A Box of Friends

by Pam Muñoz Ryan, Mary Whyte (Illustrator)

Award winning author Pam Munoz Ryan has created a heart-warming tale about a girl adjusting to a new home. When Annie's family moves to the beach, Annie misses her friends and is worried that she won't be able to make new ones. Luckily, Grandma knows just what to do. She shows Annie a box filled with mementos—a feather, a white stone, and a bouquet of roses— and explains how each of these things reminds her of a special day with one of her friends. Together, she and Annie decorate a box for Annie and fill it with things that will remind Annie of the friends she misses so much.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published December 9, 2002

About the author

Pam Muñoz Ryan is the author of the New York Times Best Seller, ECHO, a 2016 Newbery Honor Book, and winner of the Kirkus Prize. She has written over forty books for young people—picture books, early readers, and middle grade and young adult novels. She the author recipient of the NEA's Human and Civil Rights Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, the Willa Cather Award, the Pura Belpré medal, the PEN USA award, and many others. Her novels include Esperanza Rising, Riding Freedom, Becoming Naomi León, Paint the Wind, The Dreamer, and Echo. She was born and raised in Bakersfield, California, holds a bachelor's and master's degree from San Diego State University and lives in north San Diego county with her family.

Reviews

[Josephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kids’ book about making a memory box with items to represent friends.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young Annie moves to a new house in a new town where she is so unhappy she does not even want to unpack. Grandma steps in though, introducing Annie and the reader to “a box of friends.” As Grandma shares her memories, Annie is inspired to create her own—Annie and Grandma enjoy sharing the memories both of them have. I read this during my author study and really felt it was a great way to connect with many different students. Students that are close to their grandparents, students that are new to the school, etc. etc. This children’s book is a great intergenerational story. A wonderful story that shows the connections children can have with their grandparents, as well as what to do when you move somewhere new and are struggling to connect to your new surroundings.

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is cute story about a girl adjusting to a new home by the seashore. Her grandma encourages her to make a “box of friends” to help her remember her old friends. The box of friends idea would be a fun activity in a classroom and an interesting introduction to the concept of symbolism. The illustrations are traditional water color.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! I think it would be so much fun to have the students put together a box of friends and share them with each other. In my box I would put the following items:
~ a scarf from my best friend
~ a heart made from rope from my husband
~ coffee mug from one of my students
~ tennis ball from my sisters
~ my favorite book from me

[MJ]

growingup-family-moving

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly sweet story about finding joy in memories, and learning to live a new place and people when you miss the old. The illustrations are perfect for the beachy background and mystical feel of memories.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures! Lovely idea.. I’m off to start my own Box of Friends, wish I’d done it years ago.