The Great Big Book of Families

Product Information

The Great Big Book of Families represents a lovely diverse mix of different types of families, reminding us that families come in all shapes and sizes, from single parent families to same sex couple parents, grandparents that live with us, extended families, blended families and many more. The Great Big Book of Families is a children's picture book written by Marry Hoffman and illustrated by Ros Asquith which focus on the definition of family, what constitutes a family, where family live, and what families do. This book explores a myriad of families and each being valid in every meaning of the definition.

Living in a white first world country with white heterosexual middle class parents, I often try to find ways to expose my children to different cultures, family structures and beliefs. Walking Brain Cells (blog, UK): “a warm, welcoming book where all children will see parts of themselves represented”Categories: Acceptance & Inclusion, Adoption & Fostering, Being Different & Being Yourself, Divorce / Separation, Non-traditional Families Peace at Last by Jill Murphy [online versions with no text on screen or book with text, both from youtube.com] The problems in that choice are many. First, it is a stereotypical illustration. Second, even if it were accurate, it ought not be shown as an option in an array of dress-up costumes.

Update (2): Celeste submitted a comment that I'm inserting here because it may explain the differences we're seeing. Celeste wrote " The difference in language might be a British/American edition thing. British English uses "fancy dress party" where American English uses "Costume party." Inexcusable either way." The Great Big Book of Families introduces children to the fact that not all families look the same. The myriad of families depicted is the so called traditional heterosexual parents, gay and lesbian parents, single parents, families with one, many, or no children, blended families, multi-ethnical families, multi-race families, multi-generational families, adopted families, large families, and small families. It goes on to tell where some families live and how they live. The book ends with the question of questioning the reader about their family.Mary Hoffman has written over 100 books for children. Amazing Grace, commended for the Kate Greenaway medal, and its sequels has sold over 1.5 million copies. As well as the successful Stravaganza sequence of teenage novels, translated into over thirty languages, The Great Big Books series of information books for younger readers, illustrated by Ros Asquith has done very well. The first, The Great Big Book of Families, won the inaugural SLA Information Book Award in the under 7s category. A big big book about families! From big families to small families. From moms and dads to just moms or dadxdad or grandparents taking care of the family. And we don't just see various families we also read about other things. Like making food. Houses. Adoption. Talking with your family. And more. It was really fun to read and I loved the diversity in this book. Many colours. Wheelchairs. Crutches. And more. As we know, the publisher’s bottom line in making changes after publication is a monetary one. If a publisher knows that a particular book or series (or the company itself) will be boycotted over an issue, it’s more likely that changes will be made. (I believe that that’s what happened in the AMAZING GRACE series. And what happened when our review of MY HEART IS ON THE GROUND was published was amazing!) This list comprises books which include disabled characters within their images and/or story naturally, subtly and often without comment. Some might argue that kids dressing up like that is an accurate reflection of what kids do, and it is, but it should not be something they do! Books like this reinforce that play and encourage stereotypical thinking about who we are---and that, of course, is a problem! Dressing up like that is similar to the mascots that were created to "honor" Native peoples. If people really wanted to honor us, they'd hear us when we say "stop doing that" instead of trying to defend what they're doing.

A challenging experience can make a young child feel as if they are in emotional free fall. As a parent, you can’t stop them falling, but you can offer them a softer landing: The author, Mary Hoffman, is the author of the well-reviewed _Amazing Grace_, _Boundless Grace, and _Princess Grace_.

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Introduce It’s Okay to be Different. Read the 1st half of the book, up to ‘It’s okay to say no to bad things’. While reading, pause to discuss specific children’s experiences.

This clever book is taking a truly 21st Century look at family life... In spite of managing to reflect the reality of life for all families, the book refrains from making value judgements. No family is depicted as better or worse than any other – just different." Subjects explored include disability, adoption, working parents, holidays, pets, emotions, celebrations, poverty and racial diversity.Clearly, the children are meant to be in costumes, playing dress up. As you see, one child is dressed up in what we're meant to see as an "Indian" or "Native American." From a mum and dad or single parent to two mums or two dads, from a mixed-race family to children with different mums and dads, to families with a disabled member. Together, celebrate all the different kinds of special mums in the world with these marvellous illustrated books. This is a great non-fiction book to introduce the topic of families, particularly during a PSED or PSHE session around families. It is up to date, with a diverse range of family types such as children who just live with their daddy or families where there are two mummies and shows families of mixed races and families with members with disabilities. The book also looks at other aspects of family life such as housing, pets, celebrations and work through the eyes of a child. This book feels genuinely inclusive, with no situation being labelled better or worse than any other. Erittäin hyvä ja monipuolinen kirja erilaisista perheistä ja asumisen malleista. Aiheet käydään läpi nopeasti, mutta kirja avaa myös paljon mahdollisuuksia keskustelulle. Meillä tämä kirja on ollut lainassa jo muutaman kuukauden, sillä se jaksaa kiinnostaa yhä uudelleen ja uudelleen. Jotkut yksityiskohdat ovat huvittaneet, jotkut mietityttäneet ja jotkut tuottaneet hyviä oivalluksia.