Who's in Family?

by Robert Skutch

An open-minded look at a wide variety of families. Who's in a family? Why, the people who love you the most

Genres: Picture Books, Family, LGBT, Childrens, Adoption, Queer, Nonfiction

First published February 1, 1995

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t love the inclusion or parallels to the animal families, it seems like a way to get my learners distracted making animal sounds rather than talking about who lives in their house or cares for them.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this family book. This is an informative book and I like that it isn't a story that isn't representing how children sometimes feel upset about their "different" families. It strictly shows all kinds of families and how all types do "family things". It even includes a few scenarios with animals, I think children will find that interesting. It really gets the point across that a family can be made up of any shape, size, color, or amount of people as long as their is love! It still leaves room for the reader to raise questions. I think this is a great way for parents/ teachers to spark interest in this topic. It is appropriate for children to understand and has a clear point. There is not a problem and resolution because it is informational, but outside of the story, a child may be able to better understand and resolve any confusion about why his family looks different than another kid's family. The characters are realistic, beautiful illustrations. Even the animal families are realistic. The pictures make sense and show a clear message on each page about a new version of a family. This book represent a variety of cultural groups, and I did not see any stereotypes. Great children's book.

[Ben Truong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who's in a Family? is a children's picture book written by Robert Skutch and illustrated by Laura Nienhaus which focus on the definition of family and what constitutes a family. This book explores a myriad of families and each being valid in every meaning of the definition.

Skutch's text is simplistic and flowed rather well and the text was easy to follow. Nienhaus's art is simply wonderful and brought to life the different types of family depicted in this book. The illustrations are detailed and very colorful, which keeps the young reader captivated and compliments the text.

The myriad of families depicted is the so called traditional heterosexual parents, gay and lesbian parents, single parents, families with one, many, or no children, blended families, mixed race families, multi-generational families, and animal families. Yet despite the many difference between all of these families depicted, the answer to the title of the book remains the same: the people who loves you is a part of your family.

All in all, Who's in a Family? is a wonderful children's book defining and depicting the meaning of family. It shows their target audience – the kids, that even though every family may look different, one thing remains true: they love each other.

[Adassa Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 out of 5
I loved this book. Something that stood out to me was that the story begins with our general looking families, but then it slowly brings in that other families can and will be different than your own. The drawing were very bright and happy. The book gave of an accepting, non judge-mental feel. The author and illustrator did a great job at giving the readers someone to relate too, and if they weren't relatable, they emphasize that all families are different and give you the opportunity to put pictures of your family in the back of the book.

This book captures the real idea of family and exposes it to children. We learn about how every family is different and that each member of the family is different from each other. I am really glad they involve families with same gender parents, kids being raised by their grandparents, or most importantly, single parents.

There is nothing about this book that I would change. I love the story of it and the lesson they want the readers to learn. It is important for students to accept each other no matter where they come from and this was a great topic to teach about. I especially enjoyed how they left a blank page for the reader to put their own pictures. Great book.

[Jomal Childers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who’s in my family does a wonderful job showing diversity in family. It is an interesting read and allows young readers to connect with the reading by offering a diverse group of characters from different cultures, racial backgrounds, gender, and sexual orientation. The illustrations add to the story and are accurate in relation to the text and setting. I believe this book is an age appropriate read and children can easily understand the text. The book also offer the reader more knowledge about the family structure of different animals as well. Some would think that the book uses animals to talk about families however I think it counter balances the animal illustration with a plethora of real life scenarios. The book is very informative and educational and I think it’s a great way to help children gain perspective, be able to see themselves, as well as connect with the world around them.

[Cristal Trujillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations of various types of families drew me to pick this book, I enjoy books that highlight diversity. In the beginning a girl is asking about how families are not just one thing. That some families have a mom and dad with many children or a mom and dad with only one child. There can also be families with only one parent, just a mom or a dad, not both. Families can also have two moms or two dads, with children or no children. All families do not look the same but, they all have people that love you and you love too. This book sends a positive message about all of the different types of families that there are in the world. This book can help inform students on all the different types of families that may differ from theirs and help foster acceptance for differences they may have with other students.

