All Families are Different

Thursday, June 18, 2009

All Families are Different

Author: Gordon, Sol

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: disrespect and insensitivity for individual and group differences

Year of Publication: 2000

Publisher & Location: Prometheus Books, New York

ISBN#:9781573927659

Target Age Level: Lower and Upper Elementary School

# of Pages: 50

Quality of Illustrations: The illustrations show an assortment of famlies of different cultures and races.

Brief Summary:

Is there such a thing as a "normal" family? Of course the answer to this question is no, but children are often led to believe otherwise. Young people need to understand and appreciate that when it comes to families, they are all different! Dr. Sol Gordon has written an uplifting book for young people age four and older who are curious about just what it means to be part of a family. While the many illustrations show a variety of family situations to stimulate awareness and acceptance of difference, the text places importance on children knowing they are loved by their family members — whoever they may be.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: Sol Gordon PhD. is a clinical psychologist with a special interest in children's education. She has written several other books on similar issues they include: Did the Sun Shine Before You Were Born?; Girls Are Girls, and Boys Are Boys; A Better Safe Than Sorry Book.

Activity: Read the book as a class and then have each student draw a picture of their family. A group discussion could then be led about similarities and differences of the families within the classroom.