One Family

Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 17, 2016

Review

In this visually appealing counting book readers will learn that a family can be of any size from one through 10 and beyond. Many different ethnicities and ages are represented including babies in buggies, seniors, men wearing turbans and interracial families, though the text never speaks to these differences. This makes the quiet and subtle point that families come in all shapes, sizes,and ages, from a family of one (a grandmother alone with her cat) to a family of ten mostly redheaded members. Children reading this book or having it read to them will probably most enjoy finding the items and families on each page spread and counting them. One cannot resist. There is one gutter issue that should have been noticed before it was bound. The endpages are lots of fun. The beginning endpages show family members in straightforward and serious poses while the last endpages show the same folks leaning out of their frames to speak to one another or frowning, while some escape their frames entirely. Altogether a charming and unusual book about counting and families. Loved it.

Overall Book Score: excellent