Family Diversity at its Finest: A Family is a Family is a Family

Looking for amazing books to share with your children and students about family diversity and alternative family structures? This is one of our very favorites, one that has a special place in our hearts and home. Check it out!

Sara O'Leary does it again, folks!  A Family is a Family is a Family melts my heart, purely and simply. It is one of those special stories that firmly grounds the reader in a situation we have all experienced: that unsettling feeling of needing to hide details about our family because something about it felt too different to share.  We've all had moments where we felt ashamed, embarrassed, or - even more upsetting - that things were much more "normal" in everyone else's homes. But this book tackles all of those feelings and then some. And it does it so, so well. This is the most beautiful children’s book about family diversity and alternative family structures, and we recommend it to everyone we know.

In the beautiful A Family is a Family is a Family, written by the brilliant O'Leary and illustrated by Qin Leng, a child is hesitant to share stories about her family at school. But once all of her classmates begin to talk about life in their own homes, the students come to realize there is no such thing as a "right" family.  Instead, each family is unique and special in its own way, and the most important component is the love they all share with one another.

I adore the way A Family is a Family is a Family handles what is perceived by many as a sensitive topic. It never feels pedantic or preachy, and it so flawlessly imparts that families come in all shapes and sizes, some with multiracial parents, others with adopted siblings, some with same sex parents and others with divorced parents, just to name a few. It is a book I am so proud to display in my school library and one that is cherished in our home collection because it stands for everything I believe in-- a family is a family is a family, and perhaps even more importantly, love is love is love. With this book, O'Leary has given us all another beautiful story of family diversity to share with our children. It is the perfect tool to teach them that the beating, breathing heart of a family has no limits and no restrictions. Two joyful trunks up!!

Did you like this post? We think you will love these, too! Best Books About Family Diversity and Alternative Family Structure, Gaston, by Kelly DiPucchio, Mixed: A Colorful Story by Arree Chung.

Want the book? Get it here! A Family is a Family is a Family, by Sara O'Leary.  *This is an affiliate link.