Alex is My Friend by Marisabina Russo. Greenwillow. Unusually small and sometimes needing a wheelchair, Alex maintains his friendship with Buddy—who is taller and runs faster…and laughs at Alex’s jokes.

Alfie Gives a Hand by Shirley Hughes. Lothrop. Alfie goes to a birthday party and rescues his friend, Min, who is feeling even shyer than he.

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman, illustrated by Caroline Binch. Dial. Grace’s family comes to her aid when she is told she has no chance to win the part of Peter Pan in the school play—because she is black and a girl.

Amos and Boris by William Steig. Farrar. A beautiful story about a mouse (Amos) and a whale (Boris) that meet when Amos’ boat capsizes. Amos and Boris form a life-long friendship. They learn from each other and grow to admire the very differences, that under normal circumstances, would separate them.

Arthur's April Fool by Marc Brown. Little, Brown. Arthur pulls some magic from his magician's hat to keep from being pulverized by a bully.

Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, illustrated by Dom Lee. Lee and Low. Baseball becomes a way for Shorty, a young Japanese American boy, to find dignity and self-respect behind the barbed wire of his World War II internment camp.

Be Good To Eddie Lee by Virginia Fleming, illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Philomel. Christy comes to understand that Eddie Lee, a child with Down’s Syndrome, has something to teach her after all.

Bootsie Barker Bites by Barbara Bottner, illustrated by Peggy Rathmann. Putnam. Nasty bully Bootsie, who likes to play biting games, gets her comeuppance! Satisfying.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow. Chrysanthemum suffers her classmates’ teasing and taunting about her name, which she used to love. Supportive parents and a sympathetic teacher save the day.

Fighting Words by Eve Merriam, illustrated by David Small. Morrow. Verbal sparring turns creative when two bickering friends use colorful insults such as nincompoop, blunderbuss, and lummox.

Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles, illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. Atheneum. It’s 1964 and Joe’s best friend is John Henry, an African-American boy. After passage of the Civil rights Act, they eagerly anticipate jumping into the town pool together. Though cruelly disappointed, they are still determined to help bring about change.

Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel. HarperCollins. Five wonderful stories about best friends Frog and Toad that show how friendship needs patience, empathy, humor and understanding.

George and Martha by James Marshall. Houghton. Five little stories about hippo friends in everyday life situations. Their friendship includes playful teasing, understanding, honesty, and warmth—traits children will recognize in their own friendships.

Goin’ Someplace Special by Patricia McKissack, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Atheneum. Tricia, able to journey on her own for the first time, discovers one public place in her segregated community that is not for whites only. Westchester artist Pinkney won the 2002 Coretta Scott King Award for illustration.

Heroes by Ken Mochuizuki, illustrated by Dom Lee. Lee and Low. Donnie, a Japanese-American school boy, is tired of always being chosen to play the bad guy in every game because looks like the enemy. With help from Dad and Uncle Yoshi, the picture of what a real American hero looks like, is brought into clearer focus.

Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores by James Howe, illustrated by Amy Walrod. Atheneum. Three charming mice are best friends— until Horace and Morris join a club that excludes girls. Dolores then does what a girl mouse must do and forms a girls' club. A snappy, up-beat tale of friendship.

Let’s Be Enemies by Janice May Udry, illustrated by Maurice Sendak. HarperCollins. John is fed up with his friend James’ constant bossiness and decided that from now on they will be enemies. It does not take long, however, for John to change his mind.

Margaret and Margarita – Margarita y Margaret by Lynn Reiser. Greenwillow. Though Margaret speaks only English and Margarita speaks only Spanish, they have no trouble communicating when they meet in the park.

Martha Walks the Dog by Susan Meddaugh. Houghton. Martha, a talking dog, takes on Bad Dog Bob. When Martha’s verbal taunting fails, a parrot comes to the rescue with words of praise. While bullying behavior in children may not be so easily solved, the strategy of healing words is still a good one for kids to have in their repertoire.

Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco. Bantam. A long-lasting friendship between an African American child and Jewish widow is deftly explored in this tender, gently humorous, and exquisitely illustrated story.

My Friend and I by Lisa Jahn-Clough. Houghton Mifflin. A new toy bunny is almost destroyed by two friends who won’t share. A clever solution mends both bunny and hurt feelings. Written with a light touch and expressive, childlike illustrations.

Oliver Button Is a Sissy by Tomie dePaola. Harcourt. His classmates’ taunts don’t stop Oliver Button from doing what he likes best.

Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco. Philomel. Set during the Civil War, this is the compelling story of two young soldiers—one black and one white—joined by a common cause and a friendship that will transcend time.

Rat and Tiger by Keiko Kasza. Putnam. Rat and Tiger are friends, but that doesn't stop Tiger, who is bigger, from bullying Rat. Pushed too far, Rat finally rebels and tells Tiger what he thinks of him. Having spoken his mind, Rat then worries that his words might loose him a friend or, worse, make him an enemy. This clever story explores the issues of friendship and bullying with keen insight into the feelings of both Rat and Tiger.

