Lissy’s Friends by Grace Lin.

I am a great fan of Lin’s.  She manages to do short, friendly picture books with a uniquely Asian perspective and universal appeal.

In this book, Lissy has moved to a new school.  No one is friendly with her at all.  She begins to build her own friends out of origami so she will never be alone again.  Her mother continues to push her to play with the other children, and Lissy heads out to the playground with all of her origami friends.  But when she pushes them on the merry-go-round, they fly away in the breeze.  Lissy is heart-broken until she finds that her paper friends have led her to some real ones.

The book is filled with Lin’s characteristic illustrations where the sky is filled with swirls, and patterns cover the world.  It creates a vivid and inviting setting for her characters.  The language is accessible for children and they will recognize the struggle to make new friends and be thrilled with the use of origami as a bridge to friendship. 

Recommended for classes doing origami or as a read aloud when new students join a class.  But families should not save it until then.  It is a very nice book to share with children who are preschoolers through Kindergarten.