Everyone Belongs by Heather Avis. Illustrated by Sarah Mensinga

Sisters Macy and Tru are unalike, but “they know that Different is a great thing to be!” Filled with anticipation and the desire “to glitter and glow,” the sisters decide to host a fabulous show in which everyone will be given a chance to shine and a place to belong. On a stage in a park, Macy and Tru invite inquisitive kids to participate.  

However, some children wonder if the girls’ show has a place for them. A boy named Lamar uses an electric notepad to communicate and writes, “Singing is not something I do, you see. I use this device—is there still room for me?” A girl named Nova wears fancy sunglasses and uses a white cane and wonders what’s going on. When she says she can’t see the stage and needs help, the sisters assert, “‘Of course! Take our hands,’ the sisters announced. ‘You still have a role: you can sing, twirl, or bounce.’” As other children come forward, each is welcomed and given a place to belong in the show. Finally, Shepp, a boy in a power wheelchair, arrives on the scene, and Tru and Macy realize that “the space is the problem, not how he gets around.” Quickly, they move their props, costumes, and other decorations off the stage, “creating a new stage where all could perform.” 

Author Heather Avis is the cohost of the Lucky Few podcast and the founder and chief visionary officer of The Lucky Few, “a social awareness brand that focuses on shifting the Down syndrome narrative.” In this delightful, energetic celebration of a community that makes space for everyone, Avis features her real-life children Tru and Macy, who has Down Syndrome. Illustrator Sarah Mensinga’s dynamic, vivacious pictures capture the delight and life-affirming goodness of one of the book’s themes: “Exactly who you are is exactly who we pick. We know everyone is Different, no two are the same.” (WaterBrook)