The Friendship Blanket

Written by Leonarda Carranza

Illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina

North Winds Press

978-1-0397-0346-9

32 pp.

Ages 4–8

July 2025

 

There's a reason blankets show up so often in children's literature. They offer warmth, comfort, and security. They are more than a covering. They are a sanctuary. And for this child, it's also a connection to her former life and that of her future.

From The Friendship Blanket, written by Leonarda Carranza, illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina

When the little girl and her Mami move far away from her Abuelita and the home she has known, her grandmother gifts her with a blanket so that she can always have a piece of home with her. Though Mami tries to reassure the child by offering to paint her new room orange and pink like the sunsets at home and by telling her she'll make new friends, the little girl still experiences some trepidation and much longing for her old home.

...I miss Abuelita so much my chest burns.

 

From The Friendship Blanket, written by Leonarda Carranza, illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina

When she attends her new school for the first time, she does not feel welcome. Some children laugh and point, and, even when she tries to connect, they don't seem to understand her.  Her mother tries to reassure her as does her family in her dreams. But it's not until the girl notices that "Lonely is everywhere," that she sees a way to connect with a classmate in a meaningful way and use her Abuelita's blanket to bolster that connection.

 

Brampton's Leonarda Carranza was born in El Salvador and has used her experiences to fuel her writing. (Her first book was Abuelita and Me, a Blue Spruce-award nominee.) While The Friendship Blanket has a distinct Latino flavour to it, it is a story of any child who is uprooted from family or from the home they'd always enjoyed. Her Abuelita and her mother do the right stuff to ease the move and transition to a new place but it's a process that is dependent on so many factors, from the school and the kids there, to the opportunity to stay connected with those left behind, and even the understanding of the adults in her life. Leonarda Carranza makes the mother sympathetic and loving but she can only do so much. The little girl has to step up, which she does, by finding a way to facilitate those new connections. Thankfully, she has that blanket from her Abuelita. It's bright and beautiful and it's a wonderful device for sharing with and relating to others.

 

Erika Rodriguez Medina, also of Latina heritage (Mexico), ensures that this is a story of a child from a Spanish-speaking community. From the way the child's hair is braided to the depth of her skin tone, and the bold colours and patterns of her blanket, Erika Rodriguez Medina makes sure that we see this as a child who has moved to a very different community. Most of her classmates, perhaps even her teacher, cannot appreciate her heritage and the richness of her experiences; instead, they make her feel invisible. Erika Rodriguez Medina helps us feel her hurt through her expressive face and body language, but we can also appreciate the power of her family connections. 

From The Friendship Blanket, written by Leonarda Carranza, illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina

Most parents and caregivers know the value of a special blanket for a child or a senior, and for everyone in between. It can help provide the comforts of place and people in a way that very few things can. And if you're lucky enough to have blanket that does double-duty as a friendship spark, all the better,

Pick Me!

Written by Annika Dunklee

Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

Bread & Butter Books

978-1-0689189-0-2

32 pp.

Ages 3-8

October 2024

 

Annie, Lillemor and Lilianne are good friends who do everything together. But what happens when they can't?

From Pick Me!, written by Annika Dunklee, illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

The three friends who first shared a story in Annika Dunklee and Lori Joy Smith's Me, Too! and then in its sequel Me, Me, Me, continue to bond over their shared interests and spend all their time together. Especially cute is their teaching each other their own language as Lilianne speaks French, Lillemor speaks Swedish, and Annie speaks her imaginative language of Oinky Boinky. But on a field trip to the museum, their teacher insists that Lillemor pick only one girl with whom to partner. This becomes an onerous task as she attempts three different ways to choose. Finally the teacher chooses, and Annie is left to partner with Meilin. 

From Pick Me!, written by Annika Dunklee, illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

Annie is less than gracious about being with her new partner, leaving her behind and repeatedly returning to her two friends. But she soon learns that Meilin too had another partner in mind and was equally upset with being paired with Annie. Now it's up to Annie to try to make a connection with Meilin and through a couple of ice breakers, the two become fast friends too.

From Pick Me!, written by Annika Dunklee, illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

Annika Dunklee certainly gets into the heads of little girls for whom friends can be the most important thing in their lives. In each book in this series, the girls are challenged with making friends, staying friends, and dealing with friends. Having a friend offers stability but when you can't be with your friends of choice–and this will always happen at school in group work and partnering up for games and activities–it can be monumental. It's not surprising that Annie would disregard her teacher's instructions and do what she chooses just to feel the security of her established friends. Her annoyance is palpable. But her friendships have given her the skills to be friendly to others, when she chooses to, and to make new friends. Pick Me! are words that reverberate in many schools every day but, with strategies to make decisions and choices as well as approaches to connecting with new people, Annika Dunklee's story also becomes a resource for navigating friendships, particularly at school.

From Pick Me!, written by Annika Dunklee, illustrated by Lori Joy Smith

PEI's Lori Joy Smith brings the joy of friendship to life in her bright illustrations. There is a simplicity to her art, focusing on the kids and their expressions of satisfaction and their connection, but also in their distress and frustration, all the emotions that come with becoming, being and holding onto friends. Annika Dunklee has made her characters diverse in their languages, but Lori Joy Smith has made them real in the diversity of their backgrounds, physical features, personalities and more. She's made their story one that is universal for all friends.

For a great kindergarten lesson, or for kids in Grades 1-2 who still need help in making and keeping friends, Annika Dunklee and Lori Joy Smith's trio of books featuring Annie, Lillemor and Lilianne will be invaluable. Moreover, Pick Me!, like the earlier two books, will offer young children a different perspective on friendships that they might find difficult to understand. When they're very young, it's difficult to see that others are may be struggling too. For Annie to realize that Meilin was also disappointed in not being with her friends was a big step to making a new friend and seeing beyond herself and ultimately getting something that made her happy: a new friend.

 

• • • • • • •

 Me, Too! (2015)

Me, Me, Me (2017)

Pick Me! (2024)