Best Friends for Frances

Frances the Badger

by Russell Hoban, Lillian Hoban (Illustrator)

This sweet friendship story starring America’s favorite badger, Frances, is a classic that continues to be loved by children, siblings, and parents everywhere. Frances doesn't think her little sister can be her friend, but when Frances finds herself left out because of a "no-girls" rule, she decides to show those boys what girls can do. In the process, she discovers that sisters can indeed be friends . . . maybe even best friends! This Level Two I Can Read book is geared toward kids who read on their own but still need a little help.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Friendship, Animals, Classics, Juvenile

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Russell Conwell Hoban was an American expatriate writer. His works span many genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magical realism, poetry, and children's books. He lived in London, England, from 1969 until his death. (Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Carola · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It would ruin my day to have to explain it."

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: At the beginning of Best Friends for Frances, Frances and her younger sister Gloria have a rivalry. Gloria wants nothing more than to spend time and be friends with her big sister, but Frances wants to be friends with Albert. When Albert rejects Frances as his best friend because she is a girl, Frances decides that maybe Gloria wouldn't be such a bad best friend after all. By the end of the story, Frances realizes that a sister can be a best friend, and that she can have other best friends, too!
Genre: Picture Book
Audience: K-3
Topic: Friendship, Sisters
Theme: Sisters can be best friends, the importance of family, "blood is thicker than water"
Reading Level: Transitional
Curricular Uses: Read-Aloud, Shared Reading, Independent Reading
Literary Elements: Lots of dialogue, sequential plot, problem-solution, character development
Illustrations: Not the most colorful illustrations, but they do support the text.
Additional Comments: Great book about sisters being friends. Important message that you can have more than one friend. Easy to relate to. Introduce this to students in the primary grades. If they enjoy this book, suggest other Frances books for the student to read.

[معصومه توکلی · Rating 5 out of 5]

خواهرکوچولوی این اندازه
که نمی‌تونه توپ رو بندازه
ازش نمیاد هیچ کاری
به جز گریه و غم و زاری!

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 2 out of 5]

My kids didn’t like it because every character in the book was mean. I didn’t like it because it’s dated-I’d rather my kids not calling people fat as in insult, or thinking girls can’t play baseball or catch frogs, or that things should be boys only or girls only. I guess the idea is that you should enjoy your friends all the time and not just when they are doing something you want to do, but even that fell kind of oddly. There’s another too much going on I think as well. Then we had the boyfriend thing tacked on at the end which was wholly unnecessary.

Frances, a badger learns what it means to be a friend through her interaction with her sister and some boy badger neighbors.

[Sarah A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and wonderful book.
Frances, her sister and their friends have a wonderful few days exploring the true meaning of friendship. The story shows friendship being able to cross gender boundaries and the boundaries of siblings.
A wonderful book to help show siblings how to get along and even become best friends. It’s also wonderful at exposing sexism issues and dealing with them beautifully.
Gorgeous illustrations and fabulous story.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some instant karma helps Frances realize the mistake she made in excluding her little sister from the fun time she wanted to have with her friend Albert.

If only people were as open to learning from their mistakes as cute little badgers . . .

My daughter liked this when she was two, and we re-read it many times.

[Mahdiye HajiHosseini · Rating 4 out of 5]

نهمین کتاب از ده کتاب کلاسیک کودک منتخب پیتر هانت/
گاهی یه سری قدر دوستیمون رو نمیدونن، گاهی خودمون قدر دوستی دیگران رو نمیدونیم.
فرانسیس قراره یاد بگیره که همیشه کسایی که میخواد حاضر نیستن باهاش بازی کنن اما همیشه میشه که بهترین دوستهای هم بود.
نقاشیای کیوت و زیبایی داره.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

love these books

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute! Mom read this one aloud tonight.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The boy has a ridiculous love for Frances the Badger books. I did too as a kid, but I thought it would be too old-fashioned for a current 4 to 6 year old who loves comic books. But not true! There’s something heartwarming and personal about the Frances books that he really connects to.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Frances books for two reasons:
1) It reminds me of the friendship that my little sister and I had
2) It is the kind of friendship I hope my daughters have. In fact, when I was reading it to the two of them a few days ago, I tried to subtly brainwash them by making encouraging statements like "Oh look! It's best friend sisters! Just like you!"

and a third reason...like all Frances books, it has great little songs and descriptions of food. I always get so hungry reading these!!!

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the most sympathetic story, with people excluding other people and only including them to get back at their OTHER friends, but it is pretty realistic to little-kid politics. Well, if you ignore the badgers, anyway.

First Frances won't play with her "baby" sister, then Albert won't play with girls, then Frances and her sister won't play with boys... oy! Luckily, everybody ends up realistically happy at the end.

[Toad Soup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frances is so cold for what she did to Alfred and Gloria, I cannot believe her sometimes

12/31/25 Re-read: favorite interaction: Frog Work (found below)

"Like what?" said Frances,
"Catching snakes," said Albert, "Throwing stones at telephone poles. A little frog work maybe, Walking on fences. Whistling with grass blades.
Looking for crow feathers."
"I ean do all that," said Frances,
"except for the frog work and the snakes."

[Professor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ordinarily I enjoy reading my son Hoban's Frances stories; when dated I usually find them charmingly so. This time around less so; the longer I we can avoid the idea that boys don't play with girls, or girls aren't as good at boys things and so on the better. While the message that you can't just be friends when it's convenient is good, I found the sibling interaction a little weird.

