Love Makes a Family

by Sophie Beer

Whether you have two mums, two dads, one parent, or one of each, there's one thing that makes a family a family... and that's love.

A book for EVERY family by dazzling illustrator Sophie Beer.

Genres: Picture Books, LGBT, Childrens, Family, Love, Storytime, Kids

24 pages, Board book

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Sophie Beer is an award-winning illustrator/author living in Brisbane, Australia.

Sophie Beer is an award-winning illustrator/author living in Brisbane, Australia. She rejoices in creating bright, funny picture books which centre equality, inclusion and kindness. Her books have been printed all over the world and have sold close to one million copies. She has published with Penguin Random House New York, Simon & Schuster, Hardie Grant, Scholastic, and many more. As an illustrator, she has worked with the likes of Disney, Google, The Guardian, The Boston Globe. As a writer, her work has appeared in Frankie Magazine and The Big Issue. In 2022 she received a Varuna Writers Space Fellowship to complete her first middle grade novel. When she's not illustrating and writing, she thinks a lot about plants, animals, music, books, equality, and Aldi choc-chip biscuits.

Winner of the 2016 SCBWI Penguin/Random House Portfolio award.

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is a family? A family is made up of individuals who love. I liked how this book shows a variety of families from one parent to two-parents. The book expands to include two females, two males, older parents or grandparents, and an interracial couple. These parents along with their children are showing love as they celebrate a birthday, splash in rain puddles, have a tea party in tree house, and read books in a homemade tent on the floor (some examples). They are spending times together and enjoying each other's company.

The illustrations are bright and colorful and the black text really stood out on this shiny board book. I liked the illustrations as I felt that the colors really popped off the pages and I liked the different activities that each of the families were participating in. I think this is a good book that addresses families, diversity, and differences.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet little board book about loving families involved in a variety of activities, from waking up in the morning, to visiting the zoo*, celebrating a birthday, playing together etc. all the way to bath time and bedtime. Each spread features a different family unit, including mom and dad, two moms, two dads, single parents, and grandparents. All are shown lovingly engaged with their children.

*I do wish it had been a different setting and could have done without the free-roaming monkey taking the little girl's ice cream cone, but, small quibble.

[TheBookPrivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My notion about a perfect family while growing up always meant a family who looked like mine. Because that’s what I saw around me. As I ventured out more into the world , I saw many different sets of family and strangely enough they never seemed odd even when they were different from my family. You know why ?
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Because they all seemed to have one thing in common, and that is LOVE.
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Hence it’s my responsibility to make sure my children don’t grow up with any preconceived notion about anyone’s family type. Especially if you have babies and toddlers, discussions pertaining to family structure different than yours can be difficult for them to understand, but that doesn’t mean we have to refrain from introducing them to such topics .
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This board book is a good way to introduce the little ones to diverse and inclusive families. And it helps in normalizing families that are different from yours. With fabulous illustrations, simple one liners & by adding diverse & inclusive families author/illustrator @sophiebeerdraws has created a book every family can add to their shelf.
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What we love about this book: Vibrant colors that catches the younger one’s interest , amazing illustrations which leads to lot of discussions between me & the elder one and the clear and concise message that no matter what your family looks like ,love is what makes a family. Love precedes everything is a message that our kids need to hear more. Loving themselves and one another without judgement. And this book helps in establishing that foundation .

[Abby Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Makes a Family is a cute little book about all of the different ways that "love is". This book has great illustrations that depict many different types of families including moms/dad, two moms, and two dads. These pictures are great ways to show children that these types of families are normal and are equally as loving as other families. I think my favorite part of this book is at the end when it explicitly talks about how families can include two moms, two dads, or other types of caregivers. I think this is important as not everyone lives with their parents, sometimes they live with their grandparents or in a foster family's home. This book is extremely inclusive and is gentle when bringing up topics like this within a classroom setting.

