Personalised book about solving friendship problems: your child Builds a Bridge

What happens in your child Builds a Bridge

1. Your child finds two groups arguing across a stream.
2. Each group explains the game they want to play.
3. Your child notices branches and stones nearby.
4. Everyone works together to build a safe little bridge.
5. The groups meet in the middle and invent a shared game.

How the first page could read

At the edge of Ferny Forest, a clear stream skipped over smooth stones. On one bank, the Meadow Team wanted a running game. On the other, the Woodland Team wanted a treasure hunt. “There isn’t room for both,” sighed your child. Then your child noticed a fallen branch resting nearby.

Your child’s name, look and little details replace these words, and the whole story is written for their age.

Why this story works

For children aged five to eight, friendship problems can feel especially tangled when everyone wants something fair. This story gives your child a practical role: listening to both sides, spotting a shared need and inviting everyone to contribute. The bridge is a clear, visual piece of problem-solving, rather than a quick fix or a winner-and-loser ending. Seeing their own face illustrated from a photo can make the moments easier to talk about after reading, from taking turns at play to welcoming an idea that is not their own. The ending leaves the groups with a game they create together.

Reading it together

• Pause when each group shares its idea and ask your child what they think would be fair.
• After reading, talk about a time when two people wanted different things to happen.
• Invite your child to draw or build their own bridge between two imaginary teams.

Suggested art style: Storybook watercolour

Soft watercolour textures suit the woodland stream, gathered branches and cooperative building scenes. A sidekick idea: a water vole carrying a coil of twine. You can pick any of the four styles and change the details in the form.