Everybody Belongs

Picture book 

     The moment--literally the moment--I received my review copy of Heather Avis' Everybody Belongs I dropped everything to read and review it right away.  It's that good.  The rhymes are lively.  The illustrations are gorgeous.  And Avis and illustrator Sarah Mensinga team up to convey a very important message.

     Sisters Macy and Tru decide that they want to put on a show.  They gather up costumes, props, and a mic and head for the stage in the park.

     A very diverse group of kids is attracted to the venue.  Many aren't sure they'll be accepted, let alone welcome.  But with the refrain "Exactly who you are is exactly who we pick" the sisters find a way to integrate everyone into their production.

     Then a kid in a wheelchair showd up.  The stage has no ramp, just stairs.  

" The group became quiet; no one made a sound.

'The space is the problem, not how he gets around.'"

     One sentence perfectly captures one of the perpetual problems of the society we live in.  Challenges people face are framed in terms of their differences rather than society's limitations that need to be overcome.  A too bad, so sad attitude gets the people who should be making changes off the hook.

     The kids are willing to make the changes that allow their friend to participate.  Hopefully someday the adults will catch up with them.

     Everybody Belongs is such a wonderful book that my review copy is going to be the gift from my older daughter and me to a friend of hers who is having her first baby.  Nothing but the best for Tanna and her new little person!

On a purrrsonal note, this is a problem I've been dealing with all my life.  Because of blindness in one eye with poor peripheral vision and petit mal epilepsy I can't drive.  There are a lot of times I can't go to places I want to go to. The problem doesn't lie in me, but in a totally inadequate public transportation system.  In the early twentieth century car companies bought up and demolished trolley lines to eliminate competition.  Reversing this travesty would help not only people with disabilities, but those who can't afford car acquisition and maintenance.  It would also cut down on pollution big time. (Jules)

It's a rainy day, just purrrfect for a cat nap. (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to Avis and Mensinga for putting together a charming children's book that carries a serious and necessary challenge for adults.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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