Another Todd Parr Book Review

I have to share another Todd Parr book that I read recently. "The Family Book," written and illustrated by Todd Parr (published by Little Brown and Company) is a fantastic read. This book talks about all the different types of families and includes a page that says "Some families adopt children." This is a positive way to include the topic of adoption in a children's book. I would prefer more of a focus on the parents choosing to be adoptive parents in an adoptive family with their sons/daughters. Therefore, there would be less emphasis is on the child being adopted. The child wouldn't feel like they're the odd one out. This really is a small detail though, I love the book and would highly recommend it to any family.

I appreciate the way the author describes all types of families, for example "Some families have two moms or two dads" and "Some famillies have one parent instead of two." He lightens the mood of the book by using humorous illustrations, such as "Some families live near each other" has a picture of two mouse holes with lots of eyes peering out. On the opposite page is the line "Some families live far from each other" with an illustration of martian families living on two different planets.

He also draws out commonalities that all families have, for example "All families are sad when they lose someone they love" or "All families can help each other be STRONG!" He finishes the book saying that "There are lots of different ways to be a family. Your family is special no matter what kind it is."

This book is very inclusive and reflects the real world. Some children do live with their grandparents, other children have two moms or two dads. This is real life. It's important all children are exposed to the different ways in which people live. Todd Parr handles the topic of different kinds of families in a respectful and somewhat light-hearted manner, which is always appreciated- especially by little readers! Enjoy!