"Tender, lyrical text brings to life moments that many immigrants will recognize... visually engaging." — Kirkus Reviews

Mina is worried about starting a kindergarten in her new country where the only word she can understand is her name. A warm and emotive story that explores how sharing a language can encourage a sense of belonging through a gentle story and lively illustrations."

This book warmed my heart, there are so many ways that children can be included and feel part of a community beyond language. I love that this book has beautiful illustrations to highlight those ways for all children.

This picture book follows an immigrant girl's experiences acclimating to school in her new country, and the text and illustrations portray her uncertainty and language barrier in a way that will be easy for kids to understand. Over time, she becomes more comfortable and experiences a sense of belonging, and the book ends with a positive, full-circle moment where she can welcome someone else. The story and illustrations are appropriate for both young children and elementary-school kids, and the illustrations and ending help this stand out from other books about similar experiences.

I really enjoyed this story! I have had many students over the years who could relate to Mina's experiences of starting in a new school while also trying to learn a new language. This will be an excellent addition to any classroom!

What a lovely, timely book this is. The illustrations tell a story all on their own. They stretch and highlight the events in Mina's life as she grows and settles into her new homeland and school. They begin by being monochrome when wee Mina is trying hard to find her place in her new environment and then become vibrant, colourful and more engaging to the reader as her placement becomes a happy reality. I personally loved the dream scenes full of detail and imagination. Perfect!

Attending kindergarten for the very first time is scary in itself, but being new to the country and not knowing the language, only your name, can be terrifying! Slowly Mina learns the vocabulary needed to interact with her peers and her teacher. She gains self-confidence and finally feels she belongs. I love the ending when Mina reaches out to another new student, Tarek, and makes him feel welcome too!

This is a lovely book and I highly recommend it.

Mina Belongs Here is a gorgeous book! The illustrations are just stunning and I really enjoyed the way they changed throughout the book as Mina started to feel more comfortable in her new environment. This is a sweet story and a great book for children in a new country or a new stage in life.

School is already hard, but being new to a country and the language is overwhelming. This book highlight’s Mina’s experience and shows how she settled into a new place.

I received an electronic ARC from Floris Books through NetGalley.
Readers meet Mina on the night before kindergarten in a new place. She is nervous and does not speak the language. We see her process and observe everyone before joining in. Slowly, she learns the needed vocabulary and interacts with the other students and teacher. I love how the author and illustrator show the in school time, the at home sharing time and her dreaming time. Readers can see how her dreams change as she gains confidence in herself and feels she belongs. The ending offers a tender moment when she makes another new student feel welcome.