[Ana Pedraza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was great. It showed many different types of families. The families were from all different cultures and backgrounds. There was even families in which the pets were included. The story also uses animals in order to show certain types of families. I think this book would be a great way to spark the interest of young minds. The book itself is vibrant of color which will for sure keep the attention of a child. The illustrations enhance the story because it lets the student know what that family my look like. The book also shows the families partaking in different activities together. I feel that this book may help children realize that not every family is the same and that is okay.

[Katherine Pak · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is interesting to children, is age-appropriate and children can understand what is represented, it utilizes style and language that are appropriate for the children's ages and interests.
The illustrations are accurate in terms of setting, plot, and characters, correspond to the text.
The children are exposed to multiple perspectives and values, no negative stereotypes that they mention, the lifestyles of the characters aren't complex.
This book doesnt really discuss singly parent families, however it does talk about family and the meaning of family. It also discusses what is family and what makes a family.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book answers the complex question: Who's in a Family? The answer: the people who love you! This book depicts families with one parent, families with step-parents, families with gay/lesbian parents, children being raised by grandparents, and families with a mom and dad. This is a great resource for talking to children about the diverse families in our world, and how all of them are equally good, as long as there is love.

Instructional suggestions: diversity, theme, family
Genres: nonfiction, informational

[McCall DiLorenzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful way to teach kids about the diverse ways a family can be designed. The author uses animals as a disarming and familiar way for kids to understand how a different family situation is just as normal as a traditional “nuclear family”. The illustrations are colorful and allow the opportunity to comfortably discuss the sensitive topic of diversity with an open mind. The hard cover and glossy pages make this the perfect classroom reading-corner book for students to enjoy for many years.

[Deserae Duran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great way to teach children about some different families around the world. Some children may have questions about what they see but too afraid to ask, this answers their questions. This book uses very simple language that is easy for a small child to read. The illustrations cooperate with the writing perfectly and they really allow to take a look into each family!

[Regan Brakebush]

This was really great, but the read-aloud version I watched was not. Fortunately, it wasn't too distracting. This showed how families can come in many many different forms. It showed a lot that I probably would not have necessarily even thought to categorize as something unique unto their own, which shows I need to work on that a bit.

[Alejandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has a great message about different cultures having their own traditions. The author shows us that it is okay to be different or come from a unique lifestyle. I enjoyed reading about all the kinds of ways a "family" can be made up of.

[Maggie Chopra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who's in a family, is a very cute book, it shows all the different families that could be living together. I like how they show the different animal families too. The illustrations are good but a little too basic. Maybe that's the whole point. Overall I like the book.

[Madison Wyeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book answers a very simple question, family is what you make it. I love the open-minded views and priorities this story displays for our children. The bonus is in the pictures though, as it truly captivates the idea of who you are and what makes up your own family in various ways.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to talk about all kinds of families. Traditional families, same sex families, animal families, and families that don’t look the same. As a single mom I loved this approach and so did my son!

[Jenna Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book looking at different types of families even including animal families.

[Britney Forbes]

The author uses the story and illustrations to highlight every type of family possible from one child, divorce, single parents, same gender parents, and much more, but he also uses his text and the illustrations to show how that no family looks the same and everyone is different. I think this book does nothing but help support the theme of diverse families and acceptance. This story can help lead children into deeper conversations about acceptance and why everyone is different.

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I love how they include some animal families but maintain the focus on the different families that children may live in including mom and dad, grandma, 2 mothers and 2 fathers, step-families, single child, single parent, etc. It was simple and straight to the point with great illustrations.

The illustrations were detailed but not important towards the main storyline (besides a helping hand). It was realistic and showed aspects of different family types, races, cultures, and life styles. This is a great book for my shelf on Families as it is the basic understanding and explanation of what a family is and can be. Will be a good introduction piece for the kids.

