Family stories are often popular with children and young adults who may find their own experiences mirrored in the pages. At times, books about families may even provide a roadmap for navigating relationships with siblings, parents, and other relatives or for handling life’s challenges with familial support. This week’s column features books that touch on family matters in some way.
Ages 4–8
Flo. Kyo Maclear. 2018. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Flo, a young panda, dawdles through life, taking her time exploring the world around her and literally stopping to smell the roses. Most of the time the bigger pandas don't mind waiting for Flo, but they can only wait so long on this particular Saturday, when they have so much to do. They decide to leave her behind while they go boating. As it turns out, they need to be rescued, and Flo can help, simply because she's been paying attention to the little details that the others failed to notice. This picture book provides a humorous reminder that everyone needs downtime to observe, think, and dream.
I Want My Dad! Tony Ross. 2018. Andersen.
Although the Little Princess loves her father, he often cannot teach her the things she wants to learn. After the maid undertakes the Little Princess’s tutelage, they hike and camp, but the Little Princess is inept at these activities, just like her father. But, as it turns out, her father is proud of her for simply taking a risk and for trying something new. The last illustration shows the two embracing and a daughter who is grateful for the father she has.
Ten Cents a Pound. Nhung N. Tran-Davies. Ill. Josée Bisaillon. 2018. Second Story.
Told in alternating voices and illustrated in luminous colors, Ten Cents a Pound captures a mother’s love and the sacrifices that she will make to give her daughter a better life. In its pages, a young girl notes the toll her mother's hard physical labor in the coffee fields has taken on her body. One by one, she notes its effects on the older woman’s hands, her feet, her back, and her eyes, and deems the cost too high. Although the mother is illiterate and may never learn to read and write, she willingly sacrifices her dreams so that her daughter can attend school, which makes her tedious daily labor worthwhile. As has been the case for generations, this mother wants more for her daughter than performing backbreaking labor for 10 cents a pound. Although the daughter accepts her mother’s gift, embracing the opportunity to learn and see more of the world by going off to school, she swears to return.
Ages 9–11
Frenemies in the Family: Famous Brothers and Sisters Who Butted Heads and Had Each Other’s Backs. Kathleen Krull. Ill. Maple Lam. 2018. Crown/Random House.
Krull unearths interesting facts about famous siblings, including Queen Elizabeth I and Mary I, who battled for the throne of England; Edwin and John Wilkes Booth, talented actors divided by their views on slavery; and Chang and Eng Bunker, conjoined twins who married different women and had several children. The book is organized in chronological fashion, covering the siblings’ formative years and claims to fame, and while Krull includes material that shows her subjects in a positive light, she doesn't avoid dishing out less complimentary anecdotes. While history fans will enjoy the chapters on the Kennedys and Romanovs, other readers will gravitate to the chapters that depict recent siblings, including football stars Peyton and Eli Manning and older brother Cooper, and musician Demi Lovato and her sister Madison De La Garza. The cartoon drawings accompanying the biographical sketches add to the book's appeal, and there is a list of sources and an index for reference.
Good Dog. Dan Gemeinhart. 2018. Scholastic.
Devoted dogs such as Brodie, a “very, very good dog,” are an important part of many families. In this heartrending story, Brodie has died under suspicious circumstances, and is unable to cross over to the afterlife until he knows his boy, Aiden, is safe. Going against natural laws about life and death, Brodie returns to Earth, accompanied by Tuck, a strong pit bull, who seeks redemption for his own mistakes. As memories of his life with Aiden emerge, some blissful and others filled with fear, Brodie risks his own future out of love and loyalty. Back on Earth, Brodie and Tuck are joined by a stray cat named Patsy and beset by hellhounds bent on consuming their souls. Brodie faces disappointment, betrayal, and heartbreak, but he also realizes just how courageous he is and how loyal others can be as well. Readers will be captivated by the strong bond between a boy and his dog, and the idea of love that transcends death.
The Journey of Little Charlie. Christopher Paul Curtis. 2018. Scholastic.
Bad luck seems to plague Little Charlie Bobo. After his father dies in a freak accident in the South Carolina woods, slave catcher Cap'n Buck claims that the Bobo family owes him money and that 12-year-old Charlie can pay off those debts if he accompanies him on a journey north to bring back some thieves. But once Charlie realizes that they're after former slaves, a man, a woman, and their son, he balks. There's not a single misstep in this story about the Fugitive Slave Act and some of the evil practices it inspired as free African American and African Canadian men, women, and children were often kidnapped and taken down South. The rhythmic storytelling and deftly created characters prompt readers to question what they might have done in certain situations. The author's note ruminates on how rarely many of us act on our better instincts, leaving action to others.
Ages 12–14
P. S. I Miss You. Jen Petro-Roy. 2018. Feiwel and Friends.
In this powerful debut novel, seventh grader Evie is heartbroken when her pregnant older sister, Cilla, is sent to stay with an elderly relative. Forbidden to speak with Cilla, Evie secretly sends her letters. Although readers never get to meet Cilla, she comes alive through Evie’s vivid anecdotes. As Evie struggles to make sense of what's going on and why her strict Catholic parents refuse to talk about her sister, she hopes that Cilla will come back. During the year that Evie sends letters to Cilla, she begins to question her faith, her parents' honesty and judgment, and her own sexuality. As she experiences strange new feelings toward June, a transfer student, she desperately seeks Cilla's advice about romantic feelings and what's right and what's wrong and whether something that seems so right could be wrong. As they follow Evie’s transformation, readers may question the price of conforming to the expectations of others and what it means to be true to oneself.
Ages 15+
Don’t Forget Me. Victoria Stevens. 2018. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Seventeen-year-old Hazel Clarke has been sent to stay in Australia with the father she never even knew existed while her mother resolves her health issues back in England. Her mother doesn’t remember Hazel’s name or recognize those around her. Diagnosis of her mother’s condition as early-onset Alzheimer’s means that Hazel must find a way to form new connections and create a new family while holding onto the precious memories she and her mother shared. In doing so, Hazel is supported her father and a friendly, artistic neighbor, Red, and his twin, Luca, who is battling his own demons.
In Search of Us. Ava Dellaira. 2018. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Weaving past with present, this book follows 17-year-old Angie on a road trip to California and journey of self-discovery to find out the truth about her father. Interspersed with Angie’s story is that of Marilyn, her mother, who also lived and loved in Los Angeles 18 years ago. Marilyn’s mother dreams of a modeling and acting career for her daughter, but Marilyn longs to attend college. They are living in a crowded apartment with Marilyn’s uncle, and tension rises as he drinks and becomes increasingly demanding and controlling. He is displeased and judgmental when Marilyn begins spending time with James, the grandson of neighbors, because James is black. While Marilyn wants to please her mother and keep things calm at home, she also needs an outlet. As Angie learns the truth about what caused her mother to leave LA, she also connects with the missing pieces of her family and learns something about her own life choices and how she’s been running away from love. As often happens, realizations come with a high price for both Angie and Marilyn.
Barbara A. Ward teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in literacy at Washington State University, Pullman. She spent 25 years teaching in the public schools of New Orleans, where she worked with students at every grade level, from kindergarten through high school, as well as several ability levels. She is certified in elementary education, English education, and gifted education. She holds a bachelor's in communications and a master's in English education from the University of Tennessee and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of New Orleans.
These reviews are submitted by members of the International Literacy Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Literacy Daily.