The Blessings of Friendship Treasury by Mary Engelbreit

The Blessings of Friendship, created by New York Times bestselling author and artist Mary Engelbreit, is a playful and poignant treasury of poetry, Bible verses, and quotes that celebrate the joy of friendship. Children will learn from timeless sayings and poems what it means to be a friend - helping, encouraging, listening, sharing with, and loving one another. Colorful and whimsical illustrations bring these words to life, as children learn the value of friendship. Verses from the Bible give us instruction on putting others above ourselves, loving each other, and being kind to one another. This book will make you smile with each turn of the page, remembering old friends and new friends alike.



The Blessings of Friendship Treasury is a children's book illustrated by Mary Engelbreit.  The book is filled with bible verses and quotes of friendship by people such as George MacDonald, George Eliot, Edna Buchanan, and Charles Dickens.  The book is appropriate for children over five years old.  I believe little girls might enjoy it more, but there are illustrations of boys included in the book. 
 
I love Mary Engelbreit's illustrations.  The illustrations in this book are whimsical and heartwarming.  My favorite is the one of three girls as friends as children and then later as adults.  The book is filled with so many lovely kinds of people.  It is diverse racially and includes people with disabilities.   
The book is nice mix of bible verses, favorite sayings, quotes and wonderful illustrations.  I found myself going back to the different pages to revisit different quotes and find something new in the illustrations I had missed from the last time. 

I can recommend this book as one that you and a child will enjoy going through together  and sharing memories of the friendships in our life.  It would be a great way to talk about how to be a friend and how to make  lasting friendships.  I smiled as several friends came to mind as I flipped through the pages.

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