The Great Big Book of Families

by Mary Hoffman (Author) Ros Asquith (Illustrator)

The Great Big Book of Families
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
This fun and fascinating treasury features all kinds of families and their lives together. Each spread showcases one aspect of home life-from houses and holidays, to schools and pets, to feelings and family trees. Ros Asquith's humorous illustrations perfectly complement a charming text from the acclaimed Mary Hoffman; kids will love poring over these pages again and again. A celebration of the diverse fabric of kith and kin the world over, The Great Big Book of Families is a great big treat for every family to share.
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Hardcover
$17.99

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Kirkus

Starred Review
For the very young, it will seem like a colorful reference book. A sublimely simple idea, brilliantly executed.

Publishers Weekly

In matter-of-fact prose and genial pen-and-ink drawings, Hoffman and Asquith reassure readers about something they may already know intuitively: there's no one right way to be a family. What sets their survey of familyhood apart in this growing genre is the collaborators' expansive take on demographics. They cover not only a wide range of parental and domestic arrangements, but also schooling, homes, consumerism, employment--or lack of it--and psychographics ("In some families everyone shares their feelings.... Sometimes not everyone in the family feels the same way about things"). Asquith's spreads have a lively, encyclopedic feel, with whimsical themed borders (variously clad feet march across the top of the "Transportation" section), occasional asides to the audience ("Is a teddy a pet?" a toy bear wonders), and a recurring cat character adding to the visual fun. "amilies can be big, small, happy, sad, rich, poor, loud, quiet, mad, good-tempered, worried, or happy-go-lucky," writes Hoffman in her wrapup. "Most families are all of these things some of time." It may not be Tolstoyan wisdom, but it's undeniably true. Ages 5-8. (Apr.)

Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

K-Gr 2--With simple language, Hoffman describes almost every imaginable familial configuration, including those with single, same-sex, and foster parents. Asquith expands on the diversity suggested in the text by including mixed-race families and family members with disabilities in her color cartoon illustrations. Hoffman also discusses the differences in jobs, celebrations, clothes, hobbies, and pets found in the various types of homes. As she does so, she alludes to some difficult social issues such as homelessness and unemployment, but suggests that family members help one another through hard times. The artist adds simple clues to make some of these issues accessible to young children. For example, on the page where the parents are unemployed, the child is shown offering a small piggy bank to the concerned mother and father. Although the text is at times serious, the pages are busy and bright, and the format helps the book feel lighthearted and energetic. Todd Parr's The Family Book (Little, Brown, 2003) covers many of the same basic principles but is written for an even younger audience and uses animals to represent different kinds of families. In this book, children are likely to find representation of their own situations, whatever they may be, and assurance that their family is just right.--Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Mary Hoffman
Mary Hoffman has written more than ninety books for children. She lives in rural Oxford, England, with her husband and three Burmese cats.

Ros Asquith has been a cartoonist for the UK Guardian for twenty years. She lives with her family in London.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780803735163
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Dial Books
Publication date
April 14, 2011
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV013090 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Alternative Family
Library of Congress categories
United States
Families
Single-parent families
Social life and customs
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