All Are Welcome
(All Are Welcome)

PreS-Gr 2--Readers follow school kids from a rich diversity of backgrounds in this exuberant and inclusive work. Children wear yarmulkes, dress in hijabs, and some use wheelchairs to get around. They play together, learn together, and share their different cultural traditions. The students learn about and take part in a Dragon dance for the Lunar New Year. The book also depicts a wide variety of family types; there are children with a single parent, those with two moms or two dads, or kids who have parents from different racial backgrounds. The pictures are bright and eye-catching, using a variety of media (acrylic paints, ink, crayons, and collage) to create the colorful cartoon images. The easy flowing rhyme says it all: "We're part of a community./Our strength is our diversity./A shelter from adversity./All are welcome here." The text and illustrations will prompt many thoughtful questions from young ones. VERDICT A positive book to have in any library collection, and a great read-aloud selection to start the year and revisit time and again.--Barbara Spiri, Southborough Library, MA

Penfold (Eat, Sleep, Poop) and Kaufman (I Love Monkey) celebrate a school community as a great common ground where families of all kinds connect and share in their children's educational journey: "No matter how you start your day./ What you wear when you play./ Or if you come from far away./ All are welcome here." Every child is different--readers get a brief glimpse of children's lives away from the classroom--but everyone shares a love for story time, recess, creating green slime and volcanoes, and making friends. Though one of Penfold's rhymes ("We're part of a community/ Our strength is our diversity./ A shelter from adversity") sounds more like a protest cheer than a poem, she is a passionate advocate for e pluribus unum throughout the story; the book's refrain of "All are welcome here" feels both deeply reassuring and almost radical in our polarized time. Kaufman smoothly choreographs her large cast throughout numerous scenes--including a school night potluck, as showcased in a spacious double gatefold--and it's fun to follow one friendship in particular as it blossoms between two girls. The inside of the book jacket doubles as a poster featuring the entire cast. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Susan Ginsburg, Writers House. Illustrator's agent: Alexandra Penfold, Upstart Crow Literary. (July)

Penfold and Kaufman have outdone themselves in delivering a vital message in today's political climate. Let's hope more people, starting with this picture book's audience, embrace it.