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Short answer: for ages 3–5, the standout book about making friends is Sharing Silver, which shows a preschooler that kindness and sharing are what turn a stranger into a friend. Other lovely picks are The Little Book of Friendship, Devon Makes a Friend, How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends?, Strictly No Elephants and Chrysanthemum.
1. Sharing Silver — best for showing a preschooler how a stranger becomes a friend
"Go and make friends" is a big ask for a three- or four-year-old, because nobody has shown them how. A story can. In Sharing Silver, Silver the Super Pup shows a greedy little dog named Bandit that kindness, sharing and helping others always come back around, and that this same giving is exactly what wins real friends. For a preschooler about to walk into a room full of new faces, that is the whole playbook in one idea: give first, and friends follow.
What makes it work at this age is how copyable it is. After a few reads, "do what Silver does" becomes shorthand your child understands: share the crayons, offer a turn, help the kid who dropped their snack. Each small give is a friend-making move they can make on their very first morning, long before they can manage a confident "hello, my name is…".
“The kindest animals have the most friends, and those who help the most have helpers everywhere.”
Sharing Silver — a superhero training story about sharing and giving, for ages 3–7. Our top pick for showing a preschooler that kindness is how you make a friend.
View Sharing Silver on AmazonYou can read a sample of Sharing Silver first, or if your little one is finding friendships hard, see our guide on what to do when your child has no friends.
2. The Little Book of Friendship — by Zack Bush and Laurie Friedman
A warm, rhyming little book about the simplest truth of making friends: the best way to get a friend is to be one. It walks through small, doable ways to be kind and welcoming, which makes it a lovely one to read the week before preschool starts; each page is basically a move your child can try the next day. View The Little Book of Friendship on Amazon →
3. Devon Makes a Friend — by Jessica Davault
A gentle story that follows a child through the nerves and small brave steps of making a new friend. If your preschooler is the one who hangs back at the edge of the playground and finds saying hello hard, this is the book that says "that feeling is normal, and here's what one small step looks like." View Devon Makes a Friend on Amazon →
4. How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends? — by Jane Yolen
The dinosaurs get it hilariously wrong first (grabbing, stomping, refusing to share) and then show how to do it right, with sharing, turns and gentle play. Preschoolers adore catching the dinosaurs misbehaving, and it lands a truth that matters for new friendships: playing kindly is what makes a new friend want to play with you again. Great for the youngest of this age group. View How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends? on Amazon →
5. Strictly No Elephants — by Lisa Mantchev
A boy and his tiny pet elephant are turned away from the local pet club, so they start their own, one where everyone is welcome. It is a beautiful story about inclusion and being the friend who lets others in, and its repeated line "that's what friends do" gives a preschooler words to carry into the classroom. View Strictly No Elephants on Amazon →
6. Chrysanthemum — by Kevin Henkes
Chrysanthemum the mouse loves her name — until she starts school and the other mice giggle at it. A tender modern classic about wobbly first days, teasing, and finding your people in a brand-new classroom. Best for the oldest preschoolers heading off to school, and a lovely conversation starter about kindness to the new kid. Once your child is settled in a classroom, the next stage of stories is on the kindergarten friendship list. View Chrysanthemum on Amazon →
Compare the books at a glance
| Book | Author | Best age | What it teaches | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharing Silver ⭐ | Neil Russell | Ages 3–7 (read together from 2) | Kindness and giving are how you make friends | Amazon → |
| The Little Book of Friendship | Zack Bush & Laurie Friedman | Ages 2–5 | To make a friend, be a friend | Amazon → |
| Devon Makes a Friend | Jessica Davault | Ages 3–5 | Small brave steps to say hello | Amazon → |
| How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends? | Jane Yolen | Ages 2–5 | Playing kindly makes friends come back | Amazon → |
| Strictly No Elephants | Lisa Mantchev | Ages 4–5+ | Include everyone — that's what friends do | Amazon → |
| Chrysanthemum | Kevin Henkes | Ages 4–5+ | Finding friends in a brand-new class | Amazon → |
How to choose, and how to use these books
If your child is starting preschool soon, begin reading a couple of these in the weeks before, so that smiling, sharing and asking to join in feel familiar before they're needed. Pick one clear idea per book and connect it to real life the moment you see it: "you shared your digger with that boy. That's how Silver makes friends." For a nervous starter, Devon Makes a Friend meets them where they are; for a confident chatterbox, Strictly No Elephants points that energy at including others. And keep the first real-life steps tiny: one hello, or one shared digger. Our guides on playdate ideas that build friendship skills and raising a kind, sharing friend pick up from there.