“It’s true, you’ll always have a friend. Just keep on being you.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In this delightful, empowering, and sweet picture book and poetry, author Emily Ley weaves ideas and encouragement into simple yet beautiful words. I absolutely loved it, and anyone feeling lonely or unsure about friends should really check this out.

The illustration is also so picturesque and I really relished it. They matched the book so well and are so light hearted and sweet.

And, I can’t ask for more. The ideas are wonderful, from speaking out, animals and pets, to books.

“Some friends pop up in places
you never thought to look!
You might find brand-new buddies
in the pages of a book.

“There may be knights and princesses
or dragons to discover.
You can join in their adventures
by reading from cover to cover.”

Most importantly, I fully agree with the ideas and encouragements in this book of merely thirty pages. I will reread it again and again, since sometimes we all feel a bit lonely… And we need ideas! But we will always have a friend. And these words will bring our thoughts together. In the end, just keep on being you! Although it may be common sense, this book deserves the stars.

Because sometimes, we all need a reminder.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tommy Nelson for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The second picture book by the wonderful Emily Ley is a sweet nod to kids who worry or have problems with friendship. She reminds kids of how friendship starts (with courage and a simple hello), of other forms of friendship (like books and animals), that trusted adults can be turned to when friendships become hard, and even the importance of self love. While book is rhyming, you may stumble a bit here and there because the rhyme isn’t 100% BUT that is being picky honestly. The watercolor illustrations are beautiful and the message is so incredibly needed for kids ages 4 - lower middle school

I love how this book opens with questions and quickly validates anyone who has felt alone (all of us!). The lyrical rhymes and beautiful illustrations make the tips for finding friends that much more enjoyable. This book also affirms that kids were "made without mistakes," and though I didn't see a mention of God, there are definitely lovely opportunities for families of faith to remind kids that God wants to be their closest friend.

Thank you to Tommy Nelson for providing a digital ARC. Of course, all opinions are my own.

Such a cute book! I love the illustrations and the message that it sends out to you, no matter young or old. It is a inspirational and uplifting book!

You'll Always Have a Friend is a sweet book giving children encouragement to build friendships even if it is intimidating. The illustrations are so beautiful and include a variety of appearances.

Perfect for children entering a new school year or children who are nervous to make friends.

I received an ARC from Thomas Nelson: CHILDREN'S | Tommy Nelson via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received an electronic ARC from Thomas Nelson: CHILDREN'S through NetGalley.
Affirming story that emphasizes everyone feels lonely and alone at times. Ley show readers various situations they will connect with and acknowledges their feelings while offering encouragement for them to try reaching out. She also reminds readers of the flip side to make sure they reach out and are friendly when they see someone by themselves. The artwork captures the ideas the text shares. A great book for families during school years.

I found it very hard to rate children's books so everything is a 5 star read for me!!
The beautiful message about the friendship and the fear of being lovely as beautiful portraited in this book.
I really loved this book, the illustrations are so beautiful and captivating that I found myself smiling through every page I read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson: Children's publishing for an advanced read copy of this book.

You'll Always Have a Friend is a sweet little book for young children that helps them to remember that even though you may feel lonely sometimes, there are many ways to seek out friendship. This book helps children understand that everyone feels lonely at different times and encourages children to reach out in kindness to others. It gives lots of examples of ways that children can meet and make friends with the reminder that sometimes friends don't need to be just like us.

This book would make an great addition to elementary school classroom and serve as a resource for a school counselor, social worker or children/family counselor.

This is a great children’s book that teaches children how to be a friend and therefore, make friends. I love the way the author gave some actionable ideas for children to try and acknowledged that it can be scary to make new friends. I also loved the nod to being your own friend. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous too. Well done!

Beautifully illustrated, You'll Always Have a Friend, acknowledges that sometimes loneliness happens for children.
Whether it's finding a friend on the playground or looking for a group of friends at lunchtime, these illustrations demonstrate not only what it feels like to be lonely in a crowd but also how to seek out someone who looks in need of a friend.
It is an inclusive representation of what communities look like around the world, not only representing children of different cultural backgrounds but also representing children who have supportive devices such as hearing aids and wheelchair users.
This book would be a beautiful addition to a family bookshelf, a meaningful gift for a child in your life and a great selection for your school or local library.

