Mateo Meets a Friend Coloring Pages

Coloring page story

Mateo was the new kid. His family had moved to the city in October, and his whole world was concrete buildings and the rumble of the subway. He missed his old backyard and his old friends. Christmas felt lonely here.

From his apartment window on the tenth floor, his view was mostly of the brick wall of the building across the alley. But if he pressed his face right to the cold glass and looked up, he could see a patch of sky. And every night, the Christmas Star appeared in that patch, like a friend winking at him.

He felt a kinship with that Star. It was all alone up there, too.

One evening, he saw a light flick on in the window directly across from his. A girl about his age was taping something to her window. It was a drawing of a smiling snowman. The next night, inspired, Mateo drew a picture of a Christmas tree and taped it to his own window.

A silent conversation began. She’d put up a paper snowflake; he’d answer with a candy cane. Their dark little alley was slowly filling with color. On Christmas Eve, Mateo looked at his window collection. It still felt like something was missing.

He looked up at his patch of sky and saw his friend, the Star. He knew what to do. He took a piece of black paper and, using a pin, carefully poked holes in the shape of a constellation—his own imaginary one—with a big, bright star at its center. He taped it up and switched on his lamp behind it.

A moment later, the girl’s light flashed on and off. Blink. Blink-blink. Blink. Then she held up a sign. In wobbly letters, it said, “MERRY CHRISTMAS.” Mateo grinned, his heart feeling warmer than it had in months. The Christmas Star hadn’t just been his friend; it had helped him find a new one.

Coloring page Age Appropriateness

The split-view composition and the story of silent communication are concepts that the 9-12 age group can grasp and find engaging. The design allows them to color two different environments and characters within one cohesive scene, offering a good level of complexity.

Coloring Page Coloring Instructions

This is such a sweet story of two new friends! You get to design two rooms. What colors are in Mateo's room? What about the girl's room across the alley? You can make their window decorations bright and cheerful. The sign she is holding has big letters for you to color in—maybe a rainbow pattern? The brick buildings in the alley can be reddish-brown, and don't forget to make that Christmas Star in the middle sparkle with a bright yellow!

Coloring Page Printing Tips

Hi there! This page has a lot of interesting details. To make sure the lines of the brickwork and the letters on the sign come out nice and sharp, use your printer's 'high quality' setting. Standard letter-sized paper is perfect for this print. It's a great page for two friends or siblings to color together, each taking one side of the alley!

Recommended Tools

A combination of tools would be great here. Fine-tip markers are perfect for coloring in the letters on the sign and the smaller window drawings. Colored pencils would be wonderful for adding a soft, textured look to the brick walls. For the glowing lamp in Mateo's room, a bright yellow crayon would create a lovely, soft light effect.