May I Bring a Friend?

Title: May I Bring A Friend?
Author: Beatrice Schenk De Regniers
Illustrator: Beni Montresor
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 1964
Genre: Fairy Tale
Audience: Gr. PreK- 2nd
Awards: 1965 Caldecott Award
Overview: May I Bring A Friend is a short fairy-tale type story about a young child who receives an invitation from the King and Queen to attend a tea party at their house one day. The child asks to bring a friend to the tea party and the King and Queen allow it. The friend happens to be a giraffe. The King and Queen continue to invite this child to their castle for lunches and dinners, and more special animal guests are brought along, all the while the King and Queen are encouraging their guest to bring more and more friends.
Activity: I think this book would be perfect to teach young children about the importance of being welcoming to others. If you have something to share than you should be generous. It can teach that one can never have too many friends. If there happens to be a problem within the class with students not allowing others to play in their group, this story could be used to confront that situation.
Reviewer's Name: Moira Schafle