I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Not-So Friendly Friend is a fantastic book to help teach children how to deal with being bullied and the bullying itself. The book is great for adults sharing this with the child too and educates them in ways they can help and support the child too. It helps the children to learn to set boundaries and recognise what is and isn't acceptable behaviour towards them and others.
When a child is bullied it is traumatic for the child and the parent of the child. It's overwhelming. We send our children to school to be cared for and educated not put in distress or to be hurt or victimised.
I loved how practical this book was in its approach to this subject and really enjoyed the questions and answers at the back of the book too.

The link expired before I got to read it. I also didn’t expect that my children wouldn’t be very interested in reading digital books with me. It’s something I will keep in mind in the future of getting books to review.

This story was an absolute delight to read from the first page to the last. Furnival has crafted an exquisite tale about the ups and downs of friendship that children and adults will adore from the moment they open the cover.

This story was both entertaining and educational, which can be a tricky balance to maintain in a children’s book, and I will be suggesting it to teachers whenever possible. This tale teaches children to set boundaries with their friends and peers. It shows children what healthy friendships look like, allowing children to learn how to express themselves when they are being treated poorly. Learning to set limits within friendships also teaches children about self-respect and how to be assertive. Incorporating social and emotional education into children's picture books is a tried and true way to teach an important life skill in a way that is fun. This would be an amazing addition for classroom libraries, counselling offices and more.

This story was adorably illustrated by Katie Dwyer. The watercolor-esque pictures were cute, but vibrant. The hand painted feel to them was a nice touch rather than the overproduced computer generated images we often see. Furnival's prose was simple and rhymed, making it an easy read for a budding young reader, but the simplicity of the words did not undermine or detract from the power and importance of the message behind them.

Absolutely, a must read.

Thank you NetGalley and PESI Publishing and Media for a copy of "The Not-So-Friendly Friend: How To Set Boundaries for Healthy Friendships" in exchange for my honest review.

The new girl has a golden rule - she treated her classmates how she liked to be treated, she was helpful, loving, and gave the sweetest hugs. It was easy to like her, she was a good problem solver with a bright mind. She shared, took turns was fair and used her words to solve problems.

Not everyone liked her. A girl fought with her all the time. She tries harder to be a friend but the girl was not nice and teased her. She used unkind words and rude actions. She made her feel down. She was not really a friend - someone who loves you will never make you feel small. She stayed true to herself and her beautiful heart. She created boundaries - if she was nice, they would play with her. If not, they wouldn't.

True friends make you feel good, treat you with love and respect. Bullies are never okay. It's always okay to go to a trusted adult.

This book is wonderful for educators and parents to teach young children to set boundaries. Firm limits that help decrease bullying. A chance to discuss greater self-care, self-worth, self-respect, assertiveness for healthy future relationships.

Some conversations to be had: what are boundaries? When and why you'd set one? Are setting boundaries easy or hard? What is a good friend? Why do they say or do? Is it mean to set a boundary?

The Not-So-Friendly-Friend is a sweet rhyming story about a girl learning to navigate friendships and understand boundaries. The author, Christina Furnival, is one of our own...a mental health therapist who enjoys using books in her clinical practice! This new release is an excellent tool for helping little ones learn about conflict, rejection, and self preservation within peer relationships. The pictures are illustrated with soft, soothing colors and the rhythm of the language is sure to keep your little clients engaged. PESI Publishing has hit a homerun with this sweet book!

I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ecopy in exchange for an honest review. The words and opinions are my own.

The message this book shares about setting boundaries with friends is SO important. I love sharing this with my kids ranging from 2-11. It helps open up a healthy dialect about how to handle these situations. I adore this and I think it is important for every child's library to have a copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

This is the first book in what will be a series for children to help them through various emotions and situations. There is a simple rhyme, delightful illustrations, and really good concepts for kids.

Loved how empowering this book is. It gives you a script and tools in a child-friendly, assertive way to implement boundaries with others in your life. A great introduction to the concept of boundaries and builds on self-esteem and self-worth; a valuable lesson for all children, especially girls.
Loved the easy rhyming rhythmic text and the illustrations complemented the story well. The key questions for discussions at the back of the book were great for reading comprehension and development.

