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The Story Behind ALL ARE WELCOME

The Story Behind ALL ARE WELCOME

Posted on July 9, 2018April 20, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

Please welcome my guest author today, illustrator Suzanne Kaufman, who talks about her inspiration for All Are Welcome in response to President Trump’s travel ban. She wanted to do something positive, so she offered her skills as an illustrator to create a poster and the book was born of this effort.

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold, illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman

This rhyming picture book gives children assurance that everyone is welcomed with open arms. This is a school where kids with patkas, hijabs, yarmulkes, and baseball caps play side by side. From eating food from around the world to celebrating Lunar New Year, this gentle picture book celebrates diversity in all the wonderful ways it is expressed. What is especially nice is that the poster that inspired this book is on the back of the book jacket! [picture book, ages 2 and up]

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We are giving away a copy of All Are Welcome. Please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom to enter.

————

The Story Behind ALL ARE WELCOME !

A year ago, in December after the announcement of soon-to-be President Trump’s planned travel ban, I felt deep sadness and completely helpless.  My daughters’ school Kimball Elementary is comprised predominately of immigrant families from all over the world, from many different religious backgrounds. I wanted the kids in my community and all children to know they were safe and welcome at their school the next morning. Then I remembered a quote by Nina Simone.

 You can’t help it. An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times. 

I felt instantly compelled to do something, with the one thing I could freely give, my art.  So, I stayed up all night and made a poster to welcome all the kids to the school the next morning.

All Are Welcome Here Suzanne Kaufman

This still did not feel enough, so I posted it on social media to print for classrooms.  I hoped it could help other teachers and schools support their students.  Since posting, it has been printed by educators nationwide to let their families know they are safe and welcome in their schools.

All Are Welcome Cover Reveal

My husband and I are fortunate to be raising our daughters in Beacon Hill, a multicultural neighborhood, nestled above downtown Seattle.  It is among one of the most diverse zip codes in the U.S.  Almost half of the residents are foreign-born and roughly 60 percent speak a language other than English at home. It’s not uncommon to see girls in our school wearing hijabs. It’s also not uncommon for the whole school to gather to learn a Vietnamese dance or celebrate the start of the Lunar New Year with a Lion Dance blessing. Our school’s PTA meetings have the feel of a mini-United Nations and diversity and community are not just protected, but celebrated.

Lunar New Year All Are Welcome Here Suzanne Kaufman

Around the same time, I published my art, the author, Alexandra Penfold received a letter (as did all the other NYC school parents) about how the schools would protect students right to receive an education and not turn over any immigration information. There are 25 different languages and dialects spoken in her son’s school and 80% of children speak a language other than English at home. It was a shot to the heart for her to say the least.

Kids Making Art All Are Welcome Here Suzanne Kaufman

That night before she went to sleep she saw someone had shared my poster on social media.  It was one of the last things she peeked at before going to bed.  She also felt the strong urge to put something out there that’s reassuring to these same kids and woke up in the middle of the night with an idea for a story to go with the poster.

ALL ARE WELCOME Picture Book Giveaway!

We are giving away a copy of All Are Welcome. Please fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter. We can only mail to U.S. addresses.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Suzanne Kaufman

Suzanne Kaufman lives in Seattle with her husband Jonathan and two monkeys, Eleanor and Katie, who sometimes pretend to be girls. Born in the Midwest, Suzanne grew up on healthy doses of Saturday morning cartoons and macaroni and cheese.

She has been monkeying around with children’s books, animation and cartoons since she was little (that’s her in the picture back in the 1970s!). Her style is inspired by midcentury design and 1950s-era cartoons.  Over the years, she’s done everything from animating special effects for Universal and Discovery, to animating award-winning video games. One of those games—Sly Cooper—won the Children’s Title of the Year award. She currently a senior lecturer for film and video game animation.

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The Story Behind ALL ARE WELCOME and a GIVEAWAY!

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43 thoughts on “The Story Behind ALL ARE WELCOME”

  1. Maria Gianferrari says:
    July 9, 2018 at 10:37 am

    All are welcome–that is what makes America great!!!!!!