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Frances as a child and 20 years later, I still love to read this collection

[NOMOREBREAD&JAM4FRANCES · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Bread and Jam for Frances was bad, but little did I know, things got worse. Frances is more fatphobic than your average twitter user. This problematic abomination to mankind is destructing our society and c0rrupting it from its very core. Over 13% of nationwide suicides are caused by body image issues. If Frances didn't exist, neither would those suicides. You may think I am just an angry Goodreads ranter but you can see I am much more. I am an educated, statistically-backed savior. We must save society and save lives by stopping Frances and her fatphobia. Instead of government funds being invested in constructing suicide hotlines and the such, this government money should be invested in stopping children from exposure to dangerous material such as Frances. We thought Frances was bad but Frances got worse. She is now a radioactive material meant to feed on and damage children's brains at a young age. STOP FRANCES NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Albert, who is the "best friend" in the book is actually extremely sexist and misogynistic. Frances and her sister wish to play Baseball with Albert but he refuses stating that it is "a no-girls game." Offensive statements like these should never reside within a children's book. This book is the kind of book the far right wants to sell to the youth, if we do not instigate an immediate ban on these outrageous books we will have a tormented generation. Trump has read these books to his children- this statement says enough. #BANFRANCES

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the series of books by Mr Russell Hoban set in the Frances the Badger Universe. Frances is best buds with Albert, the badger boy from her little school. Albert today has a little baseball game planned in the park, only it's announced as a no-girls-allowed game. It's not chauvinism on the part of Albert, since Albert is too young to understand the term. In any case, Frances gets with her little badger pup sister Gloria to get a picnic going, minus the boy's, as a form of payback. Can Fran and Al break down the wall and find out that friendship and love is irrespective of gender? Friendship simply is. Frances the Badger is certainly a series that seems to have as it's theme overcoming your own preset rules, which are harsher on you than on anyone else. Fran's wit and keen insight is sweet and charming and Russell Hoban has a way of touching the heart strings, using prose similar to AA Milne and Kenneth Grahame. Looking forward to reading more!
Four stars
Viva la Frances! She rocks!

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frances doesn't want to play with her little sister, Gloria, but when her friend Albert tells her there are times when he doesn't want to hang out with her because she's a girl, Frances decides to give him a taste of his own medicine by being better friends with Gloria and having a "no boys allowed" rule on their outings. Eventually when they head out with a bunch of food, Albert becomes interested in being included, and includes the girls in the formerly "boys-only" activities.

A pretty good story about the unfairness of "no-boys-allowed" or "no-girls-allowed" attitudes, but I didn't think it was that great that at first Frances is basically using her little sister to get back at her friend... and that the only reason he becomes interested in hanging out with her again is because of food. I'm not sure Frances or Albert are actually very nice badger-kids...

The illustrations in this one weren't very interesting, either. A lot of scenes of the characters talking to each other, but not as many of them doing stuff.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant storytelling about friendship, best-friendship, and how to include a little sister.

Let's lead off with some of the synopsis from the Goodreads Blurber:

Frances doesn't think her younger sister Gloria can be her friend. Gloria is too small to throw or catch a ball. Besides, Albert is Frances's friend.

But when Albert has a no-girls baseball game, Frances sets out to prove to Albert a thing or two about friendship—and a thing or two about what girls can do.

Thus, the plot is set in motion. What's delicious? All the details.

THIS BOOK HAS IT ALL

Songs and a lotta food and learning how to have a "Best Friends Outing."

And once again, wise Russell Hoban ensures that a superb ending graces this gently educational book about friendship. While illustrator Lillian Hoban makes those badgers look absolutely adorable.

All of this is so FIVE STARRY!

[Gina House · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming story! I was so happy to be able to listen and follow along with this story book/record set that I bought for my book friend as a "thank you" gift. Best Friends for Frances is all about friendships, learning who is important in your life and honoring the best qualities in the people you care about. I never read this series by Russell Hoban when I was young (so they don't have the sentimental feeling for me that they do for my friend), but I still had a lovely time reading this children's book.

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frances here learns to be friends with her sister and shows a boy a bit of girl power.
It still makes sense that they are badgers, but anyway apart from that weird fact in the story, this is a decent story.
It is a different kind of "picture book" - there are many words and fear pictures.
It is a good story though, and possibly th best in the series so far, with a good ending.
her sister born during the series is growing up fast!

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

1969
I love the whole series! Not sure if I had the books for my own children, I think maybe so.
I read them to all my grandchildren.

Some are maybe more directed at parents than at children, I feel; all can be appreciated by parents. The parents are good role models for us to follow.

Goodreads has these on a list of BOOKS FOR FIVE YEAR OLDS

[Dee Robb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading stories to my class (I teach third grade) that I loved as a child. I clearly remember reading this book with my brother when I was about 7. It’s as perfectly wonderful as I remembered it to be.

[Milton Public · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frances's songs aren't quite as catchy in this one as in some of her others, and the badger kids are not super nice to one another. But if you love Frances (and you should) you will want to read this one, and your kids will make that three times in a row.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of funny moments, but this one hasn’t held up as well as the other Frances books. Frances repeatedly calls Albert fat and there’s some back and forth about how boys and girls can’t play together.

[Tessa Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Frances wants to be friends with Albert, he tells her no. Albert wants to play baseball with only the boys. Frances gets upset and decides to become bestfriends with her younger sister, Floria.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a little hard to keep up with. I did like, however, that there were songs that you can sing aloud to the class.

[Dail Sams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frances learns that her little sister can be a best friend, as well as the boy down the street.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually pretty funny read too! Ha!

[Bstamps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorites being rediscovered with my granddaughter.