Friendship Books for Kids
485 books in friendship. Every book rated for reading level and content intensity.
Friendship books for kids span a wider readiness range than parents usually expect. The same genre category contains gentle picture books and high-intensity middle-grade novels — Lexile and grade-level scores measure text complexity, not what's actually in the story. A friendship title appropriate for a confident 8-year-old reader could still cover themes a sensitive 12-year-old isn't ready for.
Across HootRated's 485 friendship titles, books span picture books through Grade 8. About 91% are rated Gentle or Mild — safe picks for sensitive readers and kids reading ahead of their emotional readiness. 1% sit at the Intense or Very Intense end. Average content intensity is 1.5/5.
Use the intensity badges (green → red, low → high) to filter by emotional readiness rather than just age. For deeper detail on how we rate, see our rating methodology.
Just a new neighbor
Gina Mayer
Just a new neighbor
Gina Mayer
Karen's Island Adventure
Ann M. Martin
Karen's Island Adventure
Ann M. Martin
Mary Anne vs. Logan (The Baby-Sitters Club #41)
Ann M. Martin
Mary Anne vs. Logan (The Baby-Sitters Club #41)
Ann M. Martin
Karen's good-bye
Ann M. Martin
Karen's good-bye
Ann M. Martin
Karen's secret
Ann M. Martin
Karen's secret
Ann M. Martin
Karen's Kite
Ann M. Martin
Karen's Kite
Ann M. Martin
Frog and Toad
Arnold Lobel
Frog and Toad
Arnold Lobel
Halloween Hideout
Megan E. Bryant
Halloween Hideout
Megan E. Bryant
Lost and found
Lana. NAR needed Jacobs
Lost and found
Lana. NAR needed Jacobs
Into the hurricane
Neil O. Connelly
Into the hurricane
Neil O. Connelly
Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue Beastie
Joel Stewart
Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue Beastie
Joel Stewart
Snow day for Mouse
Judy Cox
Snow day for Mouse
Judy Cox
Moondial
Helen Cresswell
Moondial
Helen Cresswell
Gobo and the river
Joseph Killorin Brennan
Gobo and the river
Joseph Killorin Brennan
Where is my friend?
Marcus Pfister
Where is my friend?
Marcus Pfister
Six dogs, twenty-three cats, forty-five mice, and one hundred sixteen spiders
Mary Chalmers
Six dogs, twenty-three cats, forty-five mice, and one hundred sixteen spiders
Mary Chalmers
Cooder Cutlas
Elizabeth Bales Frank
Cooder Cutlas
Elizabeth Bales Frank
My life in the 7th grade
Mark Geller
My life in the 7th grade
Mark Geller
The Jenny summer
Carol Greene
The Jenny summer
Carol Greene
Cheer up, pig!
Nancy Jewell
Cheer up, pig!
Nancy Jewell
Under the shadow
Anne Knowles
Under the shadow
Anne Knowles
When the leaves begin to fall
Ulf Malmgren
When the leaves begin to fall
Ulf Malmgren
Molly Patch and her animal friends
Ben Shecter
Molly Patch and her animal friends
Ben Shecter
Just be gorgeous
Barbara Wersba
Just be gorgeous
Barbara Wersba
Plenty of Pelly and Peak
Sally Wittman
Plenty of Pelly and Peak
Sally Wittman
Little Wolf, Big Wolf
Matt Novak
Little Wolf, Big Wolf
Matt Novak
Will you be my friend?
Iwasaki, Chihiro
Will you be my friend?
Iwasaki, Chihiro
Eve's little friends
Inge Sauer
Eve's little friends
Inge Sauer
My friend Andrew
Pat Lowery Collins
My friend Andrew
Pat Lowery Collins
Dear Emily
Maureen Stewart
Dear Emily
Maureen Stewart
The moons of Madeleine
Joan Clark
The moons of Madeleine
Joan Clark
Last was Lloyd
Doris Buchanan Smith
Last was Lloyd
Doris Buchanan Smith
Jerry on the line
Brenda Seabrooke
Jerry on the line
Brenda Seabrooke
Millie
Troon Harrison
Millie
Troon Harrison
Live a little
Colin Neenan
Live a little
Colin Neenan
Marc Brown's Full house.
