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Summary
Summary
Trusted New York Times best-selling author Robie H. Harris continues her series for preschoolers with a look at the many kinds of families that make up our world.
Join Nellie and Gus and their family -- plus all manner of other families -- for a day at the zoo, where they see animal families galore! To top off their day, Nellie and Gus invite friends and relatives for a fun dinner at home. Accessible, humorous, and full of charming illustrations depicting families of many configurations, this engaging story interweaves conversations between the siblings and a matter-of-fact text, making it clear to every child that whoever makes up your family, it is perfectly normal -- and totally wonderful.
Author Notes
Robie H. Harris (1940-2024) is the New York Times best-selling author of the acclaimed Family Library series-- It's Perfectly Normal , It's So Amazing! , and It's Not the Stork!-- illustrated by Michael Emberley; CRASH! BOOM! A Math Tale , illustrated by Chris Chatterton; and Somewhere , illustrated by Armando Mariño. She is also the author of the Let's Talk About You and Me series, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott, and many other books for young children.
Nadine Bernard Westcott is the illustrator of more than a hundred books, including Who Has What? She lives in Massachusetts.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-This book sets out to reassure children: "Wherever you live, wherever you go, there are all kinds of families." As readers journey to the zoo with Nellie, Gus, and their family, they learn about where people live, what they eat, their habits and hobbies, and how their families are composed, including references to single parents and same-sex couples. The prose is unadorned and economical, but gentle, and perfect for very young children. Digitally created images are bright and welcoming and feature a host of multicultural characters and diverse families. The conversations between Nellie and Gus featured in speech bubbles alongside the illustrations sweetly reinforce the messages in the broader text: "Right, Gus. Don't worry. I can be your big sister and your friend. And I am!" This book should find a place in classroom libraries, guidance offices, and public libraries.-Alison Donnelly, Mississippi Valley Library District, Collinsville, IL (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Nellie and Gus, the siblings from 2011's Who Has What?, are back for a second Let's Talk About You and Me book, an exploration of the many permutations of family. As the kids visit the zoo and host friends and their parents for dinner, Harris's upbeat, nonjudgmental prose explains that families can diverge in many ways, including what they eat for breakfast, their physical appearances ("In some families, people's eyes are different colors or different shapes"), and what constitutes family membership ("Many family have grown-ups and children in them. Some families have only grown-ups"). But the fundamentals still apply: families "love to be together" and care for one another, even in "mad times" and "sad times." Once again, Harris is encyclopedic without being exhausting; Nellie and Gus's dialogue, however, rarely resembles normal kidspeak ("I can be your big sister AND your friend," Nellie tells Gus. "And I am!"). Westcott fills her spreads with idyllic environments and sunny, diverse characters (human and animal), but with less gripping subject matter than its predecessor, this outing is well-intentioned and useful, yet underwhelming. Ages 2-6. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Harris and Westcott, who previously collaborated on Who Has What? All About Girls' Bodies and Boys' Bodies (2011), return with another matter-of-fact and sensitive informational book, this time not about the human body and sexuality, but about human families and relationships. Beginning with cover art introducing an interracial family comprised of a mother, father, daughter, son and pet dog, the book follows the family on an outing to the zoo, where they encounter many different kinds of families. Narrative text and speech balloons introduce diverse family constellations in a celebratory spirit of inclusivity and community. In addition to the outing to the zoo, the family also spends time at home, which includes a get-together with extended family members. The balance between the particular experience of this central cast of characters and the general narrative comments about families is executed well, and the tone remains positive and affirming even as it acknowledges that "sometimes, families have mad times. And sometimes, families have sad times." Throughout, Westcott's cartoonlike illustrations echo and extend the text, making a wide range of families visible and accessible to readers. A welcome addition. (Informational picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This colorful, large-format picture book looks at families, all kinds of families, and all kinds of diversity. Families live in different places, eat different foods, and enjoy doing different things together. They have different numbers of children, who might be adopted, and different combinations of mothers and fathers, who might get divorced and possibly remarry. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, foster parents, and pets are family, too. The color of different family members' hair, eyes, and skin may vary. They may sometimes be mad or sad, but families really do love one another. Teachers and parents looking for a picture book about diverse families will find this an obvious choice, with its clearly written, inclusive text and its large, cheerful illustrations, which show up well from a distance. At the same time, some will be put off by the book's tone, which is unswervingly upbeat and purposeful. Still, a useful addition to library collections.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
