps his grade win the tug-o-war competition and makes a friend. Through shared activities such as swimming in the river, camping with the Boy Scouts, playing Thai football, hunting kapom (lizards), and riding buffalo, Boom makes even more friends and learns that friendship transcends social and national barriers. Readers will delight in the good-natured scrapes that Boom creates for himself. A glossary and map are included with more information about Thai culture, food, and geography.