Space for Everyone

Wedlick (The Night Market) and Sucre (Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush) spotlight a welcoming family table in this bighearted tale. A family of five begins the day with breakfast at a large rectangular table. When neighbors stop by, the addition of more chairs creates a surface that’s “stretched as far as it will go.” After school, the object holds space for young Zainab and her mother to bond over mint tea, then becomes a place for four when it’s time for homework and crafts. Later, relatives arrive, and as the house fills, “their table for four is a table for more.” When it’s time for Zainab’s family to move, everyone gathers for a going-away party, during which “even more family and friends squeeze, squeeze, squeeze all around the family table” and beyond. And despite worries about the transition, family and old friends are soon joined by welcoming neighbors at the new house, and Zainab expresses gratitude: “Thank you, table, for always having space for everyone.” Warm, cheerful artwork and stylized characters portrayed with brown skin populate cozy family scenes, while gentle prose makes room for everyone, no matter the group’s size. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Alice Fugate, Joy Harris Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Helen Boyle, Pickled Ink. (Jan.)