'All Are Welcome' by Alexandra Penfold, illus. Suzanne Kaufman
"No matter how you start your day, What you wear when you play, Or if you come from far away, All are welcome here."
Have you read this beautiful #1 New York Times bestselling picture book, celebrating diversity, acceptance, and inclusivity? 'All Are Welcome Here' follows a group of children through a day in their multicultural school. Throughout the story you meet families of all different nationalities, religions, and traditions learning together and from one another. While they have many difference, they all come together to read together, eat together, and play together.
This book is a love story to America's diversity. It paints the picture of what our world could look like if everyone felt not only accepted, but embraced, for their differences. As a Jew reading it, I'll never forget how exciting it was to see kippah on one child's head. Representation matters; author Alexandra Penfold and illustrator Suzannne Kaufman made a an amazing effort to include characters from any path of life. Whether you have two mothers, wear a hijab, roll through life in a wheelchair, you can find a character like you being welcomed and accepted.
Warm and inspiring, 'All Are Welcome' lets young children know that no matter what, they have a place, they have a space, and they are welcome in their school. It is a great starting points for conversations on how we can be more inclusive and welcoming in our own lives.
