  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 03/01/2015 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 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 07/01/2015 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. - Copyright 2015 Booklist. Loading...
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