All Are Neighbors (An All Are Welcome Book)

September 1, 2022
"What is a community? It's a place for you and me." From a poster on the underside of the book jacket showing an array of people to a spread featuring neighborhood businesses on the case cover, this follow-up to All Are Welcome (2018) celebrates a vibrant community. A brown-skinned family--an adult, a child, and an infant--move into a new residence. Other brown-skinned neighbors on the block greet the newcomers with smiles and raised hands. Spread by spread, the family meets new people who are diverse in terms of age, race, religion, and ability. Friendships are formed at a corner market, on busy sidewalks, at a coffee shop, at a library, at a playground, and elsewhere. Penfold's easy, concise, rhythmic verse offers an age-appropriate road map for how to meet neighbors and make friends ("A friendly smile, a familiar face, / Helping hands, just in case"). Kaufman's vivid and bold illustrations feature a mainly primary palette and a variety of perspectives as well as myriad details to delight eagle-eyed young readers. Moreover, the careful attention to inclusion and equity (the wheelchair ramp to the library goes right to the front door) will prompt thoughtful conversations about how all people can contribute to and enjoy their neighborhood. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A book to share, a community to celebrate, and a spirit to promote everywhere. (Picture book. 3-7)

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September 2, 2022

PreS-Gr 2-As a new family moves into an urban neighborhood the community extends a welcome. Simple rhymes with the refrain "We are all neighbors here" end each couplet as readers see a small child in a star-spangled blue dress making friends, exploring the shops and parks and community center and being accepted with smiles and open hearts. Every manner of family and community are represented in the detailed and colorful illustrations. Children and adults of all races, ages, and physical capabilities, wearing varied religious garb, and pursuing a variety of interests and occupations, are shown interacting and being supportive of one another. Diversity is the theme and the illustrations are replete with happy examples. Children will delight in looking at the details of life in this community as shown on each page. Recommended for all collections. VERDICT A successful glimpse of a diverse urban neighborhood welcoming a new family into a happy and productive community.-Eva Elisabeth VonAncken

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