The Claddagh ring is an Irish emblem that dates back 300 years. Each part has a different meaning: the crown stands for loyalty, the heart signifies love, and the hands represent friendship. Claddaghs are given or exchanged between friends as well as couples.

Relationships are an important part of growing up. Humans are social animals. We learn and grow through our interactions with other people.

For Jess, meeting Leslie is a major part of his personal growth. Before he meets Leslie, Jesse is a loner. He has a very distant relationship with his parents, his four sisters drive him crazy, and he has no real friends at school. The kids he knows fall into two categories: the kids he races against and the girls who want to beat him up.

From an early age, Ernie and Bert prove that people with different personalities can be best friends.

So Jess turns inward. He runs alone in the early summer mornings and draws in secrecy.

Jesse needs Leslie.

Jesse and Leslie's friendship is special. For the first time in his life, Jesse has someone he can feel comfortable with and someone he doesn't need to hide feelings from.

In the story, Jess's parents worry that their son "did nothing but play with girls, and they [are] both worried about what would become of it." Jess is not concerned with this. Leslie is not just a girl. She's his best friend and "his other, more exciting self." Together, the two discuss their families, fears, and dreams, and create the magical world of Terabithia.

Friendships: What makes someone a friend?

We know that Jess wasn't "a nothing." But that's how he feels. Friends can make us feel as though we can achieve great things. Their encouragement and support help us believe in ourselves.

What does Leslie get from Jesse? She gets a special friend who accepts her as she is. Jess doesn't judge Leslie for her strange household or odd clothing. He doesn't make her feel out of place.

Relationships

How we interact with people other than our friends is also a big part of defining ourselves. If you were trapped on a deserted island and could choose three people to bring with you, who would you bring? You'd probably answer your parents, a close sibling, or some friends. You already know that you get along with these people; the trip might even be fun.

But what if you were stuck instead with your principal, your best friend's grandmother, and some person you never met? How would the trip be then?

Friendly Letters: What does our language say about a relationship?

Throughout Bridge to Terabithia, we see how Jesse interacts with other people and the relationships he has with them. Many of the relationships remain the same throughout the book, but one that clearly changes is his relationship with May Belle. The experiences that Jesse has help him grow up. He crosses over from being a resentful child to becoming a helpful big brother.

At the end of the book, Jess takes the big brother role much more seriously and seeks to help his sister in her personal growth. Often, when friends make us feel good, we wish to share the feeling with other people.

Good friends just do that to you.

"Tell me who's your friend and I'll tell you who you are." - Russian proverb

Directions: Match the famous friendship duos in this game of Concentration.

Famous Friendship Pairs Instructions: This is the classic game Concentration. Click a question-mark tile to turn it over. Try to find its match by clicking another tile. If the tiles match, they will turn yellow and stay face up. If they don't match, they will flip over and you must try again. Click Here!

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