For Always Friends - Tootie Nienow;Katherine Ahmed

When a new neighbor becomes a best friend, everything feels perfect—until a few hurtful words put that friendship at risk. For Always Friends is a tender, relatable story about finding a best friend, making mistakes, and learning how true friendships grow stronger through kindness and forgiveness.

I watch your moving truck and dream. I hope you're coming to meet me. 

Two boys, both lonely, just know there's a new friend around the corner. In the moment it takes to knock on a door, the boys simultaneously imagine a bond to last forever. Back-and-forth dialogue brings to life a future full of bike rides, hideouts, secret codes, and handshakes. 

Time passes, the friends side-by-side, until . . . Buddies make mistakes. Mean words can hurt. But best friends learn to navigate the ups and downs of a lasting friendship. 

Poetic text and vibrant illustrations reveal how dreams can blossom into reality. Together, the boys manifest a friendship rooted in joy, kindness, and forgiveness . . . for always.