Friends Are Wonderful

Former middle school counselor Julie K. Federico draws on real children's questions — including the heartbreaking 'how come my best friend doesn't want to play with me anymore?' — to build a story that uses colorful fish characters to explore friendship dynamics with gentle emotional distance. The counseling background shows: the book addresses exclusion, changing bonds, and repair strategies in a way that feels practical rather than preachy. Fish characters are a smart choice for giving kids room to engage with difficult feelings without feeling directly targeted. The honest caveat is significant: this title has very limited independent critical coverage, and as a self-published book its production values may be modest. It functions more as a counseling and classroom tool than a pleasure read. For parents and school counselors looking for a warm, experience-grounded resource on friendship struggles, it's worth a look — but approach with the low-confidence note in mind.