All About Families by Felicity Brooks

Hey there! I’m Cath Hak, and welcome to Sex Ed Rescue. On my YouTube channel, I review a bunch of books that make sex education conversations with your kids a whole lot easier. I also have a website where I show parents a better way to talk to their kids about sex. Today, I want to talk about this lovely Usborne book all about families.

I really love Usborne books because they’re easy to find, bright and colorful, and they always showcase diversity. It’s not just about people with white or pale skin, but about families from all over the world. I think they’re English books, but don’t quote me on that. They just have that English feel, you know? When you look at books all the time, you start to get a vibe about them. So, let’s dive into what this book is all about.

First off, it has a contents page that covers all the different aspects of what a family is. It talks about why families are different, where they live, their makeup, and what exactly a family is. I think that’s wonderful! It starts off by showing lots of different images of families from all over the world.

Families come in all shapes and sizes. They can be big or just two people with pets. That’s still a family! And the best part is, they might all look very different from each other. This book does a great job of highlighting how families can be different, and that’s totally okay.

One of the most important conversations we can have with kids when they’re young is about how everyone is different, and that’s something to celebrate. If their family is a little different from everyone else’s, books like this are so important because they normalize the fact that we’re all different in our own unique ways. For example, there’s a child in a wheelchair in this book, which shows how diverse and accepting it is.

The book goes on to talk about who can be in a family. There’s a story about Freddie, who has two dads who adopted him when he was a baby. It’s filled with different stories about the various makeups of families. There are single-parent families, married parents, families raised by grandparents or aunts, parents who aren’t married but are partners, and even foster families and extended families. It covers all the bases!

The book also touches on how families can change over time. Divorce happens, new babies arrive, grandparents move in, or you might have to move houses. Change is a part of life, and it’s important for kids to understand that.

It even explores the concept of a family tree and how we’re all connected to each other somehow. Families can live in different places, speak different languages, have different food and celebrations. It’s all about showing kids the beautiful diversity that exists in the world.

I particularly love this page in the book. The other day, I took my daughter to the pet shop, and as we drove past our local park, I saw families having picnics and enjoying the sunny day. I jokingly said to my daughter, Don’t you wish we were the kind of family that went to the park and had a picnic? But she surprised me by saying, No, I’d rather do something else. It made me realize how different our family is compared to the one I grew up with. But you know what? My kids are happy and content with our unique family. And books like this one are great reminders that all families are different, but at the end of the day, we’re all together, caring for and helping each other.

This book also touches on the different feelings that can arise within a family. It’s not always rainbows and butterflies. Sometimes we don’t get along and we might squabble. That’s just a part of life, and it’s important for kids to understand that too.

Overall, I think this book is fantastic! If it had been around when my kids were younger, it would have definitely been on our bookshelf, and we would have read it a lot. It’s one of those important books that every bookshelf should have when your kids are little.

I hope this review helps you out. Cheers!