Families - Softcover

Rotner, Shelley; Kelly, Sheila M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0823435709 ISBN 13: 9780823435708

Publisher: Holiday House, 2016

Synopsis

Big or small, similar or different-looking, there are all kinds of families.

Celebrate diversity with this picture book for very young children about the many faces of contemporary families. Bright photographs by National Geographic photographer Shelley Rotner capture families having fun together, enjoying all the ways they are similar and different. 

Some families have one parent, and some have two; some have aunts and uncles and grandparents living with them. Some have adopted children, some have children born to them. Whether they live all together or far apart, families love and care for each other.

Designed to showcase the wide variety of modern families and spur discussions about young readers' own family history, this beautiful picture book is a must-have for children beginning to learn about the world and the people around them.

About this title

About the Author:

Shelley Rotner is the award-winning author and photo-illustrator of more than thirty books. She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Sheila M. Kelly is a clinical psychologist who practiced for thirty years in western Massachusetts. A native of Saskatchewan, Canada, she currently lives in Austin, Texas.

From School Library Journal:

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

About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0823435709
• ISBN 13: 9780823435708
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32