Shrinking Violet by Cari Best, illustrated by Giselle Potter. Farrar/Melanie Kroupa. Shy Violet saves the day and the school play in this delightful story about bullies, friends and finding one’s voice. A winner.

Sister Anne’s Hands by Mary Beth Lorbiecki, illustrated by K. Wendy Popp. Dial. When Sister Anne, an African American, arrives at a parochial school to teach second grade in the 1960s, Anna sees the effects of racism and prejudice Some children leave the class, but those who stay learn a valuable lesson in opening their hearts.

So Far from the Sea by Eve Bunting,, illustrated by Chris Soentpiet. Clarion. Laura, third generation Japanese-American, visits her grandfather's grave near the internment camp—where he and Laura's father were held during World War II (so far from the sea where grandfather was a fisherman). Poignant, haunting and very thoughtful.

Teammates by Peter Golenbock, illustrated by Paul Bacon. Harcourt. The true account of the 1947 baseball season and the special friendship between two teammates—legendary Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese—that struck a blow to racial prejudice.

The Ant Bully by John Nickle. Scholastic. Sid bullies Lucas and Lucas bullies the ants—then the ant wizard shrinks Lucas. A neat story.

The Balancing Girl by Berniece Rabe, illustrated by Lillian Hoban. Dutton. A first-graders is adept at balancing things whether on crutches or in a wheelchair. She uses this ability to overcome the class bully and to benefit the school carnival, where she thinks up her greatest balancing act.

The Hating Book by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Ben Schecter. HarperCollins. A simple misunderstanding leads to hurt feelings and hate, but is resolved through communication.

The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philemon Sturges, illustrated by Amy Walrod. Dutton. Who will help the Little Red Hen make… pizza ?!! This tasty retelling of an old favorite dishes up oodles of humor, with its zippy text and cleverly detailed and expressive cut-paper art as well as a lesson in cooperation.

The Other Side by Jaqueline Woodson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Putnam. Two young neighbors, one black, one white, realize that although they are each forbidden to climb over the fence, no one has ever said they couldn’t sit on the fence.

The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill, illustrated by Laura Huliksa-Beith. Scholastic. Mean Jean is the Recess Queen. Nobody swings, jumps, bounces, kicks or plays anything until Mean Jean says it is ok. And anyone who tried to say different was pushed, smooshed and lallapalooshed by Mean Jean. Katie Sue is the new girl in school. And, when she shows she is not a bit afraid of Mean Jean, curious things happen.

The Toll Bridge Troll by Patricia Rae Wolff, illustrated by Kimberly Bulcken. Browndeer Press. What would you do if a troll wanted to charge you a penny each morning to cross the bridge to get to your school? Find out how clever Trigg manages to outwit the troll in this charming, contemporary tale inspired by The Three Billy Goats Gruff.

The Wimp by Kathy Caple. Houghton Mifflin. Called a wimp by his older sister for not standing up to bullies, Arnold (a pig) gets the opportunity to help his sister cope with the very same bullies.

Tom and Pippo Make a Friend by Helen Oxenbury. Aladdin. A perfect little story showing how sharing can lead to friendship, A little boy enjoys a sand bucket until its rightful owner takes it back. Tom has no intention of sharing his toy, but soon changes his mind—with good results.

Toot and Puddle: You are My Sunshine by Holly Hobbie. Little, Brown. Nothing Puddles and Tulip do seems to cheer Puddle up—not even five-berry cobbler. A thunderstorm finally clears the air and a now-cheerful Toot concludes thunderstorms are absolutely necessary... Friends, too. This insightful look at negative emotions, explores both Toot’s feelings and those of his caring friends.

We Are Best Friends by Aliki. Greenwillow. Robert’s best friend Peter moves away and leaves Robert miserable and alone. When a new boy arrives at school, Robert realizes that he’s not the only lonely one. A new friendship is found, but the old friendship is not forgotten.

Weslandia by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Candlewick. Rejected by his classmates, Wesley decides to start his own civilization. And he does—complete with an exotic garden, new language, counting system and games. Children will cheer as Wesley proves that being different can be popular.

Yo! Yes? By Chris Raschka. Orchard. Two strangers who meet on the street express themselves with minimal language that gives the feeling of a musical beat. One boy admits that he is sad because he has no friends. The other suggests that they become friends. This spare idea shows young people that they are not the only lonely ones in the world and that it’s kay to reach out and offer friendship.

Yoko by Rosemary Wells. Hyperion. The other kids make fun of Yoko's lunch—it’s sushi. Mrs. Jenkins, a quick-thinking teacher intervenes with international food day—where each child brings in a dish representing his/her heritage. It doesn't work out quite as planned—but culinary diversity and new friendships are the result.