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      July 9, 2018 at 4:12 pm

      Yaas!! Thanks Maria!

      Reply
      1. Mitra says:
        December 13, 2019 at 3:36 pm

        Where can I buy a poster of the big pic of the end of that book?

        Reply
        1. Pragmatic Mom says:
          December 16, 2019 at 9:42 am

          Hi Mitra,
          It’s actually the inside of the book jacket so it comes with a hard copy version of the book.

          Reply
          1. Mitra says:
            December 16, 2019 at 10:06 am

            Thanks for responding. I have the book and the poster inside. I’m looking for a bigger size of that poster for my classroom. Would be great for kids and their families especially when we have family events.

  2. Patricia Nozell says:
    July 9, 2018 at 3:51 pm

    Such an inspiring post! Thank you for creating the poster & illustrating the book! Can’t wait to read it!

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      July 9, 2018 at 4:11 pm

      I am grateful to Suzanne Kaufman too! Thanks Suzanne!

      Reply
  3. jen Dieleman says:
    July 9, 2018 at 4:53 pm

    Oh I have a way to many. I really love Why am I me?

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      July 10, 2018 at 1:59 pm

      Thanks so much for your great book recommendation Jen!

      Reply
  4. Jennifer Oliger says:
    July 9, 2018 at 5:47 pm

    I love Skin Again by bell hooks. It teaches children to celebrate and honor differences.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      July 10, 2018 at 2:00 pm

      That sounds like a really great picture book Jennifer! Thanks for entering!

      Reply
  5. Patricia Tilton says:
    July 9, 2018 at 8:30 pm

    What an inspiring post! I want to read this book. Love the illustrations!

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      July 10, 2018 at 2:00 pm

      Thanks Pat! I’ll introduce you to the illustrator and I’m sure she will want you to review her book!

      Reply
  6. Becky says:
    July 11, 2018 at 2:57 pm

    This book looks wonderful for the Family Conversation Kits myself and a team are developing to help families begin or continue conversations about diversity and equity. I have so many favorites, but I have really enjoyed using the Alike and Different series from Cloverleaf Books with my students and my own children. Especially My Language, Your Language because it includes a Hmong-speaking family (so rarely found in books like that).

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      July 12, 2018 at 5:33 pm

      Hi Becky,
      I’m looking for Hmong characters in books for another list of mine, so thank you for your book rec! I’ll add it, crediting you, of course!

      Reply
      1. Becky says:
        July 12, 2018 at 5:51 pm

        Are you looking for only stories? Or are informational books also fair game? I know of a few other books that include or center Hmong people. How about Hmong bilingual books?

        I also have another LGBTQ title that you can add to your list. I just connected with the author this week because I liked it so much and he mentioned wanting to get the word out. I thought of you. Let me know if you’d like me to connect with you on those and if so, the best way to reach you. 🙂

        Reply
        1. Pragmatic Mom says:
          August 30, 2018 at 2:58 pm

          Thanks so much for your suggestions Becky! I appreciate you adding them to the comments!

          Reply
  7. Stacye Trulear says:
    July 11, 2018 at 10:41 pm

    Definitely want to see this one in my collection — I know our teachers and our students will love it!

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      July 12, 2018 at 5:34 pm

      Hi Staceye,
      The message is spot on! I wish every classroom could have a copy!

      Reply
  8. Tracy Mitchell says:
    July 12, 2018 at 5:22 pm

    This book would make an awesome addition to our classroom library. My students would love this & I would enjoy sharing it with other teachers.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      July 12, 2018 at 5:35 pm

      Thanks so much for entering Tracy!

      Reply
  9. maryanne @ mama smiles says:
    July 13, 2018 at 4:41 am

    I’m miles and miles away from my bookshelves, but I thought of “The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag” right away.

    Reply
  10. Deckled Edges says:
    July 23, 2018 at 10:10 am

    What a beautiful book – in so many ways. Thanks for sharing this with the world.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      August 30, 2018 at 3:16 pm

      Hi Deckled Edges,
      Suzanne’s story was just so moving. I really appreciated her sincere efforts to make the world a little more welcoming for the sake of the children.

