The Friendship Guide

Friendship is important―and life would be so dull without it!

Friendships are essential for social-emotional learning and mental health, but sometimes children struggle with making and keeping friendships. In The Friendship Guide, child psychologist Jillian Roberts outlines central ideas on how to be the best friend you can be. Alongside each of the principles is a scenario showing how it relates to real life―at the playground, at the park, at school or on a playdate. For parents, guardians and kids themselves, it can be difficult to recognize what makes friendships work. With this book, readers will have a comforting and straightforward resource to help guide them toward a lifetime of beautiful friendships.

Praise for Jillian Roberts:

"This book handles a sensitive topic with kindness, compassion, and empathy...A good beginning look at how to broach a complicated topic that's filled with positivity and hope."―Booklist, for On the News

"Gentle but straightforward...[A] reassuring backdrop for the big questions being discussed." ―Publishers Weekly, for What Happens When a Loved One Dies?

"A cheery and buoyant introduction to timely and imperative topics for young readers; especially useful in a guidance setting."―School Library Journal, for Under Our Clothes

Dr. Jillian Roberts is a child psychologist, bestselling author and research professor at the University of Victoria. For more than 30 years, she has worked with children and families and has become a trusted voice on child development, mental health and resilience for parents, educators and the media. She is the author of numerous books for children and families, including the bestselling and award-winning Just Enough and The World Around Us series. Her book Why Do Families Change?, part of the Just Enough series, was featured on Oprah Daily in the “Therapist-Approved Divorce Books for Kids” list. She also writes a monthly mental health column for The Globe and Mail. Dr. Roberts divides her time between Victoria and the North Shore of Prince Edward Island.

Andrea Armstrong is a visual artist who spends her days (and often nights) illustrating, painting and designing. With roots in rural Indonesia, small-town Manitoba and metropolitan Singapore, the gathered impressions of her childhood inspire her palette. Andrea holds a bachelor's degree in visual communications from Capilano University. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.