[Kiernan Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Each page created a different scene with different looking people. The representation was across the board. There were characters of different ages, races, religions, and genders throughout. There were also different combinations of characters and different numbers of people. Each page, the characters were doing a different activity and there is a new reason for what love is about. Love is not to be found between two people because of relation, or gender, or association, but rather love is found within every day and in many different ways. The representation in this book is phenomenal.

[Arthur · Rating 1 out of 5]

First I read the book and did not pay attention to the front cover or the back cover. We got it as a gift. After actually paying attention to it I realized this book promotes homosexuality, I do not care about homosexuality, but i do care when it is being promoted from such an early age. Absolutely disgusting. America is no longer the greatest nation. It has been destroyed.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the representations of different kinds of families and how they show love. The illustrations are fun and bright, but the style wasn't great for me. They reminded me of a happier Chris Raschka.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute book. The illustrations are beautiful. The message is subtle and powerful at the same time. Representation is so important for kids, and I think this book does a great job.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Makes a Family is another great book to start my collection of LGBTQ books. I love how subtle the author made the showcasing of LGBTQ in the illustrations. The main idea in this book was love. It didn't matter what your family consisted of as long as the family is showing some act of love. At the kindergarten age they are so naive and the biggest idea I want to teach them is empathy and kindness. I want my students to realize that everyone is different, as well as, their families. That is what makes us special. I always teach that if we were all the same it would be so boring. The same can go in with learning about families being different. I love how the author not only showcased LGBTQ families but also grandparents and different cultures in the book.

In the Article, Beyond Mere Representation in the Classroom, it states, "Many early gay and lesbian texts, in order to get published, had to remain chaste and innocent, often focusing on same-sex adult couples with children who engage in typically heteronormative activities." I can definitely see this in the last two children books I've read. Unfortunately, I also think I have liked these books because it is easier for me to have in my classroom library and won't get as much push back as other LGBTQ books. This shouldn't be the case because we should be able to have other LGBTQ books in our classroom without getting controversy. Students deserve windows, sliding doors, and mirrors in books.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Age: Infant-Preschool

Diverse family units bond together through playtime, exploration, and celebration. A wide variety of families are present--from skin color, to age, to sexual orientation--just like in the real world. Love is love is love and these families are in the throws of it.

Bright colors and bold illustrations make this particularly appealing for virtual and in-person storytime.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isaac's visual interest 👀 (3 is top): 👀👀
He looked at all the pages this morning until he fell asleep! But when I showed the book to him later, during a bottle feed, he didn't pay attention.

How good it is as a book for me to read aloud while breastfeeding 🍼 (3 is top): 🍼🍼🍼

[Dna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little board book about love and families. I like that it represents different types of families, but would be worried about reading this to a broad audience for fear of offending people who are still arriving at 'tolerance' and 'acceptance'. I don't even like the word TOLERANCE, but there you have it. I like this book. It is a great way to introduce your little one to families.

[Brooklyn Tayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family is love, inclusive to all. This book celebrates families of all kinds and how we all love.

[Cristiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Li em português, mas o livro não está na database!]

5 ⭐️

[Madelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how the book talked about manny ways love can bring a family together or make one.

[ieatcats123 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Book Ever 10/10
Beat the Backlist Reading Bingo, im coming for you 😍

[NTE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read & Reviewed for CBR 13. Review follows here

When I think about the kids we're raising, as a whole right now, I'm so goddamn hopeful for the future that I can't even really express it, for fear of losing my "unaffected internet witch" cool points (Note: I do not actually have any of those points).

