Norma No Friends is a children’s book about a girl named Norma. She’s shy about her middle name, “No.” Norma considers herself the loneliest person in the world. On her birthday, full of sadness, Norma goes the hill that helps her feel better, and meets another girl: Nelly No Friends. They played and talked and became friends. Norma changed her middle name to Rhododendron, and Nelly changed her middle name to Rose. Now, they live next to each other and the sign reads, “Norma + Nelly R. Friends.”

Every child goes through times in life when they believe they are alone, have no friends, and that no one would ever want to be their friend. Norma normalizes the thoughts for children, which is further normalized by Nelly. Lots of people feel unlikeable. And then the two girls with no friends discover each other. They start doing things friends do, like saying, “Hello.”

The message is that actions can improve circumstances. Norma takes control of her world by leaving the house, going to the hill, and greeting Nelly. Had either of them stayed home, they would not have met. They were both searching and through action, they found each other. This book would be good for any counselor working with children, from pre-k/kindergarten through early adolescence.