Tobin Learns To Make Friends

Author: Diane Murrell

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Making Friends, keeping friends, Friendship, Manners, Rules

Year of Publication: 2001

Publisher & Location: Future Horizons, Inc., Arlington, TX

ISBN#s:

• ISBN13: 9781885477798
• ISBN: 1885477791
• BINC: 7104044

Target Age Level: Pre-K and Lower Elementary

# of Pages: 31

Quality of Illustrations: rough, child-like drawings and coloring (basic)

Brief Summary: Tobin is a lonely red engine who cannot seem to make friends. But with the help of his buddies, he discovers that there are little things he can do to be nicer to those around him. Tobin soon finds that he is surrounded by friends who truly enjoy working and playing with him. Parents and teachers can use this book to teach friendship skills to children who find social interactions challenging. Important social lessons include: sharing, being polite, taking turns, talking quietly, the importance of personal space, and more! NOTE: This book was written by a mother of a child with Asperger's Syndrome to teach him how to make and keep friends, building upon his interest in trains.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: This book is fairly straight-forward and has titles, like "Friendship" and "Borrowing," etc. every few pages so that the user can turn to the section that is most helpful for the child at the time. It can be read as an entire story, or used in sections to teach social skills. This book "says it like it is" when it comes to friendship rules, adopting a structure often used with the Power Cards strategy developed for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Because of this, some of the friendship rules are listed in a positive light (like "take turns") while others are stated negatively (like "don't interrupt"), which might turn some people away from this book. The structure is very much a direct teaching format, presumably to help the author's son, the inspiration for the book, learn the skills well.

Activity: Write down each of the things Tobin does (good choices and bad choices alike) on pieces of paper, have the kids each choose one (one at a time), and state if that is something that will help them make friends or if it is something that will cause them to lose friends.