A Family Is a Family Is a Family

by Sara O'Leary, illustrated by Qin Leng

tagged: parents, orphans & foster homes

Description

When a teacher asks the children in her class to think about what makes their families special, the answers are all different in many ways — but the same in the one way that matters most of all.

One child is worried that her family is just too different to explain, but listens as her classmates talk about what makes their families special. One is raised by a grandmother, and another has two dads. One has many stepsiblings, and another has a new baby in the family.

As her classmates describe who they live with and who loves them — family of every shape, size and every kind of relation — the child realizes that as long as her family is full of caring people, it is special.

A warm and whimsical look at many types of families, written by award-winning author Sara O’Leary, with quirky and sweet illustrations by Qin Leng.

About the Authors

Sara O'Leary is an author, playwright, and literary journalist. She is the author of the award-winning Henry Books, including Where You Came From, When You Were Small, and When I Was Small, as well as the picture book This is Sadie (Tundra). She teaches Writing for Children and Screenwriting at Concordia University in Montreal.

Qin Leng was born in Shanghai and later moved to France, then to Montreal in Canada. She now lives in Toronto with her husband and works as a designer and illustrator. She grew up surrounded by paintings, and her father, an artist himself, was a great influence on her. Qin graduated from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema and has received many awards for her animated short films. Her picture books have been nominated for such prizes as the prestigious Governor General’s Literary Award, and she won the APAAL for Best Picture Book. You can visit her at www.qinleng.tumblr.com.

Age:: 4 to 7
Grade:: k to 2
Reading age:: 4 to 7

Awards

Short-listed, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award
Commended, Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year
Commended, USBBY's Outstanding International Books List
Commended, Toronto Public Library's First and Best List
Commended, CBC Best Books of 2016
Commended, OLA Best Bets Top Ten

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Librarian review

A Family is a Family is a Family

by [Top Grade]

This book highlights the diversity of families and increase understanding of family structures such as divorced parents, foster parents, and same-sex parents. This book will also help young readers understand their own families, and the families of their friends and classmates. Playful illustrations enliven different family structures and create a visual understanding of the differences that make each family unique.

Source: Association of Canadian Publishers. Diversity Collection Selection 2017.