Butterfield, Moira. Welcome to Our Playground: A Celebration of Games Children Can Play Everywhere. Harriet Lynas, Illus. Welcome to Our. Nosy Crow, 09/2025. 64pp. Nonfiction. Trade $22.99. 979-8-88777-157-1. GRADES Kindergarten–5. ADDITIONAL.
Toys, games, and children’s activities from around the world are celebrated in this book that validates the importance of play in a child’s life. In some cases, the book describes how to play a game by spelling out the rules; in other cases, it only introduces the game or activity by describing it using a brief paragraph. Other books with fuller descriptions of game and sports rules will be needed to actually play most of the games. Puppets, singing and clapping games, counting and throwing, imaginative play, and many other activities are included. There are several spreads that offer vocabulary, like a list of the word for “goal” in fifteen languages. The full-color cartoonish artwork depicts the ethnically diverse children in the style of the characters from Disneyland’s “It’s a Small World” dressed in traditional costumes or contemporary clothing.
Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool