A Family Is a Family Is a Family

Starred review from July 18, 2016
When the question of what makes one’s family “special” comes up in the classroom, O’Leary’s (This Is Sadie) young narrator blushes and looks down in shame. “My family is not like everybody else’s,” she thinks. Then her classmates take turns talking about their own families, and the differences among them are both marked and wonderful. One boy notes, “I have more grandparents than anybody else I know.” Another child explains, “There are lots of kids in our family. Mom and Dad just keep coming home with more.” There’s a joint-custody family, an adoptive family, a blended family, and multicultural families; there are families led by gay couples and by grandparents. By the time the narrator reveals that she’s a foster child, she has realized that difference is an essential part of what makes a family a family. Leng’s (Happy Birthday, Alice Babette) drawings of domestic life are, like O’Leary’s writing, winsome but never sentimental. Together they offer a straightforward, optimistic view of everyday modern life. Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Jackie Kaiser, Westwood Creative Artists. Illustrator’s agency: Shannon Associates.

Starred review from July 15, 2016
A picture-book affirmation of family diversity.The opening double-page spread depicts a diverse class of 13 children sitting at their desks in a circle when their teacher asks them to share "what we thought made our family special." The first-person narrator silently worries. "My family is not like everybody else's." The accompanying illustration shows one child, seated at a desk across the circle from the teacher, with eyes downcast, red cheeks, and closed body language. The following spreads are narrated by individual classmates who deliver matter-of-fact, often humorous commentary on their families, augmented by Leng's appealing cartoon illustrations that lend humor and vitality to characterization. The broad diversity of family constellations is refreshing and ultimately soothing to the worried child from the first spread. After hearing classmates talk about having two moms, two dads, many siblings, divorced parents, a blended family, single parents, mixed-race families, a grandmother who's "my everything," and more, the narrator recalls a time when a woman at the park "asked my foster mother to point out her real children. 'Oh I don't have any imaginary children, ' Mom said. 'All my children are real.' " This good-natured but firm response is both empowering and instructive, as is the welcome inclusion of a foster family in this thoughtful, needed book. A-plus fabulous. (Picture book. 3-8)

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Starred review from October 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 2-A classroom of young children are asked to consider what makes families special. The narrator, a student whose head is hanging low, is nervous about answering, because she feels her family is too different from everyone else's. One by one, the students share, in intricate spreads, what makes their families unique. One student says that her mom and dad keep coming home with more children, another declares that both her moms are terrible singers, another mentions that she lives with her grandmother, and "fair's fair" for a child who stays with her mom one week and her father the next. After listening to all the students, the young narrator recalls a time in the park when her foster mother was asked to point out her real children. Her answer: "Oh, I don't have any imaginary children.... All my children are real." In this warm, nondiscriminating narrative, O'Leary removes limiting definitions and labels like "adopted," "fostered," or "divorced" and instead presents a tale that is innocent and wise. Leng's ink and digitally rendered watercolor illustrations are light and airy and complement the text by capturing the thoughts and purity of a child's perspective. The classroom is a beautiful blend of children of different races, genders, and body types. VERDICT Parents, caregivers, and educators will appreciate the message that this story offers for one-on-one sharing and for discussion with small groups. A sweet and tender tale that shows that families are composed of love regardless of how they may be configured.-Brianne Colombo, Pequannock Township Public Library, NJ

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