Books for the Social Development of Children: Best Friends Vs. Max's Chocolate Chicken

One book that I believe is appropriate for the social development of children is Best Friends, written and illustrated by Steven Kellogg. This story is appropriate for children at early elementary levels, from ages six through eight.

Kathy and Louise are best friends and did everything together until the summer when Louise went away with her aunt and uncle. Kathy was sad and lonely without Louise, but when she found out that Louise was having a great time on vacation, she became upset, angry, and jealous. She began believing that Louise didn't miss her at all. Kathy made friends with the elderly man who moved in across the street and looked forward to the day his dog would have puppies. When Louise returned home, Kathy and Louise were friends again, but another disaster strikes when Mr. Jode's dog only has one puppy - and it goes to Louise! Kathy is heartbroken until Mr. Jode helps to resolve the conflict by helping the girls arrange joint ownership of the new puppy.

The book approaches many emotions felt by young children. Kathy was lonely while Louise was away, but she learned that Louise was not lonely. I believe that idea was demonstrative of how children should not depend on only one person to be in their life. They need to be able to socialize and make new friends while making the best out of any situation. Another topic introduced by the book was jealousy. Kathy was jealous that Louise had made new friends and was determined to find new friends of her own. Kathy was also jealous when they realized that Sarah was only going to have one puppy. All of these emotions are very common to everyday life and Kathy had to learn to deal with these. Mr. Jode was instrumental in showing the girls the importance of friendship and sharing.

In contrast, one book that I do not believe is appropriate for social development is Max's Chocolate Chicken, by Rosemary Wells. This book is written for early preschool level children.