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< Picture Books Library
Little Parachutes Gold Star Winner
Categories: Acceptance & Inclusion, Adoption & Fostering, Being Different & Being Yourself, Divorce / Separation, Non-traditional Families

The Great Big Book of Families

Highlighting the fact that families come in all shapes and sizes, this book celebrates diversity, explaining how every personal situation is different. It's a good book for debunking the traditional storybook myth that happy families usually consist of mother, father and two children.
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The Great Big Book of Families

Author: Mary Hoffman
Illustrator: Ros Asquith
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books

The key theme running through the book is that every family is different, and that’s OK. It shows traditional mother/father families alongside blended/unconventional ones (such as two-father or two-mother households). It also shows adopted children with their families, and children being cared for by grandparents. The book highlights how different humans are in other ways too, from the hobbies they choose, through to the way they think and what they choose to cook and eat. It covers a wide spectrum of different lifestyles and choices families make: how they take holidays and celebrate together, who goes out to work and who stays at home, who does the cooking and how they dress, spend their leisure time, and get along with each other.

This video link is provided to help an adult assess the book's suitability for a child's situation before purchasing it. It has been filmed by a third party and hosted on YouTube and is not made by Little Parachutes. More info
Things we liked:

A wonderfully entertaining celebration of the huge diversity found within contemporary families. This book may reassure children who are living in unconventional families that this is something to celebrate rather than be ashamed of.

Worth noting:

Subjects explored include disability, adoption, working parents, holidays, pets, emotions, celebrations, poverty and racial diversity.

Categories: Acceptance & Inclusion, Adoption & Fostering, Being Different & Being Yourself, Divorce / Separation, Non-traditional Families
Tags: diversity, father, foster, grandparent, mother, multicultural, poverty, single parent, wheelchair, working parents



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What is a Parachute Book?

A challenging experience can make a young child feel as if they are in emotional free fall. As a parent, you can’t stop them falling, but you can offer them a softer landing:
a Parachute Book.

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The information provided on the Little Parachutes website is not a substitute for professional care by a qualified practitioner, and is not intended to provide medical advice. If you are concerned about the health and wellbeing of yourself or children in your care, you should always consult an appropriate healthcare professional.