[Marisa Moorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who's in a Family is a realistic fiction picture book written by Robert Sketch and illustrated by Laura Nienhaus. I really like this book because it is simple and modern. It starts off by saying how "A family can be made up in many different ways" and then proceeds to describes different types of families and some animal families as well. The families described in this book are different in their own way and this book does an excellent job describing a variety of families. Some of the families that are described are Carlos' family which consists of his papa and mama, a pair of siblings that live with their dad, siblings that have two moms, a child with two dads, and a child with two families. Animal families are also mentioned in this book and I think this adds something extra to the whole entire store. The children will not only be able to relate to the families in this book but also see and learn how animal families are different. I think this book is age appropriate because it uses a style of language that is appropriate for children and also has very nice illustrations that help! Another aspect of this book I really like is that a variety of cultures, races, and ethnicities are represented. This not only shows the differences about who's in a family but also the different cultures and backgrounds families have. I think this is a great book for students or anyone who wants to know more about how family structures differ.

[Megan Piero · Rating 4 out of 5]

This informational text is about different types of families. It exposes to children the many different types of families in the human world as well as in the animal kingdom (ex. “Families are made up of people, and animals have families too”). As a teacher, I would use this book in conjunction with a science lesson about different types of animals. I would talk to my students about the different ways animal families are both similar and different from human families. I would read them a line from the book (ex. “Mama chimp raises the babies by herself, with the help of any older children she may have”) and then ask them questions about how it may or may not be like their life at home (ex. “Does anyone live in a home where the mother does most of the work to raise the children?”). The author, Robert Skutch, does a great job at making complex issues, such as non-traditional families, easier to talk about by showing similar family types that exist in the animal kingdom. Children will be more likely to open up about their home lives if they can see their type of family represented in the literature that they read (ex. “Laura and Kyle live with their two moms”). This book relates to my topic because it shows several different types of families. It touches on bi-racial families, gay parents, non-parental custodians, single-parent families, and divorced families.

[Juso · Rating 5 out of 5]

This informative narrative exposes children to a large number of ways in which families can be different and who the members of a family can be. The families depicted are not only human, but animals as well (ex. "In lion families there is only one father, but lots of babies and several mothers to take care of them and get them food"). Eventually, the narrative allows for the reader to explore the members of his/her family, by having a page designated for drawing pictures of family members. As a literacy teacher, I would use this text to teach concepts like similarities and differences (ex. "Amina and Geitha live with their father. Lots of children live in families with their mother"). The students would be able to interact with the text by having the students illustrate pictures of family members to show who is in their family. The author, Robert Skutch, does a great job of establishing the differences that exist between different families and different members of a family (ex. "In Eric's family, his daddy has light skin and his mommy has dark skin. That's why the color of Eric's skin is in-between"). The narrative addresses diverse families in that it includes single parent families, same-sex families, adoptive families, cross-generational families, etc.

[David Korsak · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Who’s in a Family by Robert Skutch is a picture, information, and fiction book about people who come from different households, meaning different family structures. The book explains that there is the conventional household of a women and a man, but then explains that some households have two women or 2 men. I selected this book because it lets children know at an early age that households will not always be conventional. Some people grow up with two Moms and two Dads and children need to learn that it's not wrong, it's just a different way of living. This text can build knowledge on diversity because it allows children to feel like its ok if their household is not like someone else's household. I think this book is very important for children in school today because many children have households that are anything, but conventional. Households 30 to 40 years ago had a man and a women with kids, but today that has changed and in order for our kids to feel comfortable, we need to openly discuss that its ok to have two moms or 2 Dads. This is why i think this book is really important and she be mandatory for every classroom in America.

[Christina Venturelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this realistic and LGBTQ children’s book, talks about how families are different in many ways. It mentions how some children have two mommies, how some have two homes where their parents are divorced and so on. The main message this book was portraying that it does not matter what type of family someone may have, all that matters is that a family is made up of the people who love you. This book relates to my cultural topic families because, it talks about all different family situations that someone may go through. (Same sex parents, grandparents as parents, divorced parents, etc.) Overall, this story is interesting to children because this book may talk about their family situation and they will be able to relate with the book. The illustrations do enhance the story. The illustrations do mimic real life people and children will be able to connect to it more. Lastly, this book does not negatively stereotype any type of family. This family makes all readers feel like their specific family is special. I would recommend this to everyone! Everyone will be able to relate to this story because more than likely everyone’s family type will be in this book.

