Cover Image: We Are All Neighbours

We Are All Neighbours

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Member Reviews

Everyone belongs and lives somewhere and neighbours are not all the same as you. Everyone is unique and diverse in one way or another, This is the focus, that everyone is different but can still live along side by side each other. The book promotes peace and harmony and illustrates that no matter where you come from or lived in a place all your life, have a disability or are able-bodied, have a different religion or perhaps have similarities to all of that list, you can still play, eat and drink, learn and laugh and generally have fun together.

This is an important book for children to read with adults. It shows kindness and compassion, something that sometimes lacks amongst, not just children, but adults too as communities expand or change in demographics. I say this as children and adults can be unaccepting of others for their own personal reasons, sometimes even coming from a different part of a village/town/city is enough for some people. So, although this is a children’s book, I think adults could also takeaway something positive from this book too.

All in all, this is an upbeat book about society working and playing alongside each other with a focus on neighbourhood. It’s bright, colourful and engaging for children, whether in the home or classroom. It has many benefits from giving a sense of belonging, learning something, putting things into practice, endorphins from reading such an uplifting book for pleasure.
I recommend this book as it could be part of individuals and communities having a positive impact towards those around them.

4.5/5 on my Bookmarks and Stages blog

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Exploring the idea of what it means to be part of a community and how communities can live well together, this would be a great book to use as part of PSHE lessons to encourage children to think about what makes up their own communities. The bright illustrations could give ideas for children in discussion and reflect the diversity of a number of local communities.
In addition this book has a beautiful lyrical rhythm that could be easily used as part of a music lesson with older students to explore the structure of a song and composition of a simple tune.

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We are all neighbours is a beautiful book. The cover makes it stand out from others due to the bright colours. A beautiful story full of character and such detailed illustrations. A book about being there for each other in your community. I love how there is a real mix of different people, disabilities, genders and cultures. Absolutely brilliant. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this brilliant book.

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A community open their arms to their new neighbours and show them the importance of togetherness, compassion and looking out for others.

Read this book to promote discussions on:
- community
- a sense of belonging
- appreciation + compassion
- friendships
- looking out for others

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In All Are Welcome Alexandra Penfold showed us that we all have a place to belong, in We Are All Neighbours she shows us that we all have to work and live along side our neighbours so that we can all be happy in the place we belong.
With beautiful illustrations this book helps little ones understand they are not the only people who live in their community.

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I was already familiar with All are Welcome and this book is a lovely addition. Beautiful and colourful illustrations with great little things to spot (Wonder, one of my favourites) and that child with ice cream smeared over their face. (we've all been there!). The message is simple and effective and the book is totally captivating. It's going in our school library and classrooms.. Thanks to Netgalley.

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- Honest review in return for free access to the book via NetGalley -
I really liked this sweet little rhyming story that shows children the important role of being kind and welcoming to all. The story focuses on one family at the centre, but all of the characters that live in the local area recur throughout. The story shows an idealised world of what a neighbourhood can be if all are welcome, cared for and celebrated, which is just so nice to see.

Little things I noticed that made me smile were the accessible architecture and ramps as well as the sheer number of wheelchair and mobility aid users actually engaging with them. This was not another single wheelchair using child in the background of the book as is often the case.
The skintones and cultural identities of the characters are diverse and I think almost every reader will be able to find something relating to them and their family. From the rainbow flags and zebra crossing, the people in windows on prayer mats and the halal market along the highstreet.
There was even a houseless person sitting beside a shop being given some boxes by a family, which is something I have only ever seen in a children's book once or twice before.

However, there are certain things that miss the mark slightly for me. Not enough to ruin the book for a child: it does exactly what it needs and children will love the message and illustration style, but just enough for an adult reader to want more.
> The sheer number of people on each page means that the same images for each person are repeated throughout, just flipped or pivoted slightly. This is understandable and often done in illustration but is a shame in this case as it becomes far more obvious when they appear so often.
> There is a tattoo shop on the highstreet, but nobody in the illustrations has any tattoos!
> Whilst I love the diverse population of this area, one thing feels particularly missing - fat people. There a couple of adults who have some curves to their shape, but definitely not fat, which is a shame. It was the one thing that really felt missing to me.

Overall, a truly lovely little picturebook either to get children talking about their local community, being welcoming and kind, or just to enjoy!

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This is a lovely picture book about diversity. All types of families; Blended, same sex, single, foster, differently abled, various religious, cultures and ethnicities. How they all get along. All together they make up a community that help and assist one another. Enjoying each others company and work, play, sing, dance together.

The illustrations are plentiful, there is so much to see, that you can spend a while just discovering everything, making it a nice book to go over again and again with your small humans.

It is a very good way of teaching children about differences in people and how we should be all accepting of each other. As just like the book says: ‘As all the people in our neighbourhood make it home’.

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A diverse children's book .
Great message , heartwarming.
Good illustrations.
Kids will like it.

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Thank you so much NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange of my honest opinion.

I have seen this series at work for quite some time and I have always been very interested in them, so when I had the chance to read one of them, I didn't doubt.

These book teach both kids and adults that we are all the same, that we are welcome and that we all can live together in harmony.

I love the message behind this picture book and the illustrations.

I really enjoyed the read and I hope there are many more to come!

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A delightfully accessible picture book about the importance of community and acceptance. The illustrations are bright and colourful but not too busy. There is plenty of white space surrounding each image, giving each page a clear intention. Sometimes the images are bit static and flat, but this could be a creative decision. The repetition of some of the phrases reinforced the message of community, neighbours and friendship.

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