We Are Family

PreS-Gr 1--This book's adequate verse sends the message that family means the people you rely on through thick and thin. "Each family is different; it may be large or small./We may look like each other--or not alike at all./No matter where we live, or our color, creed, or name--/In each and every family, the love is all the same." Each spread has a theme, such as school, play, illness, or bedtime, and shows a small scene from 10 different families' lives. Although the characters are all uniformly tall and thin, the groups are otherwise very diverse. There are families with two moms, two dads, and a single mother, as well as a transracial adoption, a child raised by grandparents, a large family with four children, and a family who could be the result of an interracial marriage or a remarriage. A variety of ethnicities are represented, and one of the children is in a wheelchair. The stylish, angular digital illustrations are where this title really shines. Readers will enjoy poring over the pictures to follow each family's individual adventures and telling their own stories about the small vignettes. VERDICT A serviceable choice for large collections and those looking to showcase family diversity.--Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, MN