But it's true: I have been a part of raising the children in my life for 25-ish years now, and - as the aunt of two adult niblings, a couple of teenage ones, and a handful of under tens - I gotta say, that, for the most part, parents these days are hitting it out of the fucking park. Which isn't to say that ALL parents are doing a great job, or that ALL kids are superstars, just that all of the parents I know - in real life, but also online - are working SO HARD to try to help create better humans. If you spend any time with the youngest of adults or teenagers (kids born around the turn of the century), then you probably understand that it seems to be working, at least so far -

These young people are self-aware, they're culturally aware, they're open and accepting as hell, and they don't give two shits about "Well, that's the way we've always done it", or "Well, society says it HAS to be XYZ not ZYX," particularly in terms of the -isms. Kids seem less hateful towards each other, less understanding of the status quo, and more willing and able to see, create, and be the change so many of us have been working hard for. (Again, not all the youths are exceptional, but I don't know any homophobic kids in my real life, and I DO know a ton of Black Lives Matter supporters, a ton of kids who go to protests, or kids who call and make sure things are accessible for their friends/siblings/family members, who blog against Asian American/Pacific Islander hate, just to name a few.)

And yes, I'm going to give the parents and extended influences of those young people a lot of credit for that- Hello Millenials, Gen X-ers, the youngest of Boomers who somehow turned into hippie grandparent- because every parent or person I know who's got even a tiny part in raising some kids seems absolutely determined to "do a better job", whatever that might mean to them personally. I'm going to go ahead and says some stuff without outing entire generations of people, because I don't think either of these generalizations will come as a surprise, but Gen-Xers often grew up in a land of self-sufficiency & media literacy that their parents just didn't understand (what I'm going to call Latch Key/Toys R Us Kids, and as a member of the Oregon Trail Micro-Generation, a place I will claim as my origin story) and Millenials are used to being blamed for shit they had nothing to do with and being forced into meeting expectations that are in no way reasonable (the Once in A Lifetime Recession happens every single time I'm looking for work generation, if you will). And both of those groups of people, once they started having children of their own, basically looked around at the expectations of society, and how they really got screwed because of them, and were like "Fuck this shit: I'm doing better by my kid(s)."

(Kindness isn't just words. It's actions. Show kids what that means. pix)

And then they DID.

Which is really the most startling part of the whole thing, if you think about it, because every group of parents WANTS to do better by their kids, but - as we so often find out in hindsight - they very often fall incredibly short of those goals. And I'm not saying that X-ers and Millenials have perfected parenting with their Zs and Alphas: We will, without a doubt, begin having the conversations about how we messed them up any day now (or, if you're lucky enough to have a couple of early Z-ers, you've already started having these conversations, and wow: aren't they fun?). BUT, in a lot of ways, parents around my age and younger put in some real work.

We did research... SO MUCH RESEARCH.
We went to therapy... SO MUCH THERAPY.
We dealt with our own traumas, in order to break generational traumas ... SO MANY TRAUMAS.

I literally know of no parents my own age or younger, who haven't - at the very least - done a shitton of self reflection and tried a different way, when they realized something they were doing (yelling, spanking, bribing, fawning, helicoptering, whatever) wasn't giving them the results  - attentive kids, better communication, clean bedrooms, less spoiled brat behavior, etc - they were hoping for.

And we can say a lot of good things about our parents - the Boomers and Hippies, a lot of whom tried to do better in their own ways too - but self-reflection and re-examining the roles we all play in society and within families was not their strongest suit. Hell, depending on how old your parents were, you could've been raised with full on "emotions are evil, shut that shit down" Silent Generation-ers, and still you're out here attempting Gentle Parenting and letting your kid have a tantrum in the Target parking lot. I'm so proud of you!

We saw that society expected us to be independent, but that, as we got older, intradependence is what saved us, so we started teaching empathy and community and communication, even though we had to learn it from scratch then too. We saw that "hey you can't depend on your job for everything - maybe you can't depend on it for anything" and we started to tell kids to focus on things that made them feel whole, and happy, and to not neglect those things just because of their jobs/school/whatever society said was more important. We continue to get slapped in the face with the ways in which inequality is a planned feature of our society, and so we taught our kids to recognize it from the beginning, to name it when they see it, to actively work against it.