This particular topic is very important to me and I wish I was empowered and had the tools to develop these strategies for these situations both in my childhood and adult life. I believe these strategies are a wonderful gift to give to children and will help them to realise how to develop and maintain boundaries and how to recognise what a good friend is and how to be one themselves.

Setting boundaries with people who make you feel bad is a necessary, but extremely difficult, skill to learn, but this book approaches the topic in a very accessible and clear way. This book tells the story of a kind, friendly little girl who realizes that no matter how nice you are to people, it doesn’t mean they will always treat you with the same respect and kindness. When the little girl comes up against a bully who repeatedly tries to put her down despite all her efforts to be their friend, she realizes that she needs to set boundaries for her relationship with that child. The author, a licensed clinical mental health counselor,, masterfully illustrates how this can be done, simply and effectively. I honestly wish that I had read a story like this when I was younger, the line “‘cause someone who loves you won’t make you feel small” really summed it up so succinctly. On top of the important message, the illustrations in the book are just gorgeous, I love the combination of watercolor washes with delicate ink detailing. “The Not-So-Friendly Friend” is a must-read for parents on starting the conversation with your little ones about setting boundaries. It also features a section at the end for parents & professionals, with important information about the benefits of setting boundaries for a child’s self-worth and self-respect, as well as suggestions for how to start a conversation with your child. This book is an important addition to any library’s children’s collection.

Therapist Christina Furnival gives children advice on how to counter bullying in this slender book that includes an epilogue for parents to use to prepare children for bullies. Kudos to Furnival for introducing the concepts of boundaries and self-worth; I only wish she had added that sometimes “friends” aren’t real friends and can get you into trouble. But maybe that’s a book for an older audience than the target audience of 4- to 9-year-olds? At any rate, there’s no quibbles about how charming Katie Dwyer’s illustrations are!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from Book Sirens and PESI Publishing, Inc., in exchange for an honest review. That said, it’s available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited. (less)

This book is all about setting boundaries and feeling safe and comfortable around the friends that you choose. It will help your children to deal with bullies and empower them not to be afraid but to stand up for themselves and confront those who are mistreating them. It gives a child permission to take control of the bullying and not be subjugated to ridicule or meanness.


The book teaches the value of setting boundaries so that friendships are healthy and happy experiences. Sharing the book, wrapped up in meaningful conversations, this truth will become a source of wisdom, giving your child self-confidence and emotional well-being all through life's journey. I am sure many adults can benefit from the inspiring and positive message also.

The illustrations are expressive and the rhyming text will engage your child until the very last page. The book's mission is to: "help children to know that they are not alone in their struggles. It offers practical and manageable tips, shares evidence-based guidance and information, teaches and normalizes how to process feelings, supports positive mental health in our youth, and encourages meaningful conversations with trusted adults."


The Not-So-Friendly Friend is a recipient of the prestigious Gold Award from Mom's Choice Awards®. I highly recommend this book and think it would be a perfect asset to a classroom and elementary school library.

The Not-So-Friendly Friend is a picture book that explains how to be a friend and how to set boundaries when some “friends” start to behave badly and make you feel less. Christina Furnival writes in easily understood language for the target audience of young children. This book could be a launching pad to start discussions with older children as well. A great book to lay a foundation for building healthy relationships. Includes conversation starters and discussion questions.

An essential title for elementary school libraries.

Thank you NetGalley and PESI Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Not-So-Friendly Friend is a must read for anyone who interacts with others. This book shows kids how to deal with others that might not be the nicest or is just a downright bully. This book gives language for kids to use that will help create boundaries to protect themselves and let the other person know that they won'e be able to run all over them. I highly recommend this book for any kid that is in any type of school or social situation.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book for my honest opinion.

This was a very cute children’s book. Perfect did my nephews. I am always on the look out to see what else I can find for them to read and this brought us many smiles and a day of laughter. This was just wonderful and 5 out of 5 stars absolutely!

