Book Review: Catherine and Laurence Anholt's Big Book of Families
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What Parents Should Know
Families are the theme of this set of poems that vary from
lighthearted to zany. Illustrations show appealing cartoonlike
characters with a great variety in backgrounds.
Common Sense Media Review
Shouting, laughing, singing, fighting, and hugging: These
are all words used by the Anholts to describe what families do
best. We are reassured that at times, everyone experiences
similar intense positive and negative emotions about their
family. The authors describe this range of emotions as "a
family yo-yo," a graphic analogy that children can easily
understand.
Each of the thirty-one rhyming poems is cleverly illustrated. All illustrations are done in pen-and-ink and watercolor, and each features cartoonlike characters. However, there is great variation in the amount of detail in backgrounds, the use of borders, and the size of illustrations.
Interest is heightened by the original placement of the text. For example, a single poem is centered on a page with a wide, colorfully detailed border, while the facing page displays three separate poems sparingly illustrated. This mix is very effective for holding the attention of a young audience.
Catherine and Laurence Anholt address children's myriad emotions again in What Makes Me Happy?. Another valuable book about varying family structures is Families Are Different.
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