Friends Are Not for Biting

by Ryan Allen, Zoe Persico (illustrator)

Teeth are powerful, amazing tools for chewing and eating . . . but teeth are not for biting our friends and family!

Liam loves pretending to be a lion. He roars. He pounces. He plays! But when he feels frustrated, overwhelmed, tired, or too excited, his body tells him it's time to bite!
Written by Preschool Therapist, Ryan Allen, this incredible, funny, helpful book, will guide children to recognize the signs that they are about to bite, and teaches great techniques and positive alternatives to stay safe and have fun. There are many reasons why kids bite, from boredom to excitement, painful teething to cranky frustration, this is a common experience for many toddlers. But with a Gentle Parenting approach, there are equally many ways to identify, soothe, and change behaviors.
Gentle Parenting Guide Series
Common situations and descriptive illustrations guide kids to choose positive behaviors instead of harmful ones. All books in this useful series include helpful tips and an introduction to the basic principles of Gentle Parenting, all written by licensed Preschool Therapist, Ryan Allen.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2025

Reviews

[Jared White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friends (and teachers, sisters, etc.) are not for biting, but sometimes that's very tempting to do! Especially when you are an overstimulated, disappointed, overwhelmed lion! Join Liam as he goes about his day, does a little biting (oh no!), and learns to control those bites. I love how the illustrations give him pointy canines and a hoodie so he looks a bit more like a lion.

The narrative and illustrations themselves give some good advice and guidance, but there is also an excellent "Dear Parent" section at the back of the book that goes into a little more detail on how to deal with your biting lion.

I think if your preschool class has a biter, then this could be a good read for a storytime. Perhaps then share the book with those caregivers so they can look at the end letter and read it again with their little one.

[Sandra Flaishmakher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome tool for anyone raising, working with or spending time with kids. Biting is an incredibly common habit between ages 1-4 and sometimes it's easier to just yell "stop" without realizing the emotional need behind the behavior. This books is written with the biting child in mind, from their perspective and allows us as adults to develop alternatives and help them mitigate the urge. I love that this children's book is for kids and adults alike.

[Aolund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by a preschool therapist, an effective and pretty engaging story about all the feelings a kid might be trying to express through biting, and how to handle this challenging behavior.

Themes: Biting, Social Emotional Awareness
Age range: Toddler-Kindergarten

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like this book was made for my son. He loves it so much.

Liam likes to pretend to be a lion. When he gets overwhelmed, he bites his teacher. He learns to do lion belly breaths to calm down. The book has super cute illustrations and a useful message.

[Kieran Tigchelaar · Rating 5 out of 5]

We’ve entered our biting out of frustration era 😭