(Love Makes A Family. Book format is also like a large board book, so this is really a good "all ages" kind of book. pix)

Anyways, now that I've patted us all on the back for ... you know, trying to parent in a way that actually takes our children into account, like all parents SHOULD have been doing for all times, let's move on to the next point, my main point, even. And that is the tools we use to engage in responsive, responsible, effective parenting (or teaching, or counselling, or interacting with children in any way), and how one of our best tools for that is books.

Like many of my fellow Cannonballers, books are a vital thing in my life. I am not exaggerating when I say I would not be alive without them, and so I don't tend to underestimate how important they can be, ever, but I often see them undervalued in the greater world, which is unfortunate. Unfortunate because books can be one of an adults most essential tools for teaching - well, for teaching anything, but if we're talking about how we go about teaching our kids how to become good people? Then books can be 90% of your toolbox, and the other 10% is just living what you're preaching.

Want to teach small children going out to face the big bad world (of preschool) alone for the first time that it's ok to be scared or lonely? Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney is going to give you both some much needed comfort. Want to teach your teenager that they're capable of finding & making "good trouble"? Try the March trilogy by Civil Rights hero John Lewis. Want a picture book that tells your kid that being their 'best' means being themselves? Try I'm A Lot Sometimes by Jack Guinan. Something about how nonsense is necessary to a full life? Hit up Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. Something that speaks on first love and first loss? Try Joy School by Elizabeth Berg.

And so we (finally!) come to today's three books:

Kindness Makes Us Strong & Love Makes A Family, both by Sophie Beer; and What Happened to You? by James Catchpole.

Kindness Makes Us Strong & Love Makes A Family are boldly illustrated declarations of love, acceptance and the different ways we can live out our values in our real lives. They're both populated by characters of different colors, ability levels, genders, and ages, while also ensuring that no one is specifically shown as "different" meaning lesser or unequal (a pitfall of many early 'melting pot' books or books that have disabled characters, but show them as people we should all be helping, for example). The books are simple reads, with simple messages, and little kids really GET THEM. They're perfect for talking about what kinds of ways love shows up in your family, and what kinds of ways you all can/do show kindness to each other - and also, what to do when kindness is hard. This is what I meant by books being a tool - If you're trying to teach your kids what it means to be a good human, and you don't have examples of how they can be good humans, then it is a lot harder for them to learn.

Something else that might be harder for tiny humans to understand is "what things can I be curious about, and what things should be private", and that leads us straight into What Happened To You? As a disabled person, the number of times I have been asked invasive questions about my health, my disability status, my wheelchair, &/or other more embarrassing private things about my body in public is really too high to count. And each disabled person has their own comfort level about questions and what they are willing to share: For example, I don't care if your four year old asks me what's wrong with my legs, bc I was a preschool teacher, and I'm used to answering those kind of questions from tiny humans. I prefer it, actually, to the whisper-yelling you think you are subtle about (you are not) when you're kid asks you, and you drag them away from me, which I think teaches them to be afraid of people like me. But I don't answer invasive questions from adults, and I get a lot of those too. Also, that's just me: Other disabled adults AND CHILDREN get to decide their own comfort levels with both the question and the answers they give, and that is 100% the point of What Happened to You?

In the book, Joe has only one leg, and uses crutches sometimes. But when he's approached by one kid after the other after the other at the playground who all ask him what happened to him, and offer up their own absurd theories about his missing leg, he doesn't want to answer them. He wants to play pirates, and stay away from invisible crocodiles and sharks circling his ship. Eventually, the other kids catch on to the real game, and we never do find out why Joe is missing a leg. We do find out that all of the kids are very good at being pirates.

My love for this book is immense, and for so many reasons. How do you teach kids that it's ok to ask questions, but also prepare them for the fact that sometimes people don't want you to ask questions, or don't want to answer your question, and that's ok too? This book. How can you explain to non-disabled children that disability is just another regular part of a disabled person's life, not something they constantly think about and worry over and focus on? This book. How can you show that everybody - including disabled people - are owed privacy and allowed not to answer intrusive questions? This. Book.

