Dear New Friend

* NEA Read Across America 2025-2026 selection
* NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Recommended
* A Center for Multicultural Literature Best Book of the Year

A young Persian boy extends a welcoming invitation to a friend to visit his home in the hopes of finding friendship and acceptance

A young boy invites a new friend to visit his house by writing a letter describing what to expect during the visit. As readers, we learn of the customs, foods, and traditions of this Persian family.

The boy is clearly hoping for friendship and acceptance in this charming story in which he describes his family, games they will play, crafts they will do, and foods they will eat.

This welcoming picture book provides a wonderful opportunity for reflection about our own lives and the lives of others we may know and promote friendship between people with different cultural backgrounds.

Taraneh Matloob is an associate professor of children’s literature specializing in creative writing and multicultural children’s literature, at the University of Northern Iowa. Taraneh has published five picture books in Persian. Dear New Friend is her first book written and published in English. Her stories appeal to fans of social, cultural, and emotional representation in picture books. She also serves on the Outstanding International Books (OIB) committee of the US Board on Books for Young Children. Taraneh was born in Tehran, Iran, but now makes her home in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Alida Massari is an Italian artist specializing in illustration for children including picture books and other children’s publishing. Alida was born in Rome, where she studied art at the European Institute of Design. She finds inspiration for her work from the architectural details of historic buildings, folk traditions, and ancient art. She describes her work as “modern but with ancient influences.” She has illustrated many books, collaborating with Italian, English, German, and American publishers. Her books have been published in numerous countries. She lives and works in Rome, Italy. Follow her on Instagram @alidamassari.