The Everybody Club

by Nancy Loewen, Linda Hayen, Yana Zybina (Illustrator)

Overview

The Everybody Club is a feel-good rhyming read-aloud to share with younger children.

It's a book with plenty of heart and a powerful message: We belong. Every one of us.

Join in the fun and see what The Everybody Club is up to in this catchy, joyful romp!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781736528716
Publisher:	Nancy Loewen and Linda Hayen
Publication date:	03/01/2021
Pages:	28
Sales rank:	610,146
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.07(d)
Age Range:	2 - 7 Years

About the Author

Nancy Loewen grew up on a farm in southwestern Minnesota, surrounded by library books and cats. She's published more than 140 books for children. Four to the Pole (co-authored with polar explorer Ann Bancroft) and The LAST Day of Kindergarten were Minnesota Book Award finalists. Her Writer's Toolbox series received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers. Nancy lives in Saint Paul and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University. She has two young adult children and a cat who sometimes bites her knees under the table as she writes.

Linda Hayen loves stories and plays and connecting with people. She has an MS in Community Health Education from the University of Illinois and worked with seniors in the healthcare field for many years. Her other passion is community theater, and you may see her onstage or behind the scenes at various locations around the Twin Cities. She has led and participated in numerous support groups and believes strongly in including everyone, always. Her two living children, Phillip and Todd, are proud members of The Everybody Club. This is her first experience in collaborating on a children's book and it has been wonderful in every way.

Yana Zybina is an illustrator from southwestern Russia. She has always loved to draw. Originally a designer, she was inspired to become an illustrator when her son was born and she found herself painting pictures of him in all his daily activities. Yana creates her pictures traditionally, using paper and watercolors; her titles include Mommy Goes to Yoga and The Quarantine Kid. She hopes that her illustrations will help kids understand the world around them-and make them smile.

Editorial Reviews

★ 2022-07-01
A youngster founds a club that aims to include everyone in Loewen and Hayen’s picture book.

An unnamed girl invites some friends (and the reader) to join her Everybody Club. She gives them all a simple badge and encourages them to invite others. “Tell them all: / You’re a member. / It’s official. / The Everybody Club is beneficial!” There are images of a boy using a motorized wheelchair, several girls wearing headscarves, and another boy wearing a kufi cap. Multiple same-sex couples are shown, some with their kids. (The narrator is depicted as White, and other characters have a variety of skin tones.) The group gathers to build a float, which they enter in a parade. Finally, everyone in town joins the procession in a spread showcasing Zybina’s soft, warm, and appealing pastel illustrations. The story, based on a real club started by Hayen’s late daughter, presents rhymes that are simple, engaging, and fun—“A parade of everybodies! / A jolly jamboree! / The Everybody Club / turns THEY to WE”—and the overall message of how great it feels to be inclusive is sweet without ever feeling cloying.

A well-illustrated work with a wonderful moral about finding joy in accepting others.

Kirkus Reviews