So there you have it - Three more books to add to your toolbox, if you're working on making the young ones in your lives more empathetic and whole humans. Since we aren't going to be perfect, we just have to aim for better, and these books - and so many like them - can help us get there.

[Juli Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and inclusive, without being preachy.

[Charlie Sutton · Rating 1 out of 5]

In a sociology course I took in college, family was defined as a group of people related by marriage, blood, or adoption - this definition is an objective one, reflecting that, while family and household structures have varied over the years and among cultures, there has been a constant in all of them - biological ties, recognized by the larger society.
This book defines families not by objective standards but by a subjective one, the emotion of personal affection. Such affection is almost always present in a family defined by biological ties, recognized by law. At the same time, people are limited, fallible, short-sighted, and selfish, so that many biological families have had difficult relationships and sometimes dreadfully so. The idea of a family founded on love, and love alone may seem attractive for that reason.
But love, being an emotion, is not constant or guaranteed - especially if people are encouraged to take their feelings as reliable guides to decision-making. My wife taught in the public schools for 17 years, until 2016. She saw first-hand what living in a household theoretically defined by love meant to her second-graders - uncertainty as to their place in the family, strange men moving in and out of their single mother's home, "siblings" who came and went - or if in a traditional home of married mother and father, uncertainty as to whether or not love would leave and divorce break up the household. It was difficult to teach kids when they were never quite sure of what was going to happen next in their house.
This book presents a rosy picture of love making a collection of people gathered primarily by affection and only secondarily (if that) by objective ties, and I imagine that that is comforting to a degree - but what happens when love is strained beyond the breaking point, as it is likely to be among us fallible beings.

[Jacqueline Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frankly, I couldn't get enough of this book. It is everything I believe an LGBTQ book should strive to be. It is one of the most inclusive stories I've ever read and it is perfectly suited for young readers. The vibrant and intentional illustrations create a space for multiple races, sexes, and nationalities to be featured in the story. In a way, I feel as if Love Makes a Family is the updated and more relevant take on the concepts Heather Has Two Mommies introduced into LGBTQ books. I thoroughly enjoyed the presence of men and women of different genders, races, and ages, breaking through social gender constructions with their children. This story can serve as a reminder to parents in regards to what it means and looks like to love your child unconditionally and be present/involved in their interests/preferences. Similarly, the story can provide children with images and words representing what that presence and acceptance looks and sounds like.

Overall, I feel as if the story truly touches on so many different representations of what families can look like. Since it is suited for beginning readers, the story can help instill open mindedness and acceptance in children from a very young age. In my opinion, Love Makes a Family is the epitome of diversity in LGBTQ books. Given that diversity is lacking in LGBTQ literature, it is my hope that this story forges a new path of inclusion in the genre.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book with diverse families about the love between a child and their guardians, and the things they do to show it-- retrieving a toy from the fish tank, watching a homemade puppet show, building blanket forts to read stories in together. The fun we share and the memories we make are what makes a family, and it goes for every single person-- no matter who they are, or how many people create that family.

[Marti (Letstalkaboutbooksbaybee) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Whether you have one parent
Two moms
Two dads
A mom and a dad
Or another wonderful caregiver,
There’s one thing that makes a family a family,
And that’s love”



