That’s What Friends Do
Name of Book: That’s What Friends Do
Author: Kathryn Cave
Illustrator: Nick Maland
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Audience: Children ages 3-5
Summary: Two animals who are the main characters in this story give the reader concrete examples of things that friends do. The first part of the book recalls times when one character fell down, was lost, felt shy, etc. and how a friend helped to make things better. The two friends become angry with one another but later realize they need each other. The story continues with one friend reminding the other that a friend will be there when you need him/her.
Literary elements at work in the story: The theme of what friendship looks like is the key literary element in this story. The author uses a cause/effect structure to show what a friend will do when a specific action occurs. This is a wonderful book to illustrate with simple words and pictures the concrete meaning of a friendship. This theme is also a tool to teach young children how to treat other people in general.
Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic ability: No particular perspective on any of these issues is evident in this story.
Scripture: John 13:34, Proverbs 17:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Theology: We are called to love one another as we are loved by God. Friends love at all times. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to encourage and build one another up.
Faith Talk Questions:
- What are some things a friend can do for you?
- Why do you think one friend in the story did not laugh when the other friend was afraid of the dark and creatures that hide there?
- Why did the friends get mad at each other?
- How did it feel when they were not mad anymore?
- Why do you think the size of the print changes when the friends are apologizing to each other?
- What do you think the author means on the final page when she says “That’s what friends do”?
Review prepared by Union-PSCE in Charlotte graduate Marcia A. Rauch
That’s What Friends Do by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.