The Family Book

Todd Parr
Little, Brown Young Readers (2003)
ISBN 9780316738965
Reviewed by Olivia Alejandre (age 4) for Reader Views (12/07)


Mom’s review / summary:
There are so many great things about this book; I will start with the artwork because of how appealing it is to a toddler.  Many children’s books try to get too elaborate with the artwork, but some children (mine included) don’t pay attention as closely to books with that much detail.  This artwork has bold colors but simple and clear depictions of the people or animals.  Since they can’t read yet, they really need the pictures to help tell the story and these certainly do.

Now, for the message and ideas presented in the book – how wonderful that Todd Parr is presenting different types of families and that they are all special.  And, he didn’t just talk about the differences; he also encouraged positive family behaviors – hugging, supporting each other, and celebrating special days.

“The Family Book” would be a great book for a daycare or preschool setting because of the message in it – teachers could use it as a starting point to talk about each child’s family and the differences from one family to the next.  I’m not sure, however, that this is the kind of book that Olivia is going to want to read over and over because she likes stories with characters, plots, and activities.

Olivia’s review / summary:
“There’s a lot of bunnies in that family.  Some families are different colors – white or brown or white-brown.  This is a house.  And then, there’s a world.  Families can have a brother and sister, or no babies.  Families are alike and different.”

Some quotes from Olivia about the book:
“Look at all those people on there!  People don’t live in trees – only birdies.”

“That’s a lot of bunnies!”

“I will make the fish happy.  If I’m in the book, I will be a fish and be its mommy.  And, daddy and you can go in the book and you can be a fishie.”

“Looks – bears hugging!”

[Mom]:  “What kind of family do you have?”  “A people family.”  [Mom]:  “Are we the same color in our family?”  “No.”   [Mom]:  “What color is daddy?” “Brown.”   [Mom]: “What color is mommy?”  “White.”  [Mom]: “What color is Olivia?” “Brown and white.”

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