Marc Brown
Marc Brown's Full house.
Marc Brown
Snoopy:help From My Friend (Snoppy and friends)
Golden Books
Snoopy:help From My Friend (Snoppy and friends)
Golden Books
The sea serpent of Horse.
Susan Trott
The sea serpent of Horse.
Susan Trott
Above and beyond
Susan Bonners
Above and beyond
Susan Bonners
"Oh, simple!"
Jane Breskin Zalben
"Oh, simple!"
Jane Breskin Zalben
Ghosts, gadgets, and great ideas
Mary C. Ryan
Ghosts, gadgets, and great ideas
Mary C. Ryan
End of summer
Bernice Grohskopf
End of summer
Bernice Grohskopf
How to be a helper
Elsa Marston
How to be a helper
Elsa Marston
Sparks
Graham McNamee
Sparks
Graham McNamee
The watchers.
Barbara Rinkoff
The watchers.
Barbara Rinkoff
Petunia's treasure
Roger Duvoisin
Petunia's treasure
Roger Duvoisin
When do you snuzzle a wuzzle?
Peggy Kahn
When do you snuzzle a wuzzle?
Peggy Kahn
Seeds
George W. B. Shannon
Seeds
George W. B. Shannon
My own worst enemy
Margot McDonnell
My own worst enemy
Margot McDonnell
Molly gets mad
Suzy Kline
Molly gets mad
Suzy Kline
Just for friends
Marie Morreale
Just for friends
Marie Morreale
What if a lion eats me and I fall into a hippopotamus' mud hole?
Emily Hanlon
What if a lion eats me and I fall into a hippopotamus' mud hole?
Emily Hanlon
Lily Boop
Ellen Eichenwald Switzer
Lily Boop
Ellen Eichenwald Switzer
Castaway from Rhodes.
Jacqueline Cervon
Castaway from Rhodes.
Jacqueline Cervon
My friend from outer space
Caroline Arnold
My friend from outer space
Caroline Arnold
The closed circle
Corinne Gerson
The closed circle
Corinne Gerson
2 Sweet 2 B 4-gotten
Deirdre Corey
2 Sweet 2 B 4-gotten
Deirdre Corey
The best friends' club
Jean Little
The best friends' club
Jean Little
The last great summer
Stanley, Carol
The last great summer
Stanley, Carol
A horse for Matthew Allen.
Virginia Kester Smiley
A horse for Matthew Allen.
Virginia Kester Smiley
Browse all 485 friendship books
- The rains of Eridan
- Wilkin's ghost
- Meet Winslow whale
- Paddy Pig's poems
- I hate my hero
- Shots on goal
- Gertrude Kloppenberg (private)
- No friends
- The frog and the beanpole
- Bullfrog builds a house
- Leo and Emily
- Rising damp
- The tin heart
- Sycamore Street
- Shamrocked!
- Sea witch
- The magic toy box
- Friend for Little Bear, A
- Just another name for lonely
- Darkness
- Jake Drake, know-it-all
- The truth test
- Ring! Yo?
- Amanda Pig and her best friend Lollipop
- Robbie and the leap year blues
- Lee Henry's best friend
- The tale of the yellow triangle.
- Norman Rockwell's Boys and Girls at Play
- Nicole's chance
- A letter goes to sea.
- Good-bye, Kitchen
- Friends
- Will you be my brussels sprout?
- By the light of the captured moon
- The hermit of Fog Hollow Station
- Socks for supper
- The girl in the opposite bed.
- A story to tell
- Enemies
- My robot book.
- Mr. Happy at the seaside.
- Terry on the fence
- Timothy and Gramps
- Interpersonal skills for creative living
- There's an enemy sub in Potter's Pond
- Friends Forever (Brookville C.C., #5)
- Whistle him in
- The devoted friend
- Quality concealed
- Herman and Poppy go singing in the hills
- A certain kind of treasure
- Friends
- Making mountains out of moles
- Wee Sir Gibbie of the Highlands
- Meggie Moon
- Grown-ups have more fun?
- It's Tigger time!
- A friend in need.
- Toy trouble
- Ping and Pong
- The Friends Forever Collection
- Walter and the no-need-to-worry suit
- In Another Time
- Will I Have a Friend
- Will I Have a Friend?
