Independent Reading Level: Preschool - 3rd Grade
Awards: SLA Information Book Award (2010-2011)

This book has been banned, so of course I immediately read it. The ban is at least for showing same-sex parents, I don't know if the people who banned it could tolerate anything else, like mixed-race families, etc. There's nothing remotely about sex, let alone is there anything graphic. I had to laugh when I got to the families headed by two women - a friend of mine lived like that, her father died and her aunt lived with them. In those days, her mother and aunt were probably paid less than men who did the same job, because men have to support a family. So did her mother, of course, but that's what she gets for being so careless as to lose her husband. That was back when, as the author and illustrator say, most families in books were a white heterosexual couple with a boy and a girl. It seems to me that there was also usually a baby, who might or might not have had a specified sex or gender.

I think this is terrific. The sooner people recognize that not everyone is like them, the better. Whatever the book banners might prefer, people are extremely varied, and banning this book, or any number of other books is not going to alter the fact that there has never been a time when people conformed, or were able to conform, to their ideal.

The books is charming. The illustrations are lively and expressive, and it covers an enormous range of variety - not just differences in race, gender, and number of parents, but also religion, adoption, hobbies, communication styles. Brava to both the authors.

They also produced the equally charming and also banned, Babies, Babies Everywhere.. Or perhaps that was Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyer. ( )

Okay, this book is adorable. I love seeing all of the diversity in it, and the fact that all families, no matter who they're made up of, do a lot of the same things and have a lot of the same feelings. Awesome celebration of all types of families! ( )

Opinion
This picture book brings up the topic of family and teaches children that not all families are the same. Growing up in a household, a child would assume that all other families look like theirs, because they have no reason to believe that they are different. I like the book for the message that it sends, as well as the multitude of illustrations and representations in its pages.

Reasons
Illustrations: The main reason why I like this book is the way it is illustrated. Families of all different sizes and races are represented, as well as same-sex couples. This book would be beneficial in a kindergarten or young elementary school setting as it’s pictures present the written message without having to know what all of the words mean.
Plot: While it is a picture book and therefore has a minimal plot, the message that it sends is nonetheless important. It is a picture book for children who are beginning to become curious about families and why they seem to be different everywhere they go. It includes families up and down the socioeconomic ladder, families with LGBT parents, and families with varying races and ethnicities as parents.
Language: Each segment of text is brief and simplified, with the occasional challenging term being presented, such as “adoption” (Hoffman 5). While it is backed by the illustrations, the text does well to convey the story’s message in an easily digestible way for young students. ( )

I really like that author Mary Hoffman represents many different types of families. I think it is so important for children to learn from a young age that diversity is important, and there isn't just one kind of "perfect family." With that being said, I think Hoffman shifts her focus onto other topics that might be best written about on their own. For example, there is a line that says "and some families can't get jobs at all," which is illustrated by a very unhappy looking family. I think this is counterproductive to this particular book as the whole point is to celebrate differences in family structure, not point out unhappy circumstances. ( )