It’s always a time of celebration when a new LGBT-inclusive storybook appears. Break out the chocolate milk and cookies, then, folks, because Todd Parr, author of LGBT-beloved works such as The Family Book
The book, in Parr’s signature bright colors and bold lines, is a series of paired phrases like “We belong together because . . . you needed a home, and I had one to share,” and “We belong together because . . . you needed someone to say ‘I love you,’ and we had love to give.” Aside from the title, there is no mention of adoption per se. This could be a limitation for those wanting to explain details of the adoption process to a child, but for those wishing to focus on the why and not the how, Parr delivers with sensitivity and gentle humor. Non-adopted children may also find a resonance in the words, for the message of sharing and acceptance goes beyond any specifics of family creation.
As with Parr’s other books, this one showcases all kinds of families: a mom and a dad, two moms, two dads, and single parents. The primary-color faces of the characters both convey a sense of racial diversity and somehow transcend our traditional categorizations of it.
Some may find Parr’s message too saccharine or his drawings too simple. This is not the only book about adoption you’ll want to have on your shelf, for children will want to know about their origins in more detail. (See the Mombian video blog this week for some suggestions, plus more on Parr.) Still, few books get at the emotional heart of the matter in so direct a way. The story is appropriate for the very youngest children; even infants may respond to the colors and smiling faces. Just as Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
This book will be perfect for our son’s week at his kindergarten class.
They highlight one kid each week of the school year in his class and the parents and family all come in on Friday to talk for show & tell. The one bulletin board is decorated with things that are important to the child, like favorite movie, foods, family pictures, etc. Our week won’t be until after the new year, but this would be a good book for the teacher to read earlier in the week to pave the way for us.
That sounds like a great idea! It’s a good one for a teacher read, since the pictures are bright and easy to see if you’re sitting in a group.
I was planning on buying this one, too. I haven’t seen it, yet, but I think it’s going to be perfect for the young kids we foster- since the book leaves adoption as a process out and focuses on the love and relationship, I think it’ll be helpful- most kids’ books about fostering are too old for ours to understand (ages 0-3), and they need a simpler explanation of our relationship to them. The Family Book was great with Sweets because it illustrated the family she lived in then (two moms) and the one she was going back to (a dad and a step-mom). I wish we’d had this one back then. It is a wonderful day when there’s a new storybook bringing a diversity of families onto the bookshelf.
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