Dan Saks is known for his cheery series of board books celebrating families, including ones with two moms or two dads. Here, he turns his talents to the topic of neighborhoods and what it means to be a community.
The book shows us scenes set in four different neighborhoods: suburban, urban, rural, and manufactured home, as the rhymes tell of neighbors of different ages, born in many places, and with different talents, but all belonging to the community where they live. “And you belong, too,” the book tells readers, affirming that they, too, play a role in making their neighborhood great. In fact, it’s up to all neighbors to “do what they’re able” to make sure their is a safe, healthy place, “a place you can dream.” It’s a lovely ode to collective responsibility and caring.
Brooke Smart’s illustrations are bright and bold, showing the neighbors diverse in many ways. One image shows two women standing in the doorway of a manufactured home as two children run ahead of them. I’m choosing to read them as a two-mom family, which I don’t think is a stretch. On another page, they welcome a different-sex couple who are moving in nearby.
Important concepts, conveyed with a light touch.