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and think it would be such a valuable conversation starter for primary teachers and parents of little ones. Sometimes we send the wrong message that we have to be friends with everyone, no, we have to respect everyone, and demand respect in return. The pictures in this book were great and I loved the conversation starters and discussion questions section at the back. I would use this with my students.

This is a lovely book. It teaches about drawing healthy boundaries and dealing with bullies without destroying your self-esteem. It also shows that no matter how good or sweet you are, some people will always find a way to be mean to you. And you don't have to tolerate those people. Keep your happiness and set boundaries with them. I'm so happy we are teaching children this, something that I learned after getting well into adulthood (that is very recently). The book is beautiful with illustrations and bright colors well blended, and the content is written in the form of a sweet poem or nursery rhyme, easy to understand. I highly recommend you read this to your kids during bedtime.

Many children have dealt with bullies, and it can be a difficult topic for adults to handle. After all, the majority of us were not taught to stand up for ourselves. Christina Furnival has written a great book to address that topic in The Not-So-Friendly Friend. The main character feels very badly when her friend acts more like a bully than a friend. The book walks her through some very simple ways to stand up and hold boundaries in situations where the friend is bullying her. This would be a great book to help young children going through a similar situation or in a classroom setting. It isn’t a book you would pick up to just read a story.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was provided by the publisher.

As parents, we tell our children to be kind and friendly with everyone. But in the course of giving this advice, we tend to forget that there are bullies too in this world. All of us know at least one bully who doesn’t listen to reason but insists on getting things their way. For children (and adults), a bully is difficult to deal with. That’s where this book steps in.

The biblical adage of “Do unto others as you would like others to do unto you” is something I firmly believe in. The child in this story also follows the same approach. She is sweet and friendly with everyone. But despite her best efforts, one of the children always fights with her. After trying harder and speaking with her parents, she realises that she needs to set some boundaries not just for herself but in how she allows others to treat her.

The idea of the book is great, the execution is phenomenal. The author is a mother and a licensed mental health therapist, and she uses both these experiences to convey a highly practical message to kind children who get disheartened when their efforts aren’t reciprocated.

The setting up of friendship boundaries is not a common topic in parent-child conversations. So this book is a much-needed one. What I also loved is how the author focussed on the child’s feelings of ineptitude when the bully didn’t respond to her kind gestures in an accepting way. This is what usually happens with sensitive children; they always assume that the fault is their own. But the book puts across the point very clearly that beyond a level, we need to say “I’m done!” This is a lesson worth remembering for adults too.

I am slightly apprehensive of how far it will work with physically stronger bullies. There are always kids who use their physical advantage to attack younger/weaker children. For such cases, I'm sceptical of the effectiveness of the strategy mentioned in the book. At the same time, the content does say that when the child needs help, they should approach an adult for help. I hope that sorts out this issue at least a few times without the bullied child being called a tattletale.

There are lovely conversation starters and discussion questions at the end of the book that parents/guardians can refer to in order to have some stimulating chats with their kids.

The book is written in rhythmic verse and it implements the rhythmic style in a lovely sing-song way such that the lines flows smoothly. So this book would make for a wonderful read-aloud companion. The font used in the story is a clear non-serif type set to a large size. The language is very simple. This also makes it a good independent read for young readers.

Absolutely no complaints about the artwork on the cover and the illustrations in this book. They are beautifully sketched, inclusive and in perfect sync with the text.

All in all, this is a beautifully created book with an equally beautiful message. Heartily recommended.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and PESI Publishing, Inc. for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a FANTASTIC book for children, about a very important topic: bullying. Loved the illustrations and the sing-song poem-type rhythm to the words made it fun to read out loud. Also loved the discussion points at the end. The language is very approachable for the targeted age, and some points that might be slightly over the child's head are further discussed at the end so you can have a conversation with the child about it. Absolutely would recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book.

The book was very well illustrated and included a diverse range of children. The reading was easy to follow with my godchildren and highlighted an important message of setting boundaries and that not everyone will be your friend.