WOW Review: Volume XVI, Issue 1 • Page 11 of 11 • Worlds of Words

The World Belonged to Us
Written by Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated by Leo Espinosa
Nancy Paulsen Books, 2022, 32 pp (unpaged)
ISBN: 978-0399545498

As summer approaches, children in Brooklyn, New York have plans for the best summer yet. With parents not around, they must tap into their creative headspace in order to entertain themselves and the neighborhood during the long summer months. Jacqueline Woodson shares a story about how adventures begin the moment schools let out for the summer as children are now “free as air.” What will a group of children come up with to fill the daylight hours? Throughout this joy-filled summer, Woodson highlights the beauty of imagination, creativity and being out in the neighborhood with friends.

This story captures the beauty of getting outdoors, creating new activities, and interacting with a diverse group of children. On each page throughout the story, characters come from many different backgrounds, but each is drawn in a positive light. The front cover gives a glimpse into the diversity that can be found in Brooklyn. Smiles are on every child’s face conveying the curiosity and joy going through these young children’s minds as they make the most of their summer vacation. The illustrations were done by Leo Espinosa. On each double-page spread, he utilizes a detailed drawing technique with a page filled with color. The text overlaps the illustrations which allows readers to see the full image from end to end on each page. Espinosa is able to bring Woodson’s message to life through the bold color choices on each page. Woodson is aiming to portray a story of joy, excitement, and creativity, and by using the colors that pop on the pages, the reader is able to experience the author’s goal.

This book challenges the notion that children are only up to no good without parental guidance in the summertime. Instead of depicting children getting into trouble and showing little discernment, this book illustrates how children can let their imaginations run wild as they come up with creative ways to find entertainment in the summer months. This book also challenges the idea that within city streets, crime runs rampant and poverty is all that can be seen. This book shows the richness of human interaction between children living in Brooklyn, and that there is more to be found in the city streets of New York than what many outsiders initially see. Beyond this notion, the idea of a strong sense of community among diverse people is prevalent. Woodson writes, “So we called out to each other in Spanish, in English, in Polish, in German, in Chinese and we ruled the block in all of our languages.” The status quo in society has been to interact with like-minded peers, but this story shows the beauty of coming together within diversity. The power of play and imagination comes through as all of the children experience the joy of summertime without having to speak the same languages.

Books that pair well with The World Belonged to Us include titles that inspire creativity such as Idea Jar by Adam Lehrhaupt and Deb Pilutti (2018). Other connections include titles that inspire the imagination and outdoor play, such as The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do by Ashley Spires (2017) or It Began with Lemonade by Gideon Sterer and Lian Cho (2012), a title that can inspire summer adventures and independence.

Jacqueline Woodson, a U.S. award-winning author, grew up loving to write. She always loved to create fiction stories with realistic perspectives. As she grew older, she fell in love with writing about experiences and using those experiences to empower others. She has been a key author in inspiring diversity in children’s literature. Her essay about the struggles of being a Black writer in a majority white field raised the issues of the importance of representation within children’s literature. The World Belonged to Us is based on events from Woodson’s life growing up in Brooklyn, New York. She used her childhood experiences to inspire children to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and to enjoy childhood. The World Belonged to Us is an authentic story from the eyes of someone who grew up in Brooklyn. Woodson’s unique perspective allows the reader to understand what life in Brooklyn may have been like in the past. Woodson continues to write books for young children up to young adult novels, each with a moving theme and story line to promote representation and diversity. She is the recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, The Astrid Lindgren Award, and the Margaret A. Edwards Award, all awarded for an influential body of work. More information can be found on her website.

Leo Espinosa is an award-winning illustrator from Bogota, Columbia, currently residing in Salt Lake City, Utah. Espinosa spends his time drawing and creating new characters for publications. Something that he is passionate about is giving children the opportunity to see themselves in the books that they read. With his passion for diverse representation, he teams up perfectly with Woodson to create a powerful read for children.

Allison Chally, Trinity International University

Authors retain copyright over the vignettes published in this journal and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under the following Creative Commons License: