A FAMILY LIKE YOURS

Don’t be fooled by the title—this delightful offering is a welcome departure from stories about family groupings. Instead, the rhyming verse details the way families act and the things that they do together. “Some families dress up / to go do the town. / And others are happy / just hanging around.” From the way they dress and eat, to where they live and the things they have, Dotlich’s (When Riddles Come Rumbling: Poems to Ponder, not reviewed, etc.) verses are a fun look at all the ways families are alike and different the world over. But it is the perfect combination of story and illustration that truly make this one to own. Featuring human as well as animal families, Lyon’s (An Alligator Ate My Brother, not reviewed, etc.) marvelous cartoon drawings are filled with detail, bright color, and wonderful facial expression. Frogs catching flies illustrate families who grab a quick bite to eat, while a Japanese mother and daughter and a cowboy and his son are pictured for families who have different styles. By carefully including different ethnicities, races, and family groupings, Dotlich insures that a child looking at these pictures will certainly see a family like his or her own. A great start to some comparisons of their own. (Picture book. 4-8)