- Jake and Jill
- Jerry on the line
- Boys and Girls, Girls and Boys
- It's Mine
- Crystal is the new girl
- Punch's secret
- Dunkard
- Tess and Ali, Going on Fifteen (Friends, No 4)
- Pretty Little Liars
- Maggie Marmelstein for President
- Stonewords
- Leo, Zack, and Emmie Together Again (Easy-to-Read, Puffin)
- Sheltering Rebecca
- My Best Fiend
- The Tree Witches
- Bewitched (The Chickabees)
- Peekaboo Friends
- Exposed
- Horrible Harry's Secret
- CORK & FUZZ (easy to read level 3)
- A friend in need
- The haunting of Heck House
- Herman and Rosie
- Angelina & Alice
- Then the Zeppelins Came
- What's the Time, Rory Wolf?
- Jem
- How Trollusk Got His Hat
- This Is My Friend
- Ernie's Big Mess/Storybk
- Pokemon Adventure Series Box
- The Magic Friend Maker
- Me and the terrible two
- Sunset Shimmer's time to shine
- Cybil War
- The princess and Froggie
- The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit
- Rinehart Lifts
- The black tattoo
- Meet my friends!
- Skating shoes
- Nobody cares about me!
- More Witch, Goblin, and Ghost stories
- Friend or Frog
- Applebaum's garage
- For better or for worse
- That toad is mine
- Flea Circus Summer
- A little bit of winter
- Friendship How to Make, Keep, and Grow Your Friendships (Stories, Poems, Interviews, Advice, gifts to make and give your friends)
- The three friends go to school
- Revenge of the Snob Squad
- Friend Frog (Scholastic Audio)
- Friends to the End? The Ultimate Friendship Test
- Hello Kitty's Guide to Friends, Fun, and the Fabulous Me! (Hello Kitty)
- We Gather Together...Now Please Get Lost!
- Iggy Pig's silly day
- Trouble at Betts Pets
- Marvin Redpost
- Saving Dove
- Grind
- Too many pumpkins
- Almost home
- No Time to Cry (Dawn Rochelle, Book Four)
- The girl with 500 middle names
- P'tite nouvelle La
- Workin' for peanuts
- Patricia Reilly Giff's New Kids at the Polk Street School
- NIGHT NOISES & OTHER MOLE & TROLL STORIE
- Wild violets
- The winning of Miss Lynn Ryan
- KISS AND MAKE UP (Seniors No 13)
- Petagonia pets
- Ride the Potato Train
- Berry best friends journal
- A promise is for keeping
- Double Trouble
- Horrible Hannah
- Maudie's Umbrella
- Dangerous wishes
- Captain Snap and the Children of Vinegar Lane
- Battle of the bots
- After school
- Allie Finkle Blast From the Past
- Robyn (Making A Splash)
- Cornelia and the audacious escapades of the Somerset sisters
- Roscoe and the Pony Parade
- All mixed up!
- Keeping secrets
- The Halloween Mix-up
- Snow friends
- Friends
- Road to revolution!
- Faith, hope, and Ivy June
- The friendship matchmaker
- Meet the Lala-oopsies
- Puppies on Parade
- Meet the friends
- Tony Baloney Pen Pal
- Million Ways Home
- You make me smile
- Second grade rocks!
- Be fair and share!
- Desert danger
- Amigos
- Your Former Friend
- Snow ride
- War zone
- Jealous Lies
- PRINCE, THE (18 Pine St)
- ANYTHING FOR A FRIEND (Skylark)
- Broken horse
- Horse Talk
- Barbie in princess power
- No Time to Cry
- Roosters
- The hog, the shrew and the Hullabaloo
- Hot fudge hero
- The Secret of the Attic
- Keep Secrets (Sweet valley twins and friends, vol 12)
- Karen's Island Adventure
- Horrible Harry moves up to third grade
- Nice new neighbors
- The 329th Friend
- Class Ring
- Two of a Kind
- The Missing Pony Pal (Pony Pals No. 16)
- The sleepy owl
- Patti's luck
- The Summer of the Sky-Blue Bikini
- Why the Whales Came
- Kate the boss
- Lauren's New Address
- Fear of Falling (The Gymnasts, No 16)
- The Roommate (Dear Diary #5)
- The Foxman
- Valentine Friends
- Kidnapping Kevin Kowalski
- Hello, Wrong Number
- Playing Games (Totally Hot, No 6)
- Bunny Runs Away (School Friends Series)
- Best Wishes, Whoever You Are (Friends 4-Ever, No. 11)
- Hang on, Hopper!
