Review – The Circles All Around Us

The Circles All Around Us by Brad Montague, Kristi Montague (illustrator)
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers on 2021
Genres: Picture Book
Format: Hardcover
Source: Personal book collection

“Draw a circle. Build your world.”

The Circles All Around Us by Brad Montague and Kristi Montague (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2021) is a lovely picture book about widening our circles of connection. Starting from a circle only big enough for one, the story encourages young children to add ever bigger circles that encompass their family, friends, and the wider community.

The dedication is “For all the kids making the world better right where they are” and I think that is one of the things I like most about this book – that the starting point is a circle that holds just one person; that we start from a point of safety and identity and individual worth. We can then add larger concentric circles that include first our immediate family, then extended family, then friends, but we always do so from a position of individual security and completeness. Our security and identity make it possible for us to reach out to bring others into our circles of care.

The illustrations are simple and appealing, including characters that represent a variety of ethnicities, abilities and appearances, with emphasis on the common ways children connect with others – family, school, playgrounds, interests.

One of my favourite representations of managing grief is the Circle of Grief concept and I think circles work well here as well to create a relatable visual representation of an emotional concept. The Circles All Around Us offers an approachable and sensitive way to start conversations with young children about kindness, friendship, love, and connection.