We Belong

Author: Laura Purdie Salas and Carlos Vélez Aguilera

Whether tall or short or weak or strong, we all have value and we all belong.

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PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

Whether tall or short or weak or strong, we all have value and we all belong.

Description

We all belong!

You and I, we're alike, / but we're different too. / That's not good. / That's not bad. / It's just what is true.

Explore and celebrate who you are and who others are too! Rhyming verse by Laura Purdie Salas invites others to notice the diversity of our world and affirm that we all belong, just as we are. Bright illustrations by Carlos Vélez Aquilera feature a diverse group of children, playing and learning in an urban setting.

Critic Reviews

“"Jauntily rhyming text coupled with colorful, detailed digital illustrations outline the numerous types of people that inhabit the world. Quiet and loud people 'both deserve our applause.' It doesn't really matter if someone is tall or short because 'we're only each as high / as a small grain of sand / next to mountains or sky.' Also noted and affirmed are differing personalities, body types, interests, persuasions, and emotions. A nature analogy is creatively used to explore skin color: 'We all wear our skin just like trees wear their bark, in infinite shades between light and dark.' Some people may be the color of Oak, Mahogany, or Chestnut wood, and so on. Regarding gender diversity, the text proclaims: 'There are boys. There are girls. / And even more choices. / Let's build a world where there is room for all voices.' The overarching message that all are equal and belong on this beautiful planet Earth is enhanced by the final observation that when we learn from each other, we grow. Aguilera's vibrant colored pencil and digital media illustrations depict a variety of racially diverse children making music, flying kites, playing together, and more in various parts of their city, the residents of which include women and girls wearing hijabs, a Jewish man sporting a yarmulke, people using wheelchairs, people with disabilities, and a girl with cancer (not discussed in the text, but cued in the artwork). An upbeat, empowering celebration of human diversity."--Kirkus Reviews”

"The pictures are alive with texture, vibrant color, and companionable activity. Teachers and guidance counselors may find this a useful prompt for conversation about not just accepting differences, but embracing them." —School Library Connection

About the Author

Laura Purdie Salas is the author of more than 135 books for kids, including If You Were the Moon, Lion of the Sky, theCan Be… series, and Bookspeak! Poems about Books. Poetry and rhyming nonfiction books are her favorite things to write. Laura loves to do author visits, writing workshops, and teacher inservices. Read more about Laura and her work at laurasalas.com. Carlos Vélez Aguilera is a professional illustrator based in Mexico City, Mexico. He graduated from the National School of Plastic Arts and has illustrated more than twenty children's books including his graphic novel Salón Destino.