Books for Kids: All Together Now

Celebrate this summer with books featuring team work, friendship, loving your community and more!

Updated June 15, 2023
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This is a school
Schu, John
Paper Book
A moving celebration of school and all it may signify: work and play, creativity and trust, and a supportive community that extends beyond walls A school isn't just a building; it is all the people who work and learn together. It is a place for discovery and asking questions. A...
Big tune : rise of the dancehall prince
Agostini, Alliah L.
Paper Book
An exuberant picture book written by Alliah L. Agostini and illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice is about a Black boy with big dancing dreams who learns the meaning of courage and community. It's the weekend, first in June; speaker's blasting out big tune!
Starla Jean cracks the case
Arnold, Elana K.
Paper Book
Starla Jean and her pet chicken, Opal Egg, return in this side-splitting third chapter book, just in time to solve a puzzling mystery that takes them on a chase through the neighborhood! Have you ever walked a chicken on a leash? Well, chicken expert Starla Jean...
The big umbrella
Bates, Amy June
Paper Book
"A subtle, deceptively simple book about inclusion, hospitality, and welcoming the 'other.'" --Kirkus Reviews "A boundlessly inclusive spirit...This open-ended picture book creates a natural springboard for discussion." --Booklist "This sweet extended...
Wishtree
Applegate, Katherine
Paper Book
From #1 New York Times-bestelling author of Odder and The One and Only Ivan, Wishtree is the beautiful, nuanced story of an oak tree and a crow who help their neighbors embrace their differences. Trees can't tell jokes, but they can certainly tell...
Jabari tries
Cornwall, Gaia
Paper Book
Jabari is inventing a machine that will fly all the way across the yard! But making it go from CRASH to WHOOSH will take grit, patience, and maybe even a little help from his sister. Jabari is making a flying machine in his backyard! "It'll be easy. I don't need any...
Turtles of the midnight moon
Fitzgerald, Maraia Josae
Paper Book
When poachers threaten the island they love, two girls team up to save the turtles-and each other. An eco-mystery with an unforgettable friendship story at its heart from a fresh new voice in middle grade. Twelve-year-old Barana lives in a coastal village in...
The coqui?es still sing
González, Karina Nicole
Paper Book
Pura Belpré Honor Book for Children's Text Pura Belpré Honor Book for Children's Illustration Chicago Public Library Best Picture Books of 2022 Bank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee's Best Children's Books of the Year 2023 New...
Mi ciudad sings
Harmony, Cynthia
Paper Book
After experiencing a devastating earthquake, the spirit of a charming and vibrant Mexican neighborhood might be shaken, but it cannot be broken. As a little girl and her dog embark on their daily walk through the city, they skip and spin to the familiar sounds ofrevving cars,...
The garden
Hooks, Gwendolyn
Paper Book
In this new book in the popular Confetti Kids series, Lily and her friends volunteer to help at the public garden, where they learn that plants need water, sun, and--just like them--time to grow. Five friends from diverse backgrounds learn how to navigate common childhood challenges...
A day for sandcastles
Lawson, JonArno
Paper Book
A dazzling wordless picture book celebrates creative problem-solving, teamwork, and the sun-splashed wonder of a day at the beach. The creators of the acclaimed Over the Shop evoke a perfect summer beach day--and themes of creativity, cooperation, flexibility, and...
Strictly no elephants
Mantchev, Lisa
Paper Book
"A sunny, smart, tongue-in-cheek tale." --The New York Times Book Review "Sweet and affirming." --Kirkus Reviews "With a gentle message of inclusion and helping others, this title reaches beyond a mere friendship story."--School Library Journal ...
Twisty-turny house
Mantchev, Lisa
Paper Book
Cats and dogs will never get along, right? WRONG. Author of Strictly No Elephants Lisa Mantchev and bestselling illustrator EG Keller explore an unexpected friendship in this funny and sweet picture book. The upstairs cats and downstairs dogs in a tall, twisty-turny house...
Tía Fortuna's new home
Behar, Ruth
Audiobook
Somewhere in the bayou
Pumphrey, Jarrett
Paper Book
When four swamp creatures looking to cross a river come upon a log that would allow for precisely that, they can't believe their luck. But a questionable tail adjacent to that log gives them second thoughts. Opossum believes it's a sneaky tail and that they must pass it quietly. Squirrel thinks it's...
All are neighbors
Penfold, Alexandra
Paper Book
When a new family moves in, the whole neighborhood comes together to celebrate their diverse community in this uplifting new book from the bestselling creators of All Are Welcome! Let's go walking down our street. Friends and neighbors here to greet.
Gets in the game
Reed, Dwayne
Paper Book
The humorous and heartwarming third book in the Simon B. Rhymin' series, by America's favorite rapping teacher from Chicago, will have readers bopping along to the beat as Simon joins the community basketball team. When eleven-year-old Simon Barnes joins the...
We're all in the same boat!
Saltzberg, Barney
Paper Book
We're all in the same boat, both literally and metaphorically, in this playful look at how we can work together for the common good. The animals in this boat discover that working together gets them much further and is more fun than trying to go their separate ways. Barney Saltzberg (Enough Is...
Splashdance
Starin, Liz
Paper Book
Picture Book Winner of the 2016 Social Justice Literature Award Ursula, a bear, and Ricardo, a human, are preparing for the water ballet competition, where the prize is a million dollars! But a new regulation at the community pool--no bears--leaves Ursula cut from the...
Jump in!
Strickland, Shadra
Paper Book
This bright, joyful picture book celebrates a community at play! It's a sunny spring day, and the tic tac tic tac sound of jump ropes hitting the ground floats through the wind. "Jump in!" Everyone lines up for a turn. The Delancy twins, double...
Big truck, little island
Van Dusen, Chris
Paper Book
That big truck is stuck! How will the island residents get where they're going? A tale of community and ingenuity from the celebrated Chris Van Dusen, inspired by a true story. When a big truck and its big load get stuck on a narrow road, traffic on the little island comes to a...
I can't feel my feet
Watson, Tom
Paper Book
From the author of Stick Dog comes the fourth book in a highly illustrated early chapter book series about three best friends whose plans, missions, and schemes are sure to shake up their school. The weather outside is frightful! The temperature is dropping fast,...
The labors of Hercules Beal
Schmidt, Gary D.
Paper Book
From award-winning author Gary D. Schmidt, a warm and witty novel in the tradition of The Wednesday Wars, in which a seventh grader has to figure out how to fulfill a seemingly impossible school assignment--and learns about friendship, community, and himself along the way....
The power of one : every act of kindness counts
Ludwig, Trudy
Paper Book
One small act of kindness can change the world. From esteemed bullying expert and author of The Invisible Boy, Trudy Ludwig and Little Elliot illustrator Mike Curato comes a tale as simple--and simply inspiring--as the golden rule. When one child reaches out in...
All of us
Berger, Carin
Paper Book
Acclaimed and award-winning picture book creator Carin Berger shares a moving story of community, empathy, and the power of love. With a universal message and stunning paper collage art, this striking book is just right for fans of Matt de la Peña's Love and Emily Winfield...

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