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Sara O'Leary
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A Family Is a Family Is a Family Hardcover – Picture Book, September 1, 2016

by Sara O'Leary (Author), Qin Leng (Illustrator)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 478 ratings
Teachers' pick
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When a teacher asks her class to think about what makes their families special, the answers are all different, but the same in one important way ...

When a teacher asks the children in her class to think about what makes their families special, the answers are all different in many ways ― but the same in the one way that matters most of all.

One child is worried that her family is just too different to explain, but listens as her classmates talk about what makes their families special. One is raised by a grandmother, and another has two dads. One has many stepsiblings, and another has a new baby in the family.

As her classmates describe who they live with and who loves them ― family of every shape, size and every kind of relation ― the child realizes that as long as her family is full of caring people, it is special.

A warm and whimsical look at many types of families, written by award-winning author Sara O’Leary, with quirky and sweet illustrations by Qin Leng.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6
Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9
Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.6
Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

Previous page
  1. Reading age
    4 - 7 years
  2. Print length
    32 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Kindergarten - 2
  5. Lexile measure
    AD500L
  6. Dimensions
    8.5 x 0.4 x 9.5 inches
  7. Publisher
    Groundwood Books
  8. Publication date
    September 1, 2016
  9. ISBN-10
    1554987946
  10. ISBN-13
    978-1554987948
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2—A classroom of young children are asked to consider what makes families special. The narrator, a student whose head is hanging low, is nervous about answering, because she feels her family is too different from everyone else's. One by one, the students share, in intricate spreads, what makes their families unique. One student says that her mom and dad keep coming home with more children, another declares that both her moms are terrible singers, another mentions that she lives with her grandmother, and "fair's fair" for a child who stays with her mom one week and her father the next. After listening to all the students, the young narrator recalls a time in the park when her foster mother was asked to point out her real children. Her answer: "Oh, I don't have any imaginary children…. All my children are real." In this warm, nondiscriminating narrative, O'Leary removes limiting definitions and labels like "adopted," "fostered," or "divorced" and instead presents a tale that is innocent and wise. Leng's ink and digitally rendered watercolor illustrations are light and airy and complement the text by capturing the thoughts and purity of a child's perspective. The classroom is a beautiful blend of children of different races, genders, and body types. VERDICT Parents, caregivers, and educators will appreciate the message that this story offers for one-on-one sharing and for discussion with small groups. A sweet and tender tale that shows that families are composed of love regardless of how they may be configured.—Brianne Colombo, Pequannock Township Public Library, NJ

Review

The broad diversity of family constellations is refreshing . . . A-plus fabulous. ― Kirkus, starred review

Leng's drawings of domestic life are, like O'Leary's writing, winsome but never sentimental. Together they offer a straightforward, optimistic view of everyday modern life. ― Publishers Weekly, starred review

A sweet and tender tale that shows that families are composed of love regardless of how they may be configured. ― School Library Journal, starred review

[R]aucous and relatable.

― LitHub

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Groundwood Books (September 1, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1554987946
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1554987948
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 7 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD500L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Kindergarten - 2
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 0.4 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 478 ratings

About the author

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Sara O'Leary

Sara O'Leary

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Sara O'Leary (saraoleary.ca) is a writer for both children and adults. The Ghost in the House is her first novel. She has a degree in screenwriting from the University of British Columbia and teaches at Concordia University in Montreal. A former literary columnist for The Vancouver Sun and CBC Radio, she also writes short fiction. She has written a number of critically acclaimed books for children, including This is Sadie, which was adapted for the stage by New York City Children's Theater.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
478 global ratings
So beautiful!
5 Stars
So beautiful!
Here you go, another book to make your heart burst with love and your eyes to mist up with tears….. but the beautiful kind where you know you’ve read something wonderful.I really do not want to give this book back to the library, but I know that it deserves to be read and held by as many hands as possible.A Family is a family is a Family starts off with a teacher asking her class what makes their family special. Each sweet child states their idea of why their family is special. The answers are lovely with a bit of humor (kids do say the silliest things). I loved the diversity and the inclusiveness; truly showing that families come in so many different ways but that they all have one thing in common.
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Top reviews from the United States

Crystal
5.0 out of 5 stars Simple, Non-Preachy, and Inclusive
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
This book is perfect to introduce a unit on families in primary grades! It shows interracial couples, adopted and foster children, single parents, two moms/dads, a parent in a wheelchair, families with lots of kids, a grandparent raising a grandchild, etc. as the kids in the class share little facts about their families.

The best part is that none of the families are presented in a preachy way that points out why they might be “different.” For example, the child with two moms says, “My moms love to sing” and there is no discussion of why there are two moms, no suggestion that it’s unusual, and no indication that anyone has a problem with it. (There is one page where the child says their mom gets asked which of her kids are her REAL kids, and the mom replies that she has no pretend children, but that’s the only one where the family’s uniqueness is even pointed out.)

When I read this book to my class, I first had them draw a picture of a family. As we read, we noted whether any of them drew families like the ones in the book. It surprised me that they literally had no idea that a grandparent and grandchild can be a family. It really broadened their schema and helped generate a discussion of all the many ways to be a family.
17 people found this helpful
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Lisa
5.0 out of 5 stars A very good book for everyone, and a GREAT one for foster families!
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2019
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This is one of my favorite books about families! This is a book about how there are all kinds of families, and no two are exactly the same. What makes it unique and extra-fabulous is the framing. It begins with a teacher asking the children to tell the class what they think makes their family special. The narrator says that he decides to go last, because his family isn't like anyone else's. As the children talk about their families, it's clear that no one's family is like anyone else's. The illustrations are fun and engaging. LGBT families, single parents, divorced parents, blended families, disabled parents, grandparents, and foster parents are all included, but the family configuration is never what the kids mention. For example, one child says that what's special about her family is that her moms love to sing; she doesn't point out that she has moms, plural.

