Fostering Belonging

6/1/2026

Belonging is how we engage and feel a sense of connectedness in various contexts and communities in our lives, including families, schools, neighborhoods, and the world. In this curated collection of children’s books, we center stories of family and friendship as anchors for children to come to understand themselves in relation to others. Belonging, and how it is portrayed in these books, highlights the concept as both about being cared for and seen, and elevating a shared responsibility to care and support others.

These books reflect a wide range of lived experiences, spanning multigenerational families, cultural and linguistic identities, chosen communities, and shared experiences of compassion and care, while offering young people texts where they can see themselves and the lives of others. The texts on this list highlight belonging not as a state but as something we build through relationships and shared experiences.

We selected titles that invite connection, affirm diverse identities, and open space for conversations in homes, classrooms, and libraries. We include a few texts with animal or non-human character protagonists; however, our list is primarily focused on human stories that purposefully open the door to exploring feelings and connections. Each story provides an entry point into what it means to belong through food, language, place, friendship, and love while also encouraging children to consider how they can contribute to communities where everyone is valued. As a collection, these books support not only literacy development but also the social and emotional learning that helps children grow into empathetic members in their various communities.

Apapacho Love: Hugs from the Heart. Cynthia Harmony. Illus. Erika Meza. (2026). Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

The story and back matter invite conversations about care, belonging, cultural traditions, and the many ways love is communicated within families. The back matter, especially, does a beautiful job framing Apapacho as a specific kind of love and care originating in Nahuatl and illuminates belonging as something intentional, shared, and healing. The back matter is recommended to be read first with young readers before engaging in the text. Belonging in Apapacho Love: Hugs from the Heart is expressed through affection, family traditions, and the moments of care that shape children’s understanding of love and connection. Centered on the meaning of the word apapacho, the story follows a young girl whose mother is away for a short time, amplifying the motherly love, and also showing how the child is surrounded by hugs, music, cooking, storytelling, and time shared across generations and with peers at school. The illustrations and language create a sense of closeness while highlighting how culture and family practices help children feel connected to others and to their heritage.

The Blue House I Loved. Kao Kalia Yang. Illus. Jen Shin. (2026). University of Minnesota Press.

Presenting memory of place, connection, and home through story, The Blue House I Loved, reflects on a Hmong refugee family’s home in the United States. Written as a memoir, the story captures the challenges and tenderness of building a life together in a small, crowded house that holds their experiences, their love, and their shared memories. Yang writes, “Memories we carry of that place where we had been poor together, in love with each other, learning about life in a new country, unaware that a house could disappear.” The narrative honors the emotional significance of home, showing how belonging can grow even within uncertainty and transition. Shin’s illustrations deepen the story’s sense of longing and attachment to place, and Yang’s writing highlights how families carry memories of home across time and movement. The story closes with memories held even when the house has been torn down. She elaborates, “I feel our ghosts in that house, inviting us toward the past, to ourselves and each other, again.” Belonging and interconnection are held through memory. Although the blue house is gone, it remains present through story, memory, and family connection, offering readers a thoughtful exploration of immigrant families’ experiences, resilience, and the enduring meanings of home.

Cameron’s Garden of Hope. Aamina Muhammad Vela. Illus. Reyhana Ismail. (2026). Planting People Growing Justice Press.

Cameron’s Garden of Hope explores belonging through relationships among family, community, food, and the land itself. Centered on a child helping care for a garden, the story highlights how growing and sharing food can become acts of connection, reciprocity, and hope. The garden functions not only as a physical space, but also as a gathering place where knowledge, care, and responsibility are shared across generations and among neighbors. Through rich illustrations and an emphasis on nurturing living things, the book invites readers to consider how belonging can develop through contributing to a community and caring for the places that sustain us. Themes of stewardship, generosity, and collective care make this text a meaningful addition to conversations about family, resilience, and interconnectedness.

Fly Away Home. Betty Quan. Illus. Akin Duzakin. (2026). Groundwood Books.

The migration journey of a small bird in Fly Away Home symbolizes the migration experiences that many individuals, families, and communities often experience around the world. Through the utilization of the natural environment, including caribou and sea creatures, the primary story centers on the migration of a little bird, while the background story, told only through images, depicts the migration of humans leaving their homes, sometimes by force while facing harsh conditions. Young readers will enjoy the repetitious, rhyming language and sprinkling of interesting words, such as: “Little bird, little bird / Fly away home / The flamboyance of flamingoes / Will still waltz on.” However, many younger readers may need both linguistic and emotional support in making the connections between the journey of the bird and the journey of humanity, as the language switches between lively, light phrasing to heavier, fearful phrasing: “Little bird, little bird / Fly, steadfast / When your family seeks shelter / A mob of crows attacks / Flee / Dive / Hide / Survive.” The story of the bird and people opens opportunities for conversations that consider our connection to the planet and our need for the safety of our communities, through our shared experiences of change.

