Sarah L. Schuette

"Blended Families" is a very simple informational book on "blended" families, or step-families. Each page contains a single sentence defining the different components of blended families, each one having an accompanying photograph. The use of real photographs as opposed to illustrations really helps the reader relate to the book, see its practical use, and understand its accuracy; they can trust this book to be true. This is undoubtedly a book for very early readers, probably K-2nd grade at show more most. The book only contains simple sentences, which makes it effective for its audience; however, the lack of complex language makes it unappealing to older readers. Its positive attitude towards blended families help those young readers who may be struggling to understand their own (or others') families have a similar disposition on the topic. I appreciate the representation of POC throughout the photographs. If I were to change anything about the book, it would be to add LGBT family representation. This would be nice, but its lack doesn't take away from the book's effectiveness. The point-of-view is 3rd person, which helps keeps it simple and to-the-point. show less

I liked this book for several reasons. I liked that each picture, which takes up a whole page, corresponds to the words written on the next page. This way, when the reader is reading they can associate the text with the pictures. For example, on one page there is an African American boy and a white girl playing with a puppy. The text reads “Mindy and her stepbrother pick out a family pet”. This is appropriate for young readers because it allows them to make connections and visualize the show more text. I also enjoyed that the language is simple enough for beginning readers. There are simple sentences on each page, such as “Jose and his half-sister go shopping” which first or second grade readers could read. I also enjoyed that on several pages, which had more complex family dynamics, the characters are labeled in the illustrations. On the page dedicated to stepsiblings, each character is labeled and referenced by name in the text. This will help clarify any confusion young readers have about their relationship. I like that the back of the book has a glossary with key terms such as sibling, stepmother, stepsibling and half sibling. This way, if kids have questions about a word they can look it up. The definitions are still simple enough for children in first and second grade. Lastly, I liked that the book’s last page had the message “Blended families love each other”. This helps children understand that although members of the family may not be related by blood, they are still family and families love each other just like any other family would. The main message of this book is to inform young children about blended families. show less

I enjoyed this book because of its positive representation of blended families, in a way that is easily understandable for children. I believe that students should be taught about diversity as young as possible, and this book puts blended families into terms that young children can understand. Each page contains a few sentences in large, bold font, which makes it easy for children to read. The pictures are clearly labeled so children grasp an understanding of how blended families are formed. show more This is a book that can be used to positively educate young children, as well as make it relatable. Unfortunately, lots of children go through parent divorce or separation, even during young years, so this book make be comforting for some children to know they are not alone. There are also pictures of the families doing everyday activities, showing that all families are special, which I believe is the main message. show less

I enjoyed this short and informative book for a few reasons. First, I liked the photographs in the book. Including real photographs with people participating in the tradition that is being discussed adds a lot to the words. For example, on the page that discusses the Australian tradition of clapping for each year someone has been alive, a young girl is pictured with friends or family around her clapping. The photographs bring the traditions to life and make them seem more real for a young show more audience. I also liked the fact that the book had a simple glossary, list of books that expand on the topic, helpful internet sites, and an index in the back of the book. These few pages simplistically introduce the young audience to the helpful resources that many informational books have. They also help the reader in their understanding of an unfamiliar topic. Lastly, I appreciate the fact that this book makes readers aware of different cultures and their traditions. This book includes traditions from Australia, Canada, China, Mexico, and the Netherlands.

The big idea of this book is to discuss the birthday traditions that a variety of cultures have. show less