Front Body Prompts (square for bear, curved for mouse): “_____ Makes Friends” or “How to Make Friends” Meesha learns it helps to have something in common when making friends. Can you make friends with someone who has nothing in common with you? Why or why not? Share your craft with peers to share a little about yourself and learn a little about someone new, or learn something new about a friend you already have

Percival and the story are patient and kind—compassionate. And the solution falls into place in a non-preachy message well-received. She doesn’t interact perfectly in any given situation, that’s reality, and relatable, but an opportunity will present itself. Perhaps an odd choice as a teenager, but I went through a stage of reading as many Mary Wesley books as I could get my hands on. She just seemed to be so skilled at portraying people of all ages and walks of life. As a teenager I marvelled at the fact that she could so clearly write about what it felt like to be that age, being as she had her first novel published aged 71. Of course now that I’m 35 and can still remember EXACTLY what it felt like to be 16 it doesn’t seem that unlikely anymore – ah, the follies of youth. As students focus on making friends with Meesha Makes Friends, they must take time to reflect on this skill. When they make connections, they deepen their knowledge and understanding. Thus, written responses and activity sheets support this social skill. There are even multiple options for differentiation.A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature. When Meesha reluctantly attends a party, she feels out of place, finding the environment noisy, chaotic and unpredictable. Retreating to a quiet corner to concentrate on her creations, she is startled when a boy approaches her and must summon all her courage to engage with him. An absolute darling of a book. Its portrayal of children who find it hard to communicate, or have specific interests that are puzzling to others, is kind, sensitive and warming' Discover Children's Books Use this lovely Early Level IDL topic web to teach learners about relationships and making friends. Based on the book Meesha Makes Friends, the topic web provides ideas for activities that promote conversations about managing feelings and making friends. Your Early Level learners will love them! What is the book Meesha Makes Friends about?

Meesha loves to make things, such as pictures and models, but finds it really challenging to make friends. She never seems to get it right, often misreading situations or saying the wrong thing, so comes up with an ingenious solution. Using her creative skills, she fashions her own set of friends from paper, paint, fabric and found objects. Meesha is delighted as she doesn’t feel anxious or confused around her new pals and can take them with her wherever she goes. As such, whether you are little or large, autistic or not, Meesha makes friends is a great book for those who may be potentially anxious for an upcoming big event; like a new school year, or for those who could do with a beautifully illustrated reminder that, friendships or not, it’s okay to be content on your own. Arts and Crafts: Thankfully, Meesha Makes Friends is not a story about the actions we need to take to become ‘popular’. Instead, it shows that we are much more likely to make connections that will last if we let our personalities and our real interests speak out.

Keep in touch

Make teaching reading skills fun with these engaging and differentiated activities for Meesha Makes Friends by Tom Percival! This resource includes NO-PREP graphic organizers covering more than ten comprehension skills perfect for centres, assessments or sub-planning. Use this fantastic IDL topic web to plan a unit of work based on the book Meesha Makes Friends. The topic web comes with a variety of ideas for activities across the curricular areas of Literacy and English, Numeracy and Mathematics, Health and Wellbeing, Technologies, Social Studies, Religious and Moral Education and Expressive Arts. Moreover, in this IDL topic web you can find relevant Experiences and Outcomes, which will help you plan effective lessons. This resource is suitable for Early Level learners working within the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. How can I teach about friendships? What inspired you to write your latest book?The book Herman’s Letter first popped into my head when my girlfriend gave me a limited edition screen print by an illustrator called Simon Tozer of a bear holding a letter. The picture is called ‘The Last Post’ and I just loved the bear’s melancholy expression and wondered what he was doing carrying the letter and who it was for. My brain set to work on it and eventually came up with Herman’s Letter. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without my brain sometimes - it really is remarkably useful.