Belong
$24.95
A gentle tale about how finding friends and fitting in, written by Sharon Seymour and brought to life by Freya Goldsmith’s striking illustrations.
Read what reviews are saying about Belong…
Sharon Seymour ardently advocates for children’s literature and the role it plays in shaping young minds. As a Teacher Librarian, she has spent years fostering a love of books among students. She is a reviewer for the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge and Reading Time, and her articles and short stories have appeared in children’s magazines and anthologies. This picture book marks her debut as an author in the genre she loves most.
Freya Goldsmith is a first-time illustrator and multi-media artist with a passion for storytelling and finding the subtle whimsy of everyday life. Raised with the pages of incredible Australian authors and illustrators, creating Belong was a childhood dream come true.
PUB DATE: April 1st 2026
RRP: $24.95AUD
ISBN: 978-1-923044-67-8
FORMAT: 28-page hardback picture book
TRIM: 280 x 210 mm
CATEGORY: 3+
Contact: admin@westwords.com.au
FOREIGN RIGHTS:
Nerrileeweir@boldtypeagency.com.au
1 review for Belong
michael –
WestWords is a publisher dedicated to unique, diverse stories from the Western Sydney community. They are champions of lyrical multicultural storytelling, poetry, fine art illustration styles, youth writing, and other worthy creative endeavours that might not catch the eye of highly commercial publishers. Belong follows that pattern, bringing a debut author and illustrator together in a vibrant exploration of finding friends.
On the half title page we see a nest of eggs, with one on the verge of hatching. Out pops a long legged bird, who seems to be one of a kind. Belong. Be long. Long. Longing to be…To be…like everyone else. The language continues in this sparse style, like a poem across spreads, inviting wordplay and syllable breakdown, and leaving plenty of opportunity for the visual storytelling to carry the narrative.
The bird stumbles through a verdant landscape, observing other birds flocking together, feeling unpopular and invisible. An attempt to blend in sees the bird cover itself in found trinkets – keys, safety pins, bottle caps – which clumsily fall off. These spreads provide engaging opportunities for young readers to talk about both the overarching message of pretense, as well as environmental pollution. Eventually, the bird meets another lost soul and they learn to belong to each other. Befriend. Be kind. Belong.
This is a familiar theme, made more interesting by poetic language and impressive spread design. It will appeal to readers 3+ as a shared reading experience, and will facilitate discussion of ‘fitting in’.
– Review by Lara Cain Grey
Read the review here