Excuse me as I go sob in the corner

[Deyavion Washington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love makes a family was written and illustrated by Sophie Beer and published in May 2018. I enjoyed this picture book because it’s very lighthearted, but it holds an important message. The illustrations are bright and lively. It kinda follows a chronological order by starting with “Love is waking up bright and early” and ending with “Love is a kiss before bed. Goodnight”. It really emphasizes the little everyday things that we take for granted even though they hold meaning. On every page, it gives a different definition of what Love is. The normative understanding of a family is limited to having one mom and one dad. This book challenges this idea and shows that a family is not defined by how many moms or dads you have, but by the everyday things that show you care. It is harmful for people to try and define what a family is because it looks different for everyone. Some children only have one parent, some have two, some are raised by grandparents and uncles, some have 2 moms and some have 2 dads. It is important to let everyone own their own definition of “family” because love comes in many shapes and sizes.
Another thing I enjoyed about this book is that none of the characters look the same. On every page, each child and parent looks different. Every family portrayed is unique. This challenges some people’s thoughts of love only being able to live inside of one's race/ethnicity. There are a lot of multicultural families and kids that feel outcast or left out because their experiences as a family don’t follow what society has praised for years.
One thing that helps this book come to life is Sophie Beers belief that “Art should never be boring”. She especially appreciates things like animals, plants, music, and art which is incorporated in a lot of her works. She does a great job with the word and picture ration. It’s just enough reading for small children to recognize sight words, but it has enough picture detail for them to process what’s going on and think beyond that as well. This book is not labeled as having any awards, but Sophie is listed as an award winning illustrator for some of her different works. I believe this book can be very beneficial for children ages 1 and up in order for them to start understanding the world and other people early in life.

[Meaghan Morrissey · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Love Makes a Family" by Sophie Beer is a beautifully illustrated children's book that celebrates the diversity of families, including those with LGBTQ+ parents. The story follows a group of families with different compositions and backgrounds, all united by their love for one another.

When teaching an LGBTQ+ text like "Love Makes a Family," an affirmative approach would be most appropriate. This approach focuses on promoting understanding, acceptance, and celebration of LGBTQ+ individuals and families. It aims to create a safe and inclusive learning environment that recognizes the diversity of human experience.

The affirmative approach involves discussing the text in a way that emphasizes the positive representation of LGBTQ+ families and addresses any potential questions or concerns from students. This approach helps to counteract negative messages and stereotypes that students may have encountered outside of the classroom.

In the case of "Love Makes a Family," an affirmative approach would involve discussing the book's message of love and inclusivity, highlighting the positive representation of LGBTQ+ families and their children. It would also involve acknowledging and addressing any questions or concerns that students may have about the topic, promoting empathy and understanding.

Overall, "Love Makes a Family" is a fantastic book that promotes inclusivity and celebrates diversity. It is an excellent tool for teaching children about the importance of acceptance and respect for all families, including those with LGBTQ+ parents. An affirmative approach to teaching this text would help to promote understanding and inclusivity in the classroom.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every happy family shares at least one thing in common. Keep reading to find out what that is!

Parents and caregivers show love for the children they’re raising in countless ways. I adored seeing so many different examples of what this can look like as people go about their ordinary daily routines. The author covered everything from comforting a child after they scraped their knee to baking a special cake for them on their birthday. The wholesomeness of it all shone out of every scene, and it was absolutely perfect for this age group.

Writing a simple but compelling board book for toddlers isn’t easy. Ms. Beer did an excellent job of plainly stating what she thought the smallest members of society should know about the beautiful diversity of family life while also including deeper meanings for the adults or older kids who will be reading this out loud to the little ones in their lives.

Just about every sort of family you can possibly imagine was included in this tale, including LGBT+, interracial, adoptive, and single-parent families. No matter who was being shown helping their child find a lost toy or having a tea party, the love that each parent felt for their child or children shone through in every scene. It made me smile to see how much effort the author put into focusing on what we all share in common no matter who we are or what we look like.

Love Makes a Family was a heartwarming read that I’d heartily recommend to families of all shapes and sizes.

[Lidia de la Fuente · Rating 4 out of 5]

▶️ Edad recomendada: A partir de 3 años.

Se trata de un álbum ilustrado cuyo objetivo es transmitir a los peques de la casa que da igual quien forme la familia; lo más importante es que esta se construya a partir del amor.

