Families Are Different

I have been looking for a book that does not obsess with adoption. Pellegrini shows us with lovely illustrations that the adopted child within his/her family is, in a true sense, not any different from anyone else, simply because families are, indeed, different! She cleverly shows us what we see in our own neighborhoods but don't really think about. By the time young Nico has shown us all the differences, we say: She's right! Families are all so different. We can understand why Nico feels relieved and why we should too in telling our children that it's okay to look different! A charming book.Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?

I really enjoyed the way this book explored not only issues of adoption, but the way in which so many families now are not "traditional". I am glad that this book is around for my daughter to read. The families are presented in an honest, straightforward way -- and really don't seem that "different" after all!

A young Korean girl, Nico, feels different from all her friends. All of Nico's friends and families look like one another but Nico and her sister, Angel, all do not look like her friends or even their own parents. Nico and Angel were adopted. Her mother explains to Nico that all families, no matter different, are all tied together with a special kind of glue, called love. After this Nico explores the city which she lives in and discovers there are many types of families. There are stepsiblings, grandparents, single parents, and much more. Nico realizes she is just like everyone else. Families are Different is a seeming good multicultural book because it highlights groups of people outside the sociopolitical mainstream. The selection exhibits a positive perspective towards multi-ethnic families. It encourages diversity and could help a child feel more confidence about his or her self as Pellearini explains that families are composed of love.

Pellegrini does a great job at including many different types of families in her book. Pellegrini actually wrote this book through the eyes of her child, who was adopted from Korea. She does a wonderful job at illustrating that even though families may be very different, they still have alot of love. I used this book to introduce a lesson about different families (in an elementary classroom). - They really enjoyed it!