- Veronica Meets Her Match
- Ice dancing
- Karen's twin
- Sparky & Eddie
- Best Friends (A Trumpet Club Special Edition)
- Green Angels
- The story of our ponies
- Three Friends
- The Secret Summer of L.E.B.
- All about Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends
- Billy the Great (Dell Picture Yearling)
- Anne of Green Gables (Bullseye Step Into Classics)
- Mole and Shrew Are Two (Mole & Shrew
- Money to Burn
- How Do You Spell Geek?
- Poppleton in Fall (Poppleton)
- Horrible Harry and the Purple People
- Magic or Not (Odyssey/Harcourt Young Classic)
- The High King's Daughter (Circle of Magic)
- Promise
- Rainbow Fish
- Exposed
- Pooh's Graduation (Step Into Reading: A Step 2 Book)
- Don't forget to take your umbrella
- The good greenwood
- C/o Arnold's Corners
- Fairing Weather
- The best friend 2
- Anything for a Friend
- ANYTHING FOR KELLY
- Grady the Great
- Oscar (Furry Face)
- Sticks and stones and skeleton bones
- The great mosquito, bull, and coffin caper
- A fistful of sun
- The Snowchild
- I'll Meet You at the Cucumbers
- Rainbow Rider
- The new friend
- Molly's In a Mess
- Little Chicken & Little Duck
- Disney Tuck-in Tales
- Little Polar Bear And The Whales
- What Newt Could Do for Turtle
- Simon and the Witch
- Just Like You
- My Friends and Me (MYBees)
- Chicken Soup for Little Souls Reader
- Do you want to play
- Tales from Martha B. Rabbit
- The Final Countdown (Triple Play: Cyberkids 3)
- Pip and Posy
- Dandylion
- Addie Meets Max (I Can Read Book, An: Level 2)
- Crossroads
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
- Trick or Treat for Thomas
- Spongebob Squarepants
- The Best Friends' Handbook
- Obi, gerbil on a school trip!
- Charley's clan
- Little Bunny's Cool Tool Set (Concept Books (Albert Whitman))
- The Valentine Star (Kids of the Polk Street School)
- Little Gorilla
- Isabelle Day Refuses to Die of a Broken Heart
- Max and Maggie in summer
- Fierce the lion
- That's What a Friend Is
- A Rainbow of Friends
- Dear God, Do You Really See Everything? (Dear God Kids Series)
- Dear God, Thank You for Friends (Dear God Kids Series)
- Don't Be My Valentine
- The Man Without a Face
- Zella, Zack and Zodiac
- Just Friends
- The Boy in the Moon
- The Gnome from Nome
- Madagascar 3
- Burnish Me Bright
- Blaze Shows the Way
- Broken Beaks
- Elizabeth's tower
- Claudia and Duffy
- After the Goat Man
- Hug me
- Burger, Fries & a Friend to Go
- The jewel of friendship
- Getting Started (Brookville C.C., No 1)
- Devori's Day (Brookville C.C., No 2)
- Anastasia Morningstar and the Crystal Butterfly
- Friendship in the forest
- Ernie's Nursery Rhymes (Sesame Street Musical Storybook/#xa1002)
- Knick Knack Paddy Whack
- One Good Friend
- The Friend Factory
- Maddie
- Kizzi's special Friends
- Hana And The Honu
- A Pocketful of Fur
- Willie to the Rescue (Lucky Foot)
- Rosetta stones
- Little Chief and Mighty Gopher
- The Baby Unicorn
- Friendshape
- The Breakaways
- If He Had Been With Me
- Too much Pinky Ponk juice!