[Christian Houseworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very informative; it discusses who is in a family. The text exposes children to differing family structures and explains it in a way that is easy for children to understand. For example, the author, Robert Skutch, provides descriptions like, “this is Tom, he has two moms”, or “this is Jane, she and her sister live with their dad only”. This book educates children on how there is no “typical family” and that families are constructed in a variety of ways. The illustrator, Laura Neinhaus, used explicit details in her pictures to portray different cultures. The pictures really enhance the text. As a teacher, I would use this book to start a multicultural lesson on what families look like and how they are so diverse. The text promotes discussion in and outside of the classroom. It covers all the critical topics such as single parenting, same sex parenting, multiracial parenting, adoptive parenting, and many more. Essentially, this book is a great book for all teachers to have in their classroom library.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, Who's in a Family by Robert Skutch is a children's book that brings attention to some of the many make ups of various families, it even recognizes animal families as well.

Although this book, talks about different types of families ranging from families with parents of the same sex to heterogeneous families, it fails to acknowledge families with the parents of the same sex as parents, it describes one of the parents as "partners". For example. "mom and her partner" as opposed to "mom and mommy".

Although, the book fails to call both parents, "parents", the book does mention that families can exist even if there are not any children which was a nice touch, and it also includes multi-racial families.

The author, Robert Skutch, identifies with one of the groups mentioned in the book, because he is married man with children.

Initially, I thought this would be a great book for my students to teach them about the various compositions of families, however, depending on the dynamic and make-up of my class reading this book may offend some of my students.

[Princess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really significant because it connects to our current time. It describes different types of families, such as single families, extended families, same sex couple families, etc. It is important for children to love and understand their own families, as well as other families. What stood out the most to me was the inclusion of the same sex couple families. Same sex couple families are becoming more and more common and they should be included in books so that children who have these kind of families feel as included as others when discussing, reading or viewing other families. This book should be read independently and as a large group. Not only does are their illustrations of different race but also text and illustrations comparing human families to animal families. I'd like to point out a specific quote from the book "Your skin......" so it tells the children it is okay to be different skin colors from their family members, as well as others.

[Peacegal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Who’s in a Family. Human and animal families are profiled, and the many different makeups of each.

This unassuming picture book sparked outrage several years ago, for daring to suggest that single parent households and same-sex partners can be families. Nuclear, multiracial, and extended families are also depicted. Just about everyone will be able to positively relate to a family depicted in this book. For example, one family has an only child, like the one I grew up in.

This is quite possibly the only book I’ve read that depicts a childfree couple as a family (a notion a lot of rude parents need to learn themselves). We learn that “Aunt Amanda and Uncle Stan don’t have any children at all, but they’re still a family. They say Mouser and Fred are their “babies.”” And we see a happy couple cruising in a convertible with a dog and a cat. Yay, Stan and Amanda!!

[Alex Fairhill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book includes a wide range of human families, linking them to similar family structures in the animal kingdom. As well as the traditional nuclear family, the book also includes man and female homosexual couples (although one is the parent and the other the parent's partner); single-parent families; blended families; kids living with grandparents; a wide range of ethnicities; families of mixed ethnicity; and a couple with a family of 'fur kids'.

The main issue I found was that all the families were some kind of birth family, or blood relation - other than the fur kids. This may cause confusion with adopted kids, as they are not represented.

However, this is also in line with the theme of not explaining how the families were formed (such as divorce, death, remarriage), which concentrates on the existence of the family unit as it is, rather than how it was created.

[Mackenzie Loula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who's in a Family? by Robert Skutch is an awesome book that talks about the different types of families there are. I think it is of extreme importance for children to be aware of the differing types of families at a young age. I want my students to be aware that there is no such thing as a "normal" family. All families are "normal", no matter who is in it. This books exposes children to all the different types of families there can be. Whether it be a mom and a dad, two dads, two moms, one mom, one dad, or aunts and uncles, all these family types are normal and are prevalent in our society today. This book is important to me, because it shows kids that no matter what the make up of a family is, there is still love, which is always the most important thing.