All Families Are Special by Norma Simon

Illustrated by T. Flavin. 32 pages. Whitman, 2003.

When teacher Mrs. Mack shares with her class the news that she's going to be a grandmother, the kids want to talk about their families. Families are big and small, come in many colors and have ancestry in many countries, include adopted and biological children, and can have all kinds of parents - married parents, single parents, stepparents, grandparents, and two mommies. Families have a variety of living arrangements. The kids think of several kinds of happy and sad times that their families have had together, and Mrs. Mack tells them that families support each other in bad times and enjoy good times together. She affirms the importance of each child in his or her family, and the specialness of each family. One limitation is that a child of divorced parents explains that "that's the way it is when you divorce" - but he hasn't divorced; his parents have. Otherwise, though, this book will promote acceptance of all kinds of families.

Ages: 4-8
Cultural Context: multicultural