But the real reason I love this book is because when it's the narrator's turn at last, he recounts a time at a park when a stranger asked his foster mom which were her real children. Her absolutely perfect response: "Oh, all of them. I don't have any imaginary children." As a foster and adoptive parent myself, I LOVE this. This is the response that I wish I had thought of in time!

All families should read a few "all kinds of families" books with their children, because all children will encounter lots of different families. This is a particularly good one for opening the eyes of many well-meaning adults as well!
7 people found this helpful
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Morgan Little
5.0 out of 5 stars Very touching
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2022
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The first time I read this book was for a college assignment to check out the children’s section of the library. Tears. It’s so important to show children what every kind of family looks like, no matter what type of family they have. It’s important for them to know they’re not alone/weird if they have a family that looks different from their friends’ families and also for kids to have perspective on what different families can look like. I’d highly recommend this book as a classroom read aloud if you’re doing a project on family or just to read to your kids in general for a discussion about what different families can look like.
6 people found this helpful
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Carmen
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful story of differ Linda of families
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2023
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I love reading this book to my son. He understands there are hundreds of differ combinations of families.
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Tina Marie
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2022
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Wonderful book, highlighting families of every combination you can imagine. Loved the message and enjoyed sharing it with my kindergarten class.
2 people found this helpful
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Emily Elizabeth
4.0 out of 5 stars just ok
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2024
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I buy my daughter a lot of books about diverse families so we have quite a few of them. My biggest complaint about this one is that it doesn't definitively discuss a child living with a single parent. There are lots of other examples (child in foster care, LGBTQ couples, living with grandparent, divorces, etc) but none are talking about single parents. This isn't unusual and I've noticed a lot of books omit single parents. I'm not sure I'd buy it again but it does address foster kids so that's a plus.
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Honest Consumer
5.0 out of 5 stars Family, Family, Family
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2018
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It’s about a student that was shy to talk about their family because it was different than other family. Each student tells their family story. As you read, each child family is story different than the others. One students comes from many siblings, and one student has a newborn sibling. Another student has two moms. Another student is with mom 1/2 time and then the dad.
This story is good story for any child that having trouble understand why their own or another family is different than “mom, dad’ and child structure”
It’s a beautiful illustration.
Definitely a book that children can understand.
The only thing it may not be for all reader especially those concerned about telling their children about homosexual family. It doesn’t go into details but show a family that is. If you’re one of those parent don’t purchase this book.

I love it the book and I think it’s a beautiful way to show how beautiful families can be.
2 people found this helpful
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Vivian Kirkfield
5.0 out of 5 stars 5-STARS FOR A STORY THAT PROVIDES ALL KIDS WITH A MIRROR TO SEE THEIR OWN FAMILY UNIT!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2017
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When I grew up, most familes were cookie cutter similar...but today, we have many different types of family units. Kids get validation from seeing themselves in the pages of a book..and that's why A FAMILY IS A FAMILY IS A FAMILY is such an important story.

Talk about diversity. Not only do we find a varied array of family units...we also find characters of all sizes, shapes, and colors!
Very simple text will appeal to y!oung listeners and early readers!
The illustrations are fabulous!
As a former kindergarten teacher, I highly recommend this book for every preschool and early elementary classroom.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Shawna
5.0 out of 5 stars A story every kid should read!
Reviewed in Canada on April 25, 2022
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The book goes through all the different kinds of families in such a beautiful way. Everything from single parents, and gay parents to surrogacy and foster parents. It really is a great way to teach kids about all the different kinds of families
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Melanie Willcox
5.0 out of 5 stars Families book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2023
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Nice book with inclusive message. Perfect for use in school.
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Nelly Kunze
4.0 out of 5 stars Gut
Reviewed in Germany on September 27, 2018
Verified Purchase
Mir gefällt die Vielfalt der Familien: Schwarzer Vater-Schwarze Mutter- Schwarzes Kind ("Sandkastenliebe der Eltern), weißer Vater-weiße Mutter + 15 weiße Kinder), weiße Mutter-weiße Mutter-weißes Kind, weißes Kind-weißer Vater+weiße Mutter - weiße Mutter+ weißer Vater + 8 weiße Großeltern, weiße Mutter + 2weiße Kinder (allerdings verstehe ich wofür, "I think my mother orderd the new baby online" steht), weißer Vater + weiße Mutter oder weißer Vater (ist nicht eindeutig) + drei Kinder (1 weiß, 2 PoC), weißer Vater-Mutter of Color-Kind of Color (Wechselmodell), weißer Vater-Mutter of Color + Kind of Color, weiße Mutter mit Rollstuhl + weißes Kind, Großmutter of Color + Kind of Color, weißer Vater + weiße Mutter + fünf weiße Kinder (Patchwork), weißer Vater-weißer Vater + weißes Kind, weiße Pflegemutter + drei weiße Pflegekinder.
Die Illustration spricht mich nicht an, deshalb nur vier Sterne
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A bedtime story favourite
Reviewed in Canada on October 4, 2016
Verified Purchase
We love this book! My five-year-old daughter has requested it every night for a week now. The story is lovely (the final page may make you teary—and I'm not a super-sentimental person) and features families of all sorts. (My daughter has taken to saying "mommy you're my everything" and also "mommy you're my foster mother," even though I've tried to explain what that means. Ha!) We like to linger over the illustrations as well, which are detailed and add another level of nuance to the story. This will definitely be a book we buy as a gift for friends and family w young kids.
4 people found this helpful
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Linda B
5.0 out of 5 stars The kids loved it.
Reviewed in Canada on February 15, 2021
Verified Purchase
Very teachable message.
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