- Relationships
- Those Shoes
- Maisy tidies up
- Night to Remember
- Cassies Crush
- A date with fate
- Equestria Girls
- Now you see me
- Thomas makes his wish
- Friendship Grows Like a Garden (Holly Hobbie Classic)
- Just Like You (Holly Hobbie & Friends)
- SpongeBob RippedPants
- Mickey's new friend
- Friendship tales
- That's Not Funny, Bunny!
- Moon rabbit
- Unicorn of many hats : another Phoebe and her unicorn adventure
- The Big Apple effect
- King of Nothing
- Handsprings and Homework
- Not so fast, Bash and Dash!
- Playground friends
- Alexis and the perfect recipe
- The Romeo Catchers
- Minecraft
- Show Your Love! (Shimmer and Shine) (Big Golden Book)
- Seaponies Make a Splash! (My Little Pony: the Movie)
- Unfamiliar Volume 2
- Maker Girl and Professor Smarts
- Worst Friends Forever
- Trolls Holiday
- Shadowplay
- Luca
- To the Rescue
- How to Start Kindergarten
- The Marvellous Mongolian
- My Rainbow Friends
- Share with a Friend Love Above All
- Who's buried in the garden?
- Hobee Scrogneenee ("Hobee Scrogneenee" Series)
- SAT Vocabulary-Building Novel
- Yup Finds a Friend
- Young White Thunder
- Young Peggy Porcupine (Young Animal Pride Series)
- Friendship
- Running away (The B.Y. Times kid sisters)
- Teacher's pet (The B.Y. Times kid sisters)
- The New B. Y. Times No. 18
- Ask Mia (Math Matters)
- Black Beauty (Dalmatian Press Adapted Classic)
- Little Puddle 7" Plush
- The First Starry Night
- Across the Reach
- Firecracker
- Friendship
- Helping Sophia (Main Street School) (Main Street School)
- Staged life
- Project friendship
- Make up or Break Up
- Summer storm
- The B.Y. Times kid sisters
- My Little Pony
- My Little Pony Friends Forever
- Meri Mercer doesn't lie, mostly
- Cold Moon
- My little pony
- Dragon in the Castle?
- Friendship Bridge
- A battle within
- Stolen ponies
- The worst sleepover
- The fall
- The devil's angel
- Soft and Sticky
- Shark Wants a Friend, Level 3
- Whoops (Toddler Books)
- The six bad boys
- Someone I Like
- Making Friends (Growing Up)
- Go Away! (Good Friends)
- Boy Proof
- Gruff the Grump
- Alfie Kitten makes a friend
- I wish I'd been born a unicorn
- The smiley snowman
- The girl who hated ponies
- Emily and Alice
- Emily and Alice again
- Home Run
- Fluffy and Sparky
- Secret gardens
- A little in love
- Finding Freia Lockhart
- Pookie and Tushka find a little piano
- Four good friends and a boat
- Freestyle with Avery (Beacon Street Girls) (Beacon Street Girls)
- The giving me
- My pal, Victor
- Off the wall
- One of the guys
- Little Dead Riding Hood
- Little Dead Riding Hood
- Tilly the Troll's Shopping Spree
- Pits Neue Freunde
- The story of Mademoiselle Oiseau
- Magnus the Viking (The Adventures of Magnus the Viking)
- Going on Twelve
- Hamamelis, Miosotis Y El Senor Sorpresa/Hamamelis Miosotis and Mr Surprise
- Third Grade Is Terrible
- Ernie's Nursery Rhymes (Sesame Street Musical Storybook)/#Gnl154
Questions parents ask about friendship books
- What are the best friendship books for kids?
- HootRated catalogs 485 friendship children's books spanning picture books through Grade 8. Each is rated on reading level and content intensity. The picks above are sorted by quality signals — hook factor, discussion potential, and content appropriateness.
- Are friendship books appropriate for sensitive readers?
- 441 books (91%) are rated Gentle or Mild — safe for sensitive readers. 4 (1%) are rated Intense or Very Intense. Average intensity is 1.5/5. Filter by intensity badge to match your child's emotional readiness.
- What reading level are friendship books?
- Friendship books in our catalog span picture books through Grade 8. The typical reading level lands around Grade 3. Reading level measures text difficulty — separate from content intensity, which measures emotional weight. The two often don't track together for gifted readers — the Gifted Kid Paradox.