by Michael Redhead Champagne
illustrated by Tiff Bartel
Highwater Press, 2024
ISBN 978-1-77492-011-4 (hc)
$21.95, 40 pp, ages 5 – 8
highwaterpress.com
We Need Everyone is Michael Redhead Champagne’s first picture book. Both the text and the illustrations celebrate the diversity of ages, cultures, abilities, and perspectives of the children that populate the pages. Each is invited to identify and then explore ways that their gifts can help them to achieve goals and make contributions to their communities: “Gifts! Everyone has a gift. Gifts are skills and talents that we share with others. Every gift is different and every gift is special.”
Classroom Connections: We Need Everyone would make a good read-aloud book in primary classrooms. Essentially a call to action, the book provides multiple opportunities for discussions and student participation in classroom projects and activities that support the theme of celebrating personal strengths. For example, students could brainstorm a list of their own gifts or gifts of people they know (having a sense of humour, being a good friend, being an artist, athlete, gamer, etc.). Reading Comprehension strategies that could be practised with this book include making connections, asking questions, and transforming.
Review by Brenda Boreham.
This review is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Winter 2025 issue.