l to r: Delano Brown and Briana Mukodiri Uchendu

There is a unique language to every neighbourhood and My Neighborhood, written by Delano Brown and illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, perfectly captures the nature of one community. An unnamed boy is picked up from the school bus stop by his big brother, Trevor, who takes him around their neighbourhood. The boy follows Trevor during his afternoon routine, but worries whether they really can have adventures before dinnertime.

As the brothers stroll, the boy shows us his community from the perspective of the people who live there; some people might expect no more than “flashing lights seen on the six o’clock news,” the boy tells us. Their stops include the barbershop, the basketball court, chess in the park, and even a dance circle. Everywhere they go, the boy takes it all in, not just as an observer but sometimes as a participant, exploring his own loves, for example, by joining in on a winning soccer game.

Illustration: Briana Mukodiri Uchendu.

The metaphor Brown employs throughout the book is of the neighbourhood as a kind of classroom that provides “life lessons and street wisdoms.” The boy learns from unexpected teachers who are simply going about their day. He witnesses his brother’s kindness to George, who sits on the street corner “all the time, cold or warm, rain or shine,” and shows some of his own kindness by giving George a dollar and asking about his day. This, however, is not a special occurrence – the boy knows that George always answers the same way: “Great to be alive.” The lessons from the people they encounter teach the boy gratitude, values, and cause him to pause and inhale the open air.

Brown’s rhythmic prose holds the cadence and complexity of a bustling and vibrant urban environment, while Uchendu’s illustrations, nearly audible, show its joy, playfulness, and movement, along with the green spaces found among the concrete and the fun that can come from the imagination.

Most touching is the boy’s admiration for his brother, and his pride in his neighbourhood full of people with wisdom in which he can share.