• Age: 4 to 8
• Grade: p to 3

From author/illustrator Aidan Cassie, the creator of Sterling, Best Dog Ever and Little Juniper Makes It Big!, comes The Word for Friend, an adorable and timely picture book story about ways to welcome, friendship, and overcoming language barriers that will connect classmates and cultures alike.
Kemala the pangolin is sure she's going to make friends at her new school in her new country. After all, Kemala loves to talk. The kids at school like talking, too--but their words are all different. This country speaks a language Kemala doesn't know.
At first, no one understands Kemala either. This realization makes her curl into a little ball, like most pangolins do when they're nervous. But a classmate helps draw her out with an art project that doubles as a vocabulary exchange. Soon, Kemala is learning the most universal language of all: friendship.

Aidan Cassie's profile page

Aidan Cassie is the picture book author and illustrator of Sterling, Best Dog Ever and Little Juniper Makes it Big!. She attended the Emily Carr University of Art and Design and Edinburgh College of Art, where she studied animation and earned a Media Arts degree. She lives on a small artist-covered island in the Salish Sea of British Columbia.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2020!
Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee!
"Kindness is a universal language . . . Delightful and heartwarming, this read-aloud performs like a welcoming embrace." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review