Review by Booklist Review
Families is truly a celebration of diversity. Smiling faces of adults and children beam from photographs of an array of family structures: big, small, gay, straight, interracial, international, adopted, biological, single-parent, etc. Spare, direct text describes those structures in language that respects the capacity for young readers to grasp concepts of difference with ease: Some families have children born to them. Some adopt. Some children have one parent. Some have two a mom and a dad, or two moms or two dads. Rotner and Kelly dig deeper, showing that people in families sometimes look alike and sometimes don't; they can live close to each other or far apart; and some have grandparents, uncles, or pets living with them. No matter the description, people in these pictures like being together. Families should find a place in day-care centers, preschools, libraries, and homes, as it provides adults with a vehicle through which to address the beauty of difference before youngsters begin to think it is a problem.--Chaudhri, Amina Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-In this cheerful exploration of different families. Rotner and Kelly describe all kinds of familial units: those with only one parent or one child, those in which the parents and children resemble one another, those with members of different races, those with same and opposite sex parents, and those with adopted children. Winsome, clear photographs are accompanied by brief, large-font text. This celebration of differences is further enhanced by the inclusion of women in head scarves, a dad in a wheelchair, and multigenerational groupings. The individuals portrayed take part in a variety of activities-making music, building things, playing outdoors, and gardening-and an upbeat theme of unity runs through the entire book. Only one page presents a difficult aspect of family life, with a subtle reference to divorce: two photos of the same group of children sitting on different porches with each parent are accompanied by text that reads, "The people in a family may not all live in the same place." The book invites conversation with the closing question "What about yours?" Extend the discussion with Mary Hoffman's The Great Big Book of Families (Dial, 2011), which includes homeless families and information on family religious practices and customs. VERDICT A great way to introduce the concept of diversity among families.-Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Greenwich, CT © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-In this cheerful exploration of different families. Rotner and Kelly describe all kinds of familial units: those with only one parent or one child, those in which the parents and children resemble one another, those with members of different races, those with same and opposite sex parents, and those with adopted children. Winsome, clear photographs are accompanied by brief, large-font text. This celebration of differences is further enhanced by the inclusion of women in head scarves, a dad in a wheelchair, and multigenerational groupings. The individuals portrayed take part in a variety of activities-making music, building things, playing outdoors, and gardening-and an upbeat theme of unity runs through the entire book. Only one page presents a difficult aspect of family life, with a subtle reference to divorce: two photos of the same group of children sitting on different porches with each parent are accompanied by text that reads, "The people in a family may not all live in the same place." The book invites conversation with the closing question "What about yours?" Extend the discussion with Mary Hoffman's The Great Big Book of Families (Dial, 2011), which includes homeless families and information on family religious practices and customs. VERDICT A great way to introduce the concept of diversity among families.-Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Greenwich, CT (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This book emphasizes the importance of a strong family narrative formed through conversations between family members across generational lines. Illustrating the book with Rotner's always-amiable color photographs of families, some with "one parent" and "others [that] have a grandparent, an aunt, or an uncle living with them," strengthens this emphasis and showcases the diversity of experiences in contemporary family structures. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
"We hope this bookwill lead children and their parents to engage in conversation about their families."So begins this good-sized book, which is packed with photographs of families of many different sizes, shapes, ages and colors (although most wear casual clothing familiar to most American children). Bold, colorful type announces: "There are all kinds of families." Engaging photographs throughout complement a simple text that informs readers about differencessuch as big vs. small; genders and generations of parents; adoption vs. birth children. Positive similarities follow, as families get together for celebrations and family members help one another out and enjoy activities together. Only childless families are excluded, but that can be forgiven by the book's noble, stated goal. Kelly adds an endnote to further encourage parents: "Recently, research psychologists have found that children who developed a strong family narrative from speaking with their parents about family history and hearing family stories, both good and bad, exhibited greater self-esteem." As the photographs' emotional spectrum covers the tiny range from cheerful to exuberant, it's an open question whether this will encourage or inhibit truthful family-history revelations. However, the emphatic ending will certainly start a dialogue: "There are many different kinds of families. What about yours?" Vibrant photographsespecially action shotswill capture children's attention, build language skills and, one hopes, start conversations. (Picture book. 2-4) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