Grandma Cho Cho and Me. Morgan Christie. Illus. Paulica Santos. (2026). Groundwood Books.

Grandma, Cho Cho, and Me centers on intergenerational family relationships through the shared experience of preparing a traditional Jamaican breakfast together. As a young girl cooks alongside her grandmother, the story highlights how belonging is nurtured through rituals, storytelling, food, and care. The text weaves together themes of migration, cultural memory, and identity as family traditions from Jamaica are carried into a new home and passed across generations. Sensory language and expressive illustrations emphasize the joy and relational connection of cooking together while also honoring the knowledge, histories, and practices elders share with children. The book portrays belonging as something sustained through relationships, memory, and shared experiences. This narrative invites a focus on belonging around family traditions, migration, intergenerational learning, and the ways food and storytelling connect children to culture, community, and one another.

Here Come the Aunties! Cynthia Leitich Smith. Illus. Aphelandra. (2026). Heartdrum.

As the author notes, “Aunties bless us with their strength, teachings, gifts, comfort, and joy. They bolster us in times of need and change, of grief and celebration.” Here Come the Aunties! highlights the many ways children are supported by aunties, both relatives and friends of the family or community members. Through rhythmic, joyful language and bright illustrations, the book honors aunties by kinship as well as chosen aunties, neighbors, cousins, and family friends who show up for children in everyday experiences and life-changing moments. Gardening, cooking, storytelling, dancing, comforting, and celebrating all become expressions of connection and love. The text also offers an important view of belonging grounded in Indigenous community relationships, particularly through its Muscogee-centered framing of extended family and collective support. The author’s note further expands on these ideas, explaining the cultural significance of aunties within Native communities and the many roles they play across generations. Warm and celebratory, this book invites readers to think about belonging as something built through networks of love, responsibility, joy, and shared presence within families and communities.

Jayden Noticed. Carolyn Crimi. Illus. Shamar Knight-Justice. (2026). Candlewick Press.

Jayden is a noticer, someone who is in tune with nature and his feelings. The family is moving to a new place, and Jayden is not happy about it, especially worried he will “never make a friend in this short-tree place.” He finds comfort in the chaos and uncertainty by organizing his rock collection, such as his homework rock and fort-building rock and his wishing rock and thinking rock. He also has a courage rock that gives him strength in times of change. Through beautiful facial illustrations that capture the range of emotions Jayden feels, readers are able to easily empathize with his quest to find a new friend. With patience and the inspiration sparked by a newfound “small brown rock with a river of sparkle running down its middle,” Jayden begins to notice the interesting, unique things in his new neighborhood. His shift in attitude enables him to notice another young boy and find the courage to speak: “Hi, I’m Jayden. I like rocks / I’m Alex, and I like bugs.” The story reminds readers that a sense of belonging and the best soul-friends are often made through shared passions.

My Language is a Garden. E.G. Alaraj. Illus. Rachel Wada. (2026). Orca Book Publishers.

My Language Is a Garden, written as a poem, invites readers into a sense of belonging through language. A young girl with her father reflects on the sounds, textures, and meanings carried within language through vivid metaphors. Through sensory descriptions comparing language to gardens, forests, roots, and oceans, the text positions language as something living and connected to memory, ancestry, land, and care. As the father narrates, “My language came from somewhere. Its branches grew and grew. And now, my dearest child, I’m giving it to you.” The illustrations move between family connection and natural landscapes, reinforcing the idea that language shapes how children experience the world and understand themselves within it. While the focus is on language passed from one generation to the next, the text also elevates language as a broader human connection: “It orbits other planets, revolves around the sun, explores the farthest reaches, connecting everyone.” The book celebrates linguistic plurality as a source of beauty and connection across generations and opens space for conversations about heritage languages, intergenerational relationships, and the ways language can help young people feel seen, rooted, and connected to others. Further, the author’s note provides a personal connection to her husband sharing Arabic with their children and offers, “I hope this story teaches children of all backgrounds to treasure their languages like gifts, but I also hope it encourages parents to motivate their children with positivity and patience.”

Others: A Story for All of Us. Kobi Yamada. Illus. Charles Santoso. (2026). Ten Speed Press.

Two friends meet up and begin asking lots of questions that stir their wild imaginings about “Them. The other people” who hang out on the other side of the hedge in the neighborhood. Through the use of minimal vocabulary and subtle humor, the story takes the reader on a journey of examining more complex concepts such as our differences, our fear of the unknown, and how it feels to be “...the others. The ones from over there….not from here.” Using a muted color palette and employing lots of white space, the story prods readers to reflect on all kinds of assumptions we make about people who are different from us and how those assumptions can fray a sense of belonging and community. When one of the boys crosses over to the other side to see “the others” for himself, the conversation shifts to focusing on experiences that are similar to his own. Many of the scenes depicted throughout the book are fun and effervescent, such as children playing outside and laughing together, but some of the scenes highlight sadness and fear, such as the scene of a family crying together while saying goodbye to their dog that died, and a curled up child shivering in the bed because of their fear of the dark. These powerful images weave a rich tapestry of emotions that invite children to ponder our shared humanity and the actions we can take to build a safe, welcoming community for others.