A pretty cute book that hits all the right spots. Disability representation in a variety of ways and whilte showing children from different ethnicities.
The illustrations were nice, the topic was important. The language level was decent. Overall, it's a good enough addition to a child's library.
But... it doesn't really have a story. Which I guess it wasn't really going for either but still.. I feel like it lowered the overall experience. I so wish the topic had been discussed in the book through the lense of a story. Then it would've been more engaging.

Another wonderful book. It addresses what to do when we’re feeling lonely. One of the many things I loved about this story was the diversification of characters and situations. This book would be helpful for readers of all ages. I was blessed with a free ARC, and I’m voluntarily leaving my review. Highly recommend.

The entire book encourages you to be yourself and think well of yourself, but does so with some very fine examples of making friends and being a friend to others.
The illustrations by Romina Galotta are clear, imaginative, colorful, and informative and FUN.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Thomas Nelson: CHILDREN'S | Tommy Nelson via NetGalley. Thank you!
Available 04 Jun 2024

My daughter started Kindergarten this year, and my momma fear was her making friends. She is shy, and I worried she would feel lonely if she was more hesitant to reach out to others. This weekend we had some girl time and we were able to read this book together, go to a Taylor Swift day at a bakery in town, and see her perform at orchesis. I absolutely cherished every page of this book. It just was so beautiful- the words, the pictures, and the concept behind it. The conversation that followed melted my heart. It was such a door opener for those talks with kids to check in and see how school is really going. To see how they feel with friends and situations on the playground and cafeteria. It focused in on how to help kids have courage and know there is always place at the table. The author brings up such a topic of the moments we might not feel seen or heard or included. But how as parents we can help them know they aren’t alone, and there’s lots of ways to have a friend. I highly suggest this sweet book! It comes out June 3 and I already have it in my Amazon cart. Thank you @netgalley @emilyley @thomasnelsonpublishing for the advanced copy! #netgalley #childrensbooks #emilyley

With such a heartfelt message accompanied by gorgeous illustrations and wonderful rhyming, this may be one of the best picture books I’ve had the pleasure to read.

A cute rhyming book about loneliness and how to make friends. This is a very practical book for kids that teaches them how to approach others, where to look for friends, and also how to love themselves. A book that may be especially helpful for young kids approaching new situations.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book has a lovely, gentle message and sweet illustrations. The illustrations depict kids with a diverse range of skin tones and abilities, and the art is full of soft colors and light. The text is reassuring and encouraging, sharing advice for how to make friends while also encouraging kids to think outside of the box and enjoy other connections (e.g., with family, pets, and stuffed animals) when they feel lonely.

However, even though this is a really nice book, it's yet another book from a Christian publisher that has no Christian message whatsoever. There's a vague reference to being created with a purpose, but there's nothing here about God's love, or the comfort you can find in God's presence when you feel lonely and excluded by other people.

This is a perfectly sweet, nice book for mainstream audiences, but this falls seriously short of what it could have been. The final message focuses on self-love, rather than pointing to God, and this isn't what people will expect at all when they're buying a book with this title from a Christian publisher.

You'll Always Have a Friend is a sweet and uplifting book about loneliness for young children. The illustrations are magical - stunning colors, gorgeous watercolor-like whimsy, and beautifully inclusive depictions of children of all shapes, sizes, and abilities. The text is encouraging and hopeful, and while I love the message of kids fighting loneliness with inclusivity, it does come off a bit unrealistically. Even still, I'm glad this book exists and hope children find comfort in it.

Thank you to Tommy Nelson for gifting me with an ARC to review! All opinions are my own.

This picture book is so cute. I loved the message of it's okay to be lonely and giving kids strategies to combat loneliness. Plus the illustrations are precious and cover a wide range of races and abilities.

My quibble with this book is that it is published by a Christian publisher and doesn't even mention how God is always with us. It alluded to how God made us, but never explicitly mentions God. As a mom I want my Christian picture books to reinforce God's truths. Hard to do without mentioning his name.

What a beautiful wonderful story about friendship and relationships. The representation in this book was wonderful! My library will be purchasing a copy of this book!