I grew up in a rather conservative place where families typically consisted of a mother, a father, and two children. Because many mothers had to work (so that their children could go to university) grandmothers were often a part of the family. They helped raise the children and did some, or all, of the housework. It was only when I moved to the U.K that I saw other family formats, and now I live in a town where their are all kinds of family units. Today's picture book celebrates the family, in all its forms, and the narrative shows how love is the common denominator that connects them all.
A family is a family is a family
A family is a family is a family
Sara O’Leary
Illustrated by Qin Leng
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Groundwood, 2016, 978-1-55498-794-8
Today the children in a class are talking about families,
and the teacher asks her students what they think makes their families
“special.” One little girl wants to go last because her family is not like
anyone else’s and she has no idea what she is going to say. What she does not
know is that each of the twelve families she is going to hear about is unique,
just like hers.
The first little
girl tells her classmates that her parents have been best friends since first
grade and that they are really fond of one another. They even kiss in public,
which is “kind of gross.” The little girl who goes next has lots of brothers
and sisters. A little boy then tells the class that he has two mothers, both of
whom are terrible singers. However, this does not stop them from singing very
loudly. Another little boy has two dads, one of whom is very short and the
other who is tall. They both “give good hugs.”
Then there is
the little girl who is being raised by her grandmother, and a little girl whose
parents are separated. She spends one week with her mother, and one week with
her father, which she things is right because “Fair’s fair.”
When it is
finally the little girl’s turn to tell her classmates and teacher about her
family, she is able, with a smile on her face, to tell them about a special
moment that she shared with her family.
This wonderful
book celebrates the many kinds of families that there are out there. Alongside
the little girl we come to appreciate that families come in so many sizes,
forms, and formats, and every single one of them can provide a child with a
loving environment in which to grow.