The Sweater: A Story of Community. Larissa Theule. Illus. Teagan White. (2026). Viking.

“She’d gone only a few paces when a little bird stumbled into the thicket. It was plain to see he’d been through some things.” This opening line begins the story of noticing and caring for one another in ways that make a meaningful difference. Using sparse yet moving language, the story weaves together themes of interconnectedness and small actions we can take to foster belonging. The thoughtful interplay of story and images captures collective experiences the neighbors share, as well as their moments of solitude, elevating the idea that, even while alone, we are still in community together. Each animal in the forest shares what they can to welcome and comfort their new neighbor and help him “shore up his home against the wind, which was blowing harder every minute.” The story opens the door for children to explore not only what it means to be cared for but also what it means to actively demonstrate caring actions toward others. The color palette consists of warm brown and beige hues that evoke the warmth of being wrapped in a blanket, while various shades of blue are woven across each page, urging us to look upward with hopefulness. Readers never learn what “the things” were that the little bird experienced. Instead, they focus on the unique gifts each of them has to offer to help him heal and know that he belongs.

This Hair Belongs. JaNay Brown-Wood. Illus. Erin K. Robinson. (2026). Astra Young Readers.

This Hair Belongs, written in verse, shares history and narrative structures to honor Black hair as an expression of culture, ancestry, selfhood, and pride. Bold, artistic illustrations and rhythmic language position hair as part of family, history and ancestral roots, creativity, and community. The narrative celebrates curls, coils, braids, and protective styles while also acknowledging the history of discrimination and regulation surrounding Black hair. The back matter expands the reading experience through accessible discussions of Black hair traditions, historical injustice, representation in media and literature, and even the science of hair itself. These sections invite children and adults to move from a surface-level appreciation toward a thoughtful understanding of how identity and belonging are shaped socially, culturally, and historically. By pairing celebration with context, the book creates space for focus on dignity, representation, and the importance of seeing diverse identities reflected with care and affirmation.

Under One Roof. Miranda Paul & Baptiste Paul. Illus. Christopher Silas Neal. (2026). Clarion Books.

Across neighborhoods, contexts, and homes, Under One Roof explores the shared experiences that connect families at the end of the day. Moving through bedtime routines under the same night sky, the text highlights the uniqueness and familiarity of family life as children are rocked, read to, tucked in, and comforted before sleep. The pacing and peaceful illustrations create a sense of calm while also emphasizing a larger idea: that, across distance, people remain linked through a daily cadence and nightly routines under the same night sky. The book’s brevity can create opportunities for readers to notice details and relationships across the spreads, making it meaningful for shared reading and conversation. The author and illustrator's notes expand the text in powerful ways, connecting the story to experiences of hurricanes, migration, moving homes, separation from loved ones, and the search for safety and refuge. These personal reflections anchor the book’s themes of home and belonging, showing how connection can persist across movement, uncertainty, and changing places.

Where They Gather. Teresa Rodrigues. Illus. Jamiel Law. (2026). Simon & Schuster.

With a rhythmic cadence and lyrical language, the poem Where We Gather tells a generational story about a Black family’s love for one another and love of the land. The illustrations employ a saturated array of earth tones across each page, further uplifting the themes of being home, grounded in the land, and being part of a loving community. The story lends itself to being read aloud as a way of feeling the words and the patterns, while the illustrations invite readers to notice many unwritten details such as a family wedding, a community picnic, and working together on the land: “Summer’s sizzle fades to fall / and golden shades roll in / Autumn’s harvest drops to earth / where fun and work begin.” One way the themes of belonging and community are threaded throughout the book is through the recurring images of hands, such as planting a garden, hugging children, creating signs for a protest march, and holding the hands of loved ones. The author’s note at the end of the book, as well as actual photographs of her grandmother’s house, helps readers understand the context of the story and the deep meaning of the pecan tree that is subtly referenced throughout the book: “The tree witnessed it all, and more….Through times of joy and sorrow, the tree stood at the heart of our family gatherings.” The poem provides a road map for readers to name the people, places, moments, and symbols that foster loving connections with others in their lives.

Lori Elliott, Ph.D., is an associate teaching professor in the Responsive Literacy Education program at The University of Colorado Denver, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in children’s literature.

Erica Holyoke, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in Responsive Literacy Education at The University of Colorado Denver. Her research focuses on justice, equity, and belonging in literacy teaching and teacher preparation.

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