One of the tests of a book for me is: Do I see myself giving this book to someone I love and admire? And if so, will their child also love it and benefit from it? You Belong Here, a picture book in verse written by M. H. Clark and illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault easily passes that test and so it's one of my go-to books to give to expecting parents and grandparents or any person who is just so excited to give a child that sense of belonging. This is the bedtime book that I read to both of my children when they were infants, so it holds a special place in our family. You Belong Here is both a beautiful celebration of belonging to a particular person or family or home and also about having a place in humanity and belonging to the world. There is a deliberate vagueness in both the image and the text that allows for imagination, which also makes You Belong Here more universal and inclusive of all families, whatever form they might take. Additionally, this book is a good choice to read to your infants because it taps into what appeals to their developing minds and hearts. Every time I read this book (which has been a lot in the past four years!), I marvel at its ingenuity and its general loveliness. I hope you and your children love it, too!

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Exquisitely Ever After is a podcast about reading children's literature to cultivate kind, intelligent, and successful kids. Host Christina Phillips-Mattson is a writer, educator, and mother of two little boys who received her Ph.D. in children's and young adult literature from Harvard University.