This short childrens book is a great example to share with a class to show that two people experiencing the same day can be seeing it from two very different perspectives. It could be useful when teaching about compassion. I love how the two kids haven't met yet, and are feeling very different emotions about today at school. Love it. Will definitely want a copy in my classroom.

This book is such a gun and new take on looking for friendships! The storyline is similar to other books I have read about making friends, but the double sided pages bring a new and fun format that will be engaging for young readers, and that novelty would make me choose this book over the others I have seen. It also features beautiful illustrations.

This was a cute book, overall. The illustrations were darling and my favorite part of the book. The theme of making new friends was relatable. It was nice to see a split story showing two perspectives of the same events. The ending felt rushed though. One minute the new student is thinking about how he used to play an imaginary space game with his old friends, then the new friend asks him to play an imaginary space game with her. It was an odd transition. I had to flip back to make sure I hadn't misunderstood something. The book ended very quickly and I was left wanting to know a little bit more. Cute, but the storyline could have been more fleshed out.

I would recommend it to families with young kids or teachers. It's a nice lesson in how to be welcoming of new students in a school.

This book is really neat. It tells two stories at the same time. One story is about a boy named Joe who just moved to a new house and school and is feeling very lonely, and the other is about a girl named Mae who is outgoing, a little silly and really excited to make a new friend. The pictures are interesting and detailed and are a huge part of telling each story. The font is pretty accessible, some areas it is a bit hard to read, especially when it is black font on a dark coloured background, but for the most part it is quite easy to read. The words are at a good level, I think that most primary students could read it. The moral of the story is that meeting new people can be really fun and that being kind and welcoming is very important. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 4-9 range. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

First of all, I found this book to be a little gem.
The pictures felt playful with the pastel colors and gave a dynamic and cohesive feel to the story.
I haven't read many picture books with multiple perspectives before but I really felt that it worked with
this book. This book would be perfect to read aloud with a group of children and have a conversation about friendship, how it feels to come to a new place where you don't know anyone and from the other point of view of being curious to get to know the new kid.
Various feelings are described in this book and that is always in great demand in the library where I work.

A great read for a military child like mine, A New Friend helps little ones who may be anxious about moving to a new town and how they can make friends. It is also a great book about how to make friends at the beginning of the school year. Told from the point of view of two children simultaneously, one child hoping to find the new kid and befriend him, the other hoping to make a friend on his first day. This is another book that I will look forward to purchasing a physical copy of.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun vook! I liked the dual POV shown on each page. The story was easy to follow and great for kids. Lots of colorful illustrations like space and full of diversity.

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

Oh this book was so special.

The nerves that children and even adults alike experience when they are the newbie is so wonderfully captured in this book

The diversity is much appreciated too:)

I loved this one♡

I enjoyed the format, story, and messaging of this book about being the new kid, welcoming someone new, and ultimately making a friend. The book tells a story from two perspectives and can be read side by side or one after the other, with the ending showing the two stories coming together. The story shows what kids can do with minimal involvement, how it feels from both sides, what the worries and stresses are for both sides and how something great can result. I love that it models an action and shows empathy and insight that small children can understand. Added bonus is that the mom of the little girl wears hijab, and while sometimes I feel like a #muslimintheillustrations seems like tokensim, my vibe in this book is that it is simply a non issue for the story at hand and I liked it. There is nothing Islamic and the little girl's name, Mae, is not culture or religious specific. The only slightly pausing thing is the children seem really young, like preschool, but they are writing and reading a letter, so I don't know if that will be a bit of a disconnect and limit the target audience of the book. I read an electronic arc from @netgalley so I couldn't fully enjoy the split book that opens to share the stories separately down the middle and I look forward to getting my hands on a physical copy when the book releases in a few weeks. #islamicschoollibrarian #muslimsintheillustrations #muslimintheillustration #muslimsintheillustrations

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I really liked this! The dual story was really fun, to see the experiences of both characters simultaneously!
Would definitely use this in teaching!

What a sweet story about friendship! I spent a majority of my childhood moving every 6 months as an immigrant’s daughter and the feelings in this book are beautifully captured and shared. I’m thrilled to read this with my kids to encourage them to reach out to those who may be nervous about making new friends!

Very sweet showing of making friends and different viewpoints. Would use in my classroom to showcase new friends.

This book is super cute, I love the one book, two stories format. The story itself was very sweet and I think would be great for any child who is starting a new school or moving to a new town. We also really loved the illustrations and the colours too.

This is a sweet book showing the perspective of a new kid and current kid in a neighborhood. It has both perspectives on one page which made it easier to see both sides at the same time.

A touching and engaging read that deals sensitively with topics close to the heart of all school-aged children through a focus on change on transition. I would certainly recommend.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

A New Friend is a unique, fun children's book that is divided in two view points of the children in the story. One is a little girl who is excited to meet a new potential friend and one is the new boy starting at her school.
Thos book shows how children can feel worried, anxious and nervous in new situations, especially big ones like starting at a new school. I loved how this book was divided into two viewpoints that can be read individually or side by side - such a fun, interesting and clever idea that can mix up story time for the intended audience in a fun way. The illustrations are bright and engaging and I loved how there was so many different cultural representations in the book too.

This is such a cute book! First of all I love the illustration. The drawing is just incredibly adorable! I love it. I also love that it's about children making friends and making memories together. I love that friendship has no boundary as long as you can understand each other, then you can be good friends.

“But today is special! A new kids in town.”

A New Friend is a gorgeous book about two children (Mae and Joe) and their parallel perspectives on the new kid in town. We see their stories side by side as they each narrate a side of the book. While Joe is extremely apprehensive about his first day at a new school, Mae has made it her mission to befriend him so they can travel the cosmos together.

The tale is so simple yet heart-warming and would be wonderful for exploring empathy with a child.

The narrative aside, the illustrations are absolutely stunning- full of fun and tasty textures! I especially love the illustration of Mae’s letter and all of the space scenes. I feel like they capture childhood imagination perfectly. That said I am a big fan of Maddy Vian!

Can it get any cuter? I don’t think so!
The book has one book- two stories format where we see two perspectives side by side. The context aligns throughout to give us a heartwarming and beautiful ending.
Joe is scared and sad about his first day at a new school in a new town. Mae is eager to find the new kid and become friends with him. How else will he enjoy school? What follows is their story, side by side, and they finally find each other to become friends.
Mae is an absolute sweetheart and sparkling little girl. Her cardboard space helmet and two flying pigtails are super cute. Joe is more subdued, worried, and insecure about finding his footing in a new environment.
The illustrations and little bits of text tell the story with ease. The colors are bold and attractive, just like Mae on her side, and the colors on Joe’s side are softer to show his vulnerability. When the two stories merge, the colors are a delightful combination of soft and bold.
I love the representation in this one. A school ground with kids of all skin tones and hair colors makes it such a lovely place to be.
To sum up, A New Friend is a delightful story about making new friends and having fun at school.

Adorably sweet! This book about making friends in a new setting depicts beautiful empathy with georgeous illustrations and diverse representation in a page by page dual POV. Loved it!