Book review: A Friend for Hope by Amie White

Genre ~ children’s fiction (According to Amazon for ages 4-6)
Publication date ~ July 17, 2025
Publisher ~ Noctilune Publishing
Est Page Count ~ 47

My review:

As a shelter dog mom I am absolutely thrilled to share my thoughts on this book. Adopt, don’t shop!

Zoe is homeschooled. Bored with her day to day routine. Is she shy? Does she lack social skills being homeschooled? Her father thinks she is lonely and needs a friend. And a friend she gets when they adopt a dog named Hope.

As with most shelters there are a variety of dogs to choose from. There are plenty of adorable puppies, but Zoe has her mind set on the quiet one. The one with a few grey hairs. The one that has been there for years because her family decided they couldn’t take her with them when they moved away.

Zoe gazed into the dog’s warm, glossy eyes. Two quiet hearts beating the same.

Hope’s first days in her new home seemed realistic. After being in the shelter for so long she needed time to adjust and acclimate to her new, unfamiliar surroundings. Zoe somehow knew this and showed patience and understanding.

At last, they’d found what they both needed most: a forever friend.

A sweet story of friendship, bonding and finding a companion that’s perfect for you at just the right time. This would be a great story to share with your child before adopting a dog to show that it does take patience and not all reactions are the same for every person or animal. Also, would be good for a classroom setting, or just as an addition to any animal lovers collection.

Illustration & page notes:
The illustrations are simple, vibrant and relevant for the story. The various dogs were all different and captured well.
Some pages have a light colored background with white lettering that was a little harder for me to read than the other pages.

Side note ~ there is a scene of Zoe staring out her window watching the neighborhood kids play, essentially in her backyard. Does Zoe not have her school time at the same time these kids should be in school? Or is she just simply daydreaming?

*Thanks to Noctilune Publishing for sending me a copy to read. I am voluntarily leaving this review.

Purchase link: https://amzn.to/4tPmZA1

Add to your never ending TBR  ~ goodreads

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read it.

Book blurb:

A heartwarming picture book for ages 4–6.

Nine-year-old Zoe Meadows is the new kid in Ivy Creek. For homeschooled Zoe, every day starts the same: breakfast, then to the living room where Miss Ellis awaits. Only today, Zoe can’t focus—not when she notices neighborhood children playing outside, children she’s yet to meet. Watching all this unfold, Zoe’s parents decide it’s time for a companion—the furry kind, to be precise.

Everything changes when Zoe meets Hope at the dog shelter for the first time. The two girls form an inseparable bond over the following months and find in each other the one thing they both craved for a long, long time: a forever friend.

Awards:

• Winner — 2025 Literary Titan Book Award
• Finalist — 2025/2026 Indies Today Awards

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