My Family, Your Family: Let's Talk About Relatives, Love and Belonging
illustrations by
What’s inside...
Explore the diversity and richness of family structures with 'My Family, Your Family: Let's Talk About Relatives, Love and Belonging' by Laura Henry-Allain. This captivating book delves into various family dynamics, celebrating how love forms the core of each unique set-up. Through engaging illustrations and accessible text, children are encouraged to appreciate their own family configuration and recognize the value in others. Perfect for teaching inclusivity and acceptance from a young age, this book affirms that every family is special and loved.
Series reading
Non-Sequential
Age
3-7
Length
32 pages
Text complexity
Discussion points
What did you like most about how the families in the book support each other?
How do you think it feels to be part of a big family compared to a small one?
What are some ways that our family is similar to and different from the families in the book?
Why is it important to show love and care to our family members?
How can we help each other feel more included and loved in our family?
Tip: Role play these questions
Encourage your child to express their thoughts and emotions about family by relating the scenarios in the book to your own family experiences. Use a warm and open tone to make them feel comfortable sharing. Highlight the importance of diversity and acceptance found in the book, and relate it to real-world family interactions. Foster a deeper connection by sharing your own childhood family stories, aligning them with themes from the book. Emphasize the value of empathy and understanding by discussing the character’s feelings and situations, encouraging your child to imagine themselves in similar situations.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: Understanding Family Diversity
Explanation: The book explores the various types of families that exist, showing children that families can come in different forms such as nuclear families, single-parent families, blended families, and more.
Real-World Application: Children can learn to appreciate and respect the diversity in family structures among their peers, promoting inclusiveness and empathy in social interactions.
Example Lesson: Importance of Love and Support
Explanation: Through its narrative, the book emphasizes that despite differences in structure, love and support are the common threads that bind a family together.
Real-World Application: Children can apply this understanding by nurturing relationships within their own families, offering support and expressing love to strengthen familial bonds.
Example Lesson: Belonging and Identity
Explanation: The story helps children understand that belonging to a family helps shape their identity and provides a sense of security.
Real-World Application: This lesson can encourage children to participate actively in family traditions and discussions, helping them feel more connected and confident in their familial identity.
Example Lesson: Acceptance and Open-mindedness
Explanation: Characters in the book demonstrate acceptance of different family configurations, fostering an environment of understanding and open-mindedness.
Real-World Application: Children learning this will be better equipped to embrace differences in their communities and peer groups, leading to richer, more respectful interactions.