I picked this up last year as a "you might also like" from Amazon; it's an illustrated alphabet book featuring scenes of family life, with a diverse assortment of families - gay couples and straight ones; different races, ages; all of them working, playing, resting or doing chores with their kids. Some of the captions are explicit about the family relationships: "L is for Lunch. We always pack a picnic lunch when my moms take me to the beach." But most don't refer to "moms" or "dads" directly, leaving it to the illustrations to suggest that there are many different flavors of "family".

The content isn't riveting, exactly, but it's pleasant; the illustrations are in a humorous, somewhat cartoonish style. A nice gentle presentation of the possible shapes a family can take!

Controlled release:

I'm sending this to BCer jessibud in Canada. Hope you enjoy it!

Received today as a rabck from GoryDetails! Thank you so much, Gory! This will be such a wonderful addition to my classroom library and the illustrations, alone, make it worthwhile!! They are so brightly coloured and whimsical and full of life! (I've always been a sucker for illustrations in kids' books!) :-)


Thanks again!

Bringing to today's meetup

Picked up at today's meetup at Harbord House pub. I read it to my 5 year old twins when we got home (they joined me at the meetup - starting them young!) and they loved it. They really liked the fun illustrations (especially the crab running away with the sandwich on the beach), and I like that it shows families doing things together. We will keep this book for a while and then pass it along.

Thanks jessibud! You always bring the best children's books!