Afortunadamente, la vida ha evolucionado y ahora ya no nos encontramos ante lo que siempre se ha entendido como el “modelo tradicional de familia”. Hay familias formadas por un hombre y una mujer; otras por dos hombres o dos mujeres; también por solo un hombre o solo una mujer o incluso niñas y niños que viven con los abuelos.

Y esto es lo que refleja precisamente este cuento, que recoge diversas situaciones de la vida cotidiana protagonizadas por diferentes modelos de familia. El objetivo es que los más pequeños aprendan que lo verdaderamente importante es siempre el amor, más allá de quién o como sea la persona con la que conviven.

Me encantan aquellos libros que, mediante dibujos y cuentos adaptados, nos ayudan a dar respuesta a las dudas y las preguntas de nuestros hijos. En este caso, en casa el libro nos ha ayudado mucho y ha sido un gran ejemplo de aprendizaje.

Valores como la igualdad y la defensa de la diversidad están muy presentes en este álbum que, por cierto, tiene unas ilustraciones preciosas. Si tenéis oportunidad, echadle un vistazo porque de verdad que vale la pena.

⭐ Mi puntuación: 4,5/5

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Makes a Family is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Sophie Beer. It cursory depicts the wide range of families and what they may typically do on a daily basis. As today is Family Day (17 February), I thought it would be apropos to read this book.

The text is simplistic, straightforward, and informative. This minimally worded and each page starts with the phrase: "Love is..." and then describes an action that families would do together. The illustrations are vibrant and depict a diverse range of loving families spending time enjoying each other's company.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It shows a variety of families and what they may typical do during the day as an act of love. We see two mothers tucking their children up for the night, a dad playing tea parties with his daughter in a tree house, and two fathers bathing their kids. A grandparent celebrates alongside the children at a birthday party. Dual-heritage families are also featured, as well as a variety of different races and nationalities.

All in all, Love Makes a Family is a wonderful board picture book about all different types of families and an equally wonderful introduction to the different types of families for very young children.

[Kaylee Fulk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book as it does a great job connecting on the topic of LGBTQIA while still be gentle with the topic. It portrays a family's with just a mom, just a da, two dads, two moms, or an older grandparent as a guardian. The main idea is to focus on the idea of love makes a family, regardless of how your family is made up. Stereotypes are always involved with the LGBTQIA community and this book does a good job of limiting those stereotypes to the intended audience. I think this is a good representation of today's society because everyone comes from a different family/home life. This book makes the connection of how everyone can feel powerful with where they come from. Another thing that stood our is it shows different parent scenarios in different settings. Playing with kids, bathing them, etc. This makes is really realistic and shows how parents interact with their kids. After reading this book, I was able to relate to it personally and how important it is to have the open mind becoming a teacher.

[Stephanie Sawicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book showed beautiful representations of different parental figures in children's lives. The author made it a main focus to show different families that children can have, put still show that they get loved and do normal stuff. They showed a family with 2 dad's, 2 mom's, 1 mom and 1 dad, a single mom, a single dad, and other caregivers that may not be the mom or dad. This book went outside the so called "norms" that society has put into place long ago, but it gives a powerful message to children that it doesn't matter how their families look. All that matters is that they're loved and cared for. I would read this book in my classroom so students can know that there's not always going to be a mom and a dad someones house. Differences are what makes everyone unique, and everyone can hav different experiences that make them who they are. I want them to know that they world is a beautiful place with lots of possibilities, and they should be open to everything so they can learn even more.

[Kathryn (Dragon Bite Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review first published on my blog, Nine Pages .

This little, brightly colored, riotously detailed board book depicts families of various make-ups (two dads, two moms, biracial families, grandparents raising grandchildren) doing the little, everyday things that express love, mostly spending quality time together—waking up early to children’s music, baking a birthday cake, splashing in puddles, helping retrieve a lost teddy bear, knowing where to find everything, watching a play. The refrain “love is” begins each page. This is a good reminder that love doesn’t have to be grand gestures, that love does not have to come just from biological parents or even from biological relatives.