Skip to main content

Five Faves: Picture Books About Community

By

There's something about spring in the air that gives me a greater appreciation for the community that I live in. It definitely might just be the fact that now that it's warmer I'm finally willing to leave my house and get outside, but I find happiness in being able to see everyone else out and about as well. I'm looking forward to spring days at the park, farmer's market, and hiking trails. It creates a sense of belonging where you live and reaching out to others to create that sense of belonging in them as well.  All this to say, I've been reflecting on the value of community lately and decided to compile a list of my favorite books on the subject. 

Mi Ciudad Sings
Written by Cynthia Harmony
Illustrated by Teresa Martínez
Penguin Workshop, 2022. Picture Book.

During her daily walk to her mother's flower shop, an earthquake hits a girl's city. She finds her mother and they begin to help others in their city, reuniting a dog with its owner. She passes neighbors that are all out helping each other as well. This story is based on the author's own experiences in Mexico City after an earthquake in 2017. This book is great for teaching the power of community and how people lift those around them up during tough times.

Mary Had a Little Plan
Written by Tammi Sauer
Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Union Square Kids, 2022. Picture Book.

In this updated version of Mary Had a Little Lamb, Mary sees an old abandoned lot filled with junk and decides to make it into a community area for those in her neighborhood. She spends the entire day cleaning and is dismayed to find that the area is still a mess. So she calls her friends Bo Peep, Jack and Jill, and other story book characters and they all work together to build a community spot with murals, lights, flower beds, and a free little library. The book ends with everyone in the community spending time together in the new lot. If you want to teach your kids the value of service and community gathering spaces, this book is a winner.

They're Heroes Too
Written by Pat Brisson
Illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan
Tilbury House Publishers, 2022. Picture Book.

This book celebrates the community members that help us each day. Whether it's your hair stylist, crossing guard, doctor, or waiter, there are people all around us that help us everywhere we go. This book is a great way to introduce your children to community helpers.
All Are Neighbors
By Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman
Alfred A. Knopf, 2022. Picture Book.

This book is a good primer in the power of community and that what makes us different also make us strong. It explains all of the ways that those in the community are there to help each other, from a smile, to a helping hand, to taking care of shared spaces. It ends by reminding the reader that there's space for everyone in your community. If you want a good basic introduction to teach a child what community is, this is a great choice.

Uncle John's City Garden
Written by Bernette G. Ford
Illustrated by Frank Morrison
Holiday House, 2022. Picture Book.

This book is based on the author's own summer cultivating a plot of land in Brooklyn with her uncle during the 1950s and tells the story of three children visiting their uncle and helping him with his community garden. They spend the entire summer working on different plants but it all comes to an end with a community barbecue complete with succotash made from the plants they toiled over all summer. If you've ever felt the power of food bringing a community together, this book is for you.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

By
KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Library in the Woods

By
  The Library in the Woods Written by Calvin Alexander Ramsey Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie Minneapolis, MN : Carolrhoda Books, 2025. Picture Book. I am always intrigued by picture books that tell stories from the past in beautiful and meaningful ways, leaving the reader educated, and also hopeful and inspired. This book definitely did that for me! The cover is a beautiful peek into the story waiting on the pages. Junior and his family have lived on a farm that is having a hard time producing what it needs to for the family to survive economically. The parents make the hard decision to move away from the farm and into the city. Junior misses a lot of things about his life in the country. However, when Junior's friends tell him about a library in the woods, things change for him in the best way! He is amazed by the seemingly endless collection of books, and is eager to check some out for his family. Junior excitedly borrows a few books, including one about a farmer for his dad ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Tumblebaby

By
Tumblebaby Written by Adam Rex Illustrated by Audrey Helen Weber New York : Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, 2024. Picture book. I love a funky picture book. Slumbering Tumblebaby rolls out the door and into a wonderfully meandering yarn, thwarting scoundrels and coyotes, scaling unclimbable mountains, and even building a community center in Colorado City. Adam Rex's text reads like a folksy tall tale, punctuated by funny lines and rhyming chants.  Weber's colorful, round illustrations feel a little Fauvist, a little cubist. It's a sort of "Oh, The Places You'll Go!"  but in reverse - we learn in the last few pages that, in fact, that baby was YOU! This revelation made my young son gasp, which made me choke up.  Tumblebaby is a surreal delight perfect for reading together. 
Post a Comment
Read more