      Reply
  11. Amber says:
    August 2, 2018 at 11:15 pm

    I love the diversity of my schools and I can’t wait to share this book with both my coworkers and students!

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      August 30, 2018 at 3:47 pm

      Thanks for entering Amber!

      Reply
  12. connie says:
    August 3, 2018 at 7:28 am

    i am going to recommend this to all my 10 other library colleagues in my district! Can we order the poster too?

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      August 3, 2018 at 8:30 am

      Hi Connie,

      The poster is the inside of the book jacket.

      Reply
  13. Leela says:
    August 6, 2018 at 10:12 pm

    I love the bird alphabet book. So many kinds of birds.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      August 30, 2018 at 3:56 pm

      Thanks for entering Leela!

      Reply
  14. Antoinette M says:
    August 8, 2018 at 10:10 am

    My daughter and I read Last Stop On Market Street and loved it.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      August 30, 2018 at 3:57 pm

      Thanks for entering Antoinette.

      Reply
  15. Jacquelyn Cannon says:
    August 8, 2018 at 5:58 pm

    Thanks for sharing this giveaway. I would have to say my favorite books are Charlotte and the Quiet Place and How to Put Your Parents to Bed.

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      August 30, 2018 at 10:54 pm

      Thanks for your great book recommendations Jacquelyn. I’ll be on the lookout for them!

      Reply
  16. Suzanne says:
    January 16, 2019 at 10:43 pm

    Love seeing so much diversity!!! Can you list the different ethnicities and religions that are represented in the illustrations? Ty!

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      January 22, 2019 at 11:57 am

      Hi Suzanne,
      I hope that illustrator Suzanne Kaufman will see your comment and respond. I will email her to let her know your request.

      Reply
  17. Olga Hayward-Ryer says:
    July 27, 2019 at 3:32 pm

    As the mother and Godmother of multicultural children and as the teacher of children who have been made to feel unwelcome by the current public policies, I applaud this gentle and kind book. I wish it had been published when mine were younger and facing the foolishness of narrow minded parents,teachers and schoolmates. While the targeted group is the early years, this book like The Giving Tree will be appreciated by older children even Middle and High School students as it a great starting point for discussing diversity. Kudos!

    Reply
  18. Jan Niemeyer says:
    August 24, 2019 at 9:41 pm

    Hi,
    I recently acquired the book, “All Are Welcome”. I teach kindergarten in a multi-cultural neighborhood. A school home language survey from one year ago lists 28 different languages represented in our school! I plan on reading the book during the first week of school. I am interested in the languages printed on the speaking bubbles at the end of the book. Is it possible for you to send me what language each student is speaking when they say “WELCOME”?
    Sincerely,
    Jan Niemeyer

    Reply
  19. Maria Navas says:
    August 31, 2019 at 12:54 pm

    A great way to start a new school year! I read “All Are Welcome” to grades K-5 in the library this first week of school. Though most were born in the USA, students were eager to share what country their families originated from. Thank you Alexandra and Suzanne for sharing your talents in such a meaning way.
    Navas / School Librarian

    Reply
    1. Maria Navas says:
      August 31, 2019 at 12:57 pm

      Oh, please correct in my last sentence meaning to meaningful. I don’t alway catch the auto correct or auto fills by computers. Many thanks.

      Reply
  20. Joanna Doyle says:
    March 17, 2020 at 6:09 pm

    Hello,
    Thank you for sharing this story. I am crazy about the book! Are there any plans to translate into Spanish? Thank you very much!

    Reply
    1. Pragmatic Mom says:
      March 18, 2020 at 7:07 pm

      Hi Joanna,
      Not that I know of.

      Reply
  21. Brenda says:
    August 23, 2023 at 1:22 pm

    I came across this book, etc. while searching for ways to implement multiculture in the classroom. I am looking forward to starting the school year by sharing this book not only with my students but my co-workers as well. THANK YOU!

    Reply

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