Love Is a Family - Hardcover

Downey, Roma

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060393742 ISBN 13: 9780060393748

Publisher: HarperEntertainment, 2001

Synopsis

Roma Downey, star of the heartwarming television series Touched by an Angel, has a beautiful message for all families."Sometimes I wish I had sisters, or a dad who lived with me, or at least a brother or something! "said Lily.

"I know, " said Mama. "Sometimes I wish that, too. But most of the time our little family feels just right to me. Love is what makes a family, and we've got plenty of that."

Irrepressible young Lily loves her mother dearly. But when it's time for Family Fun Night at her school, she worries...and worries. What will the other kids think when she just brings her mother? Will they be the strangest family there?

But when they arrive at Family Fun Night, Lily sees all her friends having fun with their families -- of every shape, size, and-color. She learns that there are as many ways of showing love as there are stars in the sky.

In this enchanting, beautifully illustrated story, beloved actress Roma Downey shows children that family should not be defined by mother, father, and child, but by love.

About this title

Review

Lily storms home to her mother one day, demanding a real family. It's Family Fun Night at school, and she's positive they'll be the weirdest family there. Her single-parent mom doesn't seem overly fazed, reminding her daughter that they are a "small kind" of family, but real nonetheless. Lily isn't convinced. She seeks refuge in the noise and pillow fights of her friend Melissa's crowded house until it's time for the school event, where, surprise! it turns out her little family isn't unusual at all. Remi lives with just her dad--her mom died and she has no siblings. Tamika is adopted and has a puppy. Josh and Tony live with their grandparents. By the end of the evening, Lily understands that "Love is what makes a family."

Devoted followers of TV's Touched by an Angel star, Roma Downey, will be thrilled to see "Monica" has written her first children's book. Any child who has ever felt mortified at the quirks of his or her family will find solace in Lily's revelation. Of course, all the families in Lily's classroom seem highly functional, as well as heterosexual. In the litany of differences ("They saw families with step-dads and step-moms and half-sisters and half-brothers. There were single moms and single dads and families made up of different colors of skin."), readers who anticipate something along the lines of "and families with two mommies" will be disappointed. But that's what Heather Has Two Mommies is for. Justine Gasquet's colorful, almost cartoonish illustrations will be another bonus for Roma Downey fans--the mom looks just like Downey! (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

About the Author

Roma Downey was born in Derry City in war-torn Northern Ireland, and she lost her mother when she was very young -- a devastating experience that in part inspired her to write about single-parent families. Downey is now the star of the hit television show Touched by an Angel. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her daughter, Reilly.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperEntertainment
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0060393742
• ISBN 13: 9780060393748
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 32