I’m Glad You’re My Friend is a new ‘interactive’ title in the ‘I’m Glad You’re My…’ series from Black Dog Books. Each title focuses on a particular relationship in a child’s life and offers the opportunity to share and articulate their feelings. Each opening has an affirmation and an activity. Children can choose to write, draw, colour how they feel about their friend after reading the affirmation. They can record memories in pictures and words, and speculate about the best part of having a good friend. It might be laughing together or playing for hours without being bored, or missing them when on holidays.

Each title in the ‘I’m Glad You’re My…’ series is keepsake-sized, a small square paperback. Colours on the affirmation pages are warm pastel while opposing pages range from outlines for colouring-in to lines for guiding writing. Some children may fill in every page, others may choose only to illustrate/write in a few pages, but the sentiment remains the same – the sharing of what a friend means to the writer. These books are designed to be given to the friend (mother, father, gran etc) once completed. The front cover depicts a boy and a girl as does the opening page, subsequent pages depict girl playing with girl, boy playing with boy. There are a range of play experiences from picnics to sleepovers to parties. Recommended for preschool to early-primary children.

I’m Glad You’re My Friend, Cathy Phelan ill Danielle McDonald
Black Dog Books 2008
ISBN: 9781742030654