River's New Friend is a fun and relatable children's picture book about the challenges of learning to appreciate a new sibling, told from the perspective of two silly dogs named River and Willow.

Book Overview:

When River, the dog, meets her new little sister, a puppy named Willow, River thinks she has found the perfect friend. But River quickly realizes that Willow isn’t a friend... she’s a MONSTER! Willow eats River’s food, slobbers on River's toys, makes messes all over the house, and takes away from River's time with Mom and Dad! But when River sets out to find someone else to be her new friend, Willow is determined to tag along. Is a friendship in store for the new siblings, after all?

Features & Details:

Shows the challenges of adapting to a new sibling in an engaginng and relatable way.
Helps children express the complicated emotions they may feel when a new sibling arrives.
Lively action words and fun onomatopoeia that make for an interactive reading experience.
Bright, active illustrations full of silly, humorous, and cute details.
Includes a valuable secondary lesson about how sometimes friends may not be in the mood to play.
Beautifully produced, high quality hardcover book with thick, glossy pages and a large 10"x10" trim size.

Editorial Reviews:

"An educator-friendly picture book as playful and loving as the dogs it portrays."
- Kirkus Reviews

River's New Friend (Hardcover)

Name: River's New Friend (Hardcover)
Price: 18.95 USD
Availability: InStock

$18.95

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Both Idyllic and Grounded (June 6, 2023)
What a lovely book this is. The quality is superb - the physical book itself, the illustrations, all the thoughtful extras. And the story lands just right. Sweet but not too sweet. It feels both idyllic and grounded. The Kindle version looks good, too, which surprised me after seeing how pretty the print book is. I'll give the last word to my neighbor, a dog enthusiast and grandmother: "Loved the story and the illustrator brought it to life! It may be my new favorite children's book."

Sweet story about adjusting to a new sibling (May 7, 2023)
Sweet, heartfelt, funny, and 100% relatable—I absolutely recommend this book to any family of multiple children or who are expecting a new addition. I have a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old and oh boy, did my 3-year-old relate to this story! He's asked to read it at least a dozen times, and we've only had the book for a couple of days. Adding to our picture book hall of fame as a new favorite, for sure.

Pros:
- Sweet story. I LOVE the way it handles the emotional roller coaster and struggles of having a younger sibling. My 3-year-old especially latched on to River's conclusion at the end—when I asked him if his younger brother was more like a monster or a friend, he firmly said, "BOTH."
- Cute artwork, beautiful backgrounds/spreads, relatable characters that my kids latched onto.
- Quality binding. Pages and cover holding up well against not-so-gentle toddler hands. Plus—no dust cover!
-The author has some fun bonus stuff on his website that my kids have loved (coloring pages, stickers, videos, etc). My 3-year-old loves to look at pictures of the author's real-life dogs that the story is based off of.

Cons:
- My 3-year-old wants a dog now.

Pre-K teacher approved! (May 7, 2023)
I’m a pre-k teacher and I read A LOT of picture books, some great ones and some…not so great. This is one of the great ones! The onomatopoeias are abundant in this story and are incredibly fun for kids. Plus, the illustrations are bright and engaging with absolutely adorable characters! Added bonus, the book is big enough for group read-alouds but also has really nice pages that will stand up to (inevitably wet or sticky) little hands better in those up close and personal reading times. Super impressed with the quality overall. This will be one of my go to books to gift friends and family that are adding a sibling to the mix. I love that the story shows it’s okay for kids to have big feelings about another child joining the family! I’d definitely recommend it!!

Great sibling story! (May 7, 2023)
This book was fun and engaging for my 3 and 6 year olds! They loved the adorable illustrations and relatable story. As soon as we finished it they asked to read it again! As my six year old said, “More people should have this book! It’s so good!” She can’t wait to read more adventures of Willow and River!

Great for siblings! (May 7, 2023)
This book was high quality in both production and content. It arrived quickly and the story and themes of getting a new family member and how that can be tough on the existing members of the house was wonderful. My kids love it and relate. It’s now a favorite request at bedtime.

Adorable Book and Doodles! (May 2, 2023)
Bought this book to read to my twin boys and it does not disappoint. The story is adorable and the illustrations are perfect. As a doodle owner, she captures their personality and facial expressions extremely well. Buy the book, you won’t be disappointed!

River's New Friend (Hardcover)

Customer Reviews