Finding a Friend

by Carol Thomas

Finding A Friend is “a delightfully written and wonderfully illustrated picture book, with a heartwarming ‘tail’ of friendship. Ideal for sharing again and again.” M. Kidman, early years professional. As an experienced primary school teacher and mother to four, Carol Thomas knows the importance of inspiring a love of books from an early age. In Finding A Friend, Carol brings her knowledge of developing early literacy skills together with an understanding of creating characters young children will connect with. The language of the text is purposely rhythmic, rhyming and repetitive – inspiring children to join in, anticipate and repeat words and phrases; while the effortlessly emotive illustrations ensure that young children will be able to interpret and discuss the puppy’s range of thoughts and feelings. From the engaging language to the charming illustrations, Finding A Friend is a book created to encourage young children to actively participate in the reading experience.

41 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 25, 2017

About the author

Carol Thomas lives on the south coast of England with her husband, four children and lively Labrador. She has been a playgroup supervisor and taught in primary schools for over fifteen years, before dedicating more of her time to writing. Carol is a regular volunteer for Cancer Research UK. She has a passion for reading, writing and people watching and can often be found loitering in local cafes working on her next book.

Carol writes for both adults and children: Her contemporary romance novels, have relatable heroines whose stories are layered with emotion, sprinkled with laughter and topped with irresistible male leads; while her children's books have irresistibly cute, generally furry characters young children can relate to.

Reviews

[Petra Quelch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding a Friend is an inspiring, heart-warming book that truly made my children sight with happiness. There is lots of empathy as well as love coming from the heart.

My older daughter happily participated in reading the book to her little sister after we finished the first round and with the help of wonderfully expressive picture the children eager follow the story of a little puppy in need of not only a home but a loving heart as well.

I loved the rhythm and repetitive rhyming that without a doubt help to engage my children's imagination and the lovely way the illustration assist them to feel closer to the story.

Olivia ( 6 years) said; "I love the happy books ending and the way puppy's heart was mended when the boy took him home."

Bonnie ( 4 years old) " I love the counting until the puppy came out of his hiding and found someone who loved him."

Finding a Friend is a wonderful tale of love, happiness and reflective thinking.

[Claire Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book - in fact we all do! I read it with my two youngest kids, both under 5 and we just wanted to read it again straight away. The story covers lots of aspects of real life that made for good general discussions, and they included the older children as well. We have a dog which helped with the enjoyment level - but we didn't get to name him, so that was extra popular in the book.
It was interesting to see the kids manage the emotions of the dog and understand that he was frightened and anxious, but also to then really enjoy the relationship that builds when he finds the right home. It's a delightful read and will be for some time. I'm grateful to NETGALLEY for the opportunity to read it.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely little story about a lonely little puppy and a young boy. The story is quite charming and I loved the images, the story has a happy ending and its one that I'd definitely recommend.

[Daniela Kraml · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice little book for my five year old, only drawback, now he wants to get a lonely puppy to make it happy!

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a simple book for young children with a rhyming verse format. A shy puppy at the pound hides under a blanket while all the other dogs and puppies get adopted. When he finally peeks his snout out from under the blanket a young boy sees him. He convinces his mother that this is the dog they should take home. They love each other and grow up together. He even makes friends with the cat. A simple story to read to kids looking to adopt or rescue a dog. It is not always the outgoing ones that should get a home. Cute illustrations accompany the text. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

[Paul Franco · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dog at the pound hides under a blanket while all the happy pups get adopted. When he’s curious enough to peek his snout out, a kid sees him and instantly wants him. He ends up going home with his family, though no one told him a cat would be part of the bargain. The kid and the boy grow up together. . . and that’s the whole story. At the end they ask for the reader’s help in choosing a name.
Pretty simple and easy for a little one to understand, with good rhyming.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5

[Lori Shriver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding a Friend is about a scared little puppy who hides under a fuzzy red blanket until hearing a noise. A giggle. This sweet story covers pet adoption and companionship while teaching children numbers 1-10. The puppy is happy to receive love from the little boy. But, the puppy still needs one thing...a name.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this for my grandson, he loves it. The pictures are delightful and the story rhymes making it a great book to read aloud and share. Naming the puppy is a lovely touch too.

[Producervan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cute 5 Star book about a rescue puppy and the boy who chooses him--what will the name of the puppy be? Highly recommend!

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pet adoption story. It’s not bad but there are better. It tries to rhyme but some are harsh or grating. The illustrations are fun, but as mentioned before there are better.

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute cute cute story! Loved the puppy peeking out of the blanket. And I love the way the author encourages the reader to name it. Great illustrations.

[Angela MacAskill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story. Loved it and the wonderful illustrations.

[Kirsti Lelliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter (5 years old) and son (4 years old) both absolutely love this story. They enjoy reading it again and again, in fact it's been their bedtime story every evening since we purchased it! A lovely tale of friendship and love on a level they understand! They absolutely love the ending. It is very enjoyable to read as an adult too, a warm story that's lovely to share with the little ones!