Exclusively Inclusive! The Buddy Bench by Patty Brozo

"Class dismissed!" called Miss Mellon when the recess bell rang.

Her students ran out, one loud happy gang.

But once outside, that big happy gang quickly breaks into groups. Some form a team to play soccer; some play King of the Hill. Some silly kids form a parade with a pretend elephant, and some take flight in a make-believe plane. Some even fly kites.

But not everyone is included.

Each kid on his own has his reasons for hanging back. Jerome is so small that he's never picked for basketball. Lilly thinks she is no good at games. Cooper stammers, and Emma's shy about the holes in her clothes. Sloan hates being alone, but he just doesn't know the way to say he wants to play.

One at a time the left-behind kids come together, just as the bell ending recess begins to ring. Once inside Will speaks up to Miss Mellon...

"How could we say
that we all want to play?"

And Miss Mellon has a plan--a special bench they can build for anyone who wants to be invited to play at recess. And if any group invites them, they have to join in.

And everyone knows:

The Buddy Bench = Nobody Alone.

Patty Brozo's rhyming text helps the message go down easy, in her The Buddy Bench (Tilbury House, 2019), which offers an idea for a way that solo students can silently signal that they want to be included in play groups, making it easier for teachers supervising recess groups to help their students become more inclusive. Noted artist Mike Deas's humorous illustrations keep the tone of this story light and lively, avoiding didacticism. The author includes an appendix that details how to make a "buddy bench" or institute a designated place on the playground for kids to signal they're ready to join in the game, and how to introduce some effective rules for developing a real class esprit de corps together.

Says Kirkus Reviews, “A story inspired by a real-life effort to achieve social inclusion. The generosity on display is heartening. Inviting.”