Who’s in my family? All about our families by Robie H. Harris

Book Review

A short overview of this book

Who’s In My Family? All about our families is written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott, and is ideal for children aged between 3 – 6 years.

Sex education for young children under 5 isn’t about sex at all. It is all about sexuality ie bodies, gender differences and roles, relationships, feelings, diversity, boundaries and reproduction. There are many reasons as to why parents should be reading books like this to their children.

Robie H. Harris has a new series of age-appropriate books out, in which she very simply and straightforwardly lays the foundations for sex education. This second book, Who’s In My Family? All about our families looks at our families.

This book talks about:

  • there are all types of families (animals families too)
  • families live in many different kinds of places
  • families eat many different types of food
  • families like being together and doing things together
  • children can be born into or adopted into their family
  • families come in all different types and sizes
  • some children live with their mum part-time, or have a step-parent, foster care, live with a grandparent
  • some families are extended, with other relatives living there
  • families have happy, angry and unhappy times together
  • families are there for each other
  • families have their own routines that may be different to other families
  • most of the time families love each other and love being together

So, as you can see, Who’s In My Family? All about our families provides an opportunity to start talking about your own family, as well as other families that are around you. The book explains that all families are different and that is okay.

This stuff is pretty important as kids become much more aware of how different their family may be once they start going to school. If all the other kids have a mummy and a daddy, and they have just a mummy, they will feel different. But if they understand that all families differ in some way, they will be much more accepting of this.

The main message is about kids understanding that it is okay to be different and that everyone is different – we can’t all be the same.

Reading Tips

Make sure you have a look at Who’s In My Family? All about our families first (before you read it to your child)! That way you will know what to expect.  You can find some tips in this article on how to read ‘sex ed’ books.

This is a picture book but it is very wordy. You may have to summarise the text on some pages, as it is very comprehensive. Most 3 year olds would not have the attention span to sit through a ‘start to end’ read of this book.

The illustrations are very descriptive, so if you do find this book too wordy, you can just talk about the different families that are portrayed on each page. That alone will bring up the opportunity to talk about how different our families can be.

Who’s In My Family? All about our families by Robie H. Harris is a book just about families that is ideal for younger children. It provides many examples of the different types of families and how they differ, normalising the fact that it is normal for families to be different, and that there is no right or wrong.

Ideal Age

Ideal for children aged 3 to 8 years.

Buy this book

Buy a copy of Who’s In My Family? All about our families at Amazon.

Video Transcription

A transcription in case you are more of a reader than a listener

Hey there! Welcome to Sex Ed Rescue, I’m Cath Hak, and I’m here to help parents find a better way to talk to their kids about sex. Today, I want to share a lovely book with you called Who’s My Family? All About Our Families by Robie Harris. It’s a great resource for younger children that explores the diversity and similarities of families.

This book is part of a series that covers different topics like pregnancy, body parts, diversity, and even food and keeping our bodies healthy. What I really love about these books is that they focus on one topic at a time and dive into it in a really nice way, providing lots of examples. Plus, they’re super diverse! The families in the book come from different cultures, so it’s not just a book filled with people of the same skin color.

Who’s My Family? is all about different families. It starts off by talking about the main family and then introduces other families as well. It even talks about what they eat, showing families from all over the world enjoying different meals. Some have pita bread, hummus, cucumber, and olives, while others might have pancakes or cereal. And guess what? There are families with two dads or just one parent too! So it really celebrates the diversity of families.

The book also takes us on a trip to the zoo, where we learn about different animal families. But if you look closely, you’ll notice there are lots of other families in the background too. It’s all about showing children that some kids have one parent, some grow up with grandparents or in foster care, and some have two mommies or two daddies. It’s all about embracing and understanding diversity.

The book goes on to discuss what actually makes a family, exploring different relationships like grandparents, cousins, brothers, and sisters. It’s not just about who is in a family, but also about what makes a family special. It talks about love, taking care of each other when we’re sick, sad, or scared, and all those important things.

I really love this book because it tackles the topic of families, which is a crucial part of early sex education. It helps kids understand who their family is and that every family is unique. It also lays the foundation for future conversations about relationships.

You can find this book in most libraries, and I highly recommend getting the whole set. My kids used to read them all the time, and they absolutely loved them. The illustrations are beautiful, and there’s so much to explore. Plus, the author, Robie Harris, does an amazing job with these books. I’m a huge fan!

I hope you find this review helpful. If you have any questions, just let me know. Cheers!

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