ALL ARE NEIGHBORS

“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.