One Family

Shannon's (Hands Say Love) message is clear: no matter how many people there are in a family, what color they are, or what ages they are, they're still a family. An Asian mother and child romp on hobby horses before bedtime: "One is two./ One pair of shoes. One team of horses./ One family." Gomez's (Besos for Baby) combinations of families from one to 10 present lots of possibilities--grandparents and children, fathers in turbans, single-parent families, families whose members don't look alike at all. Linking them to ways of counting groups of familiar things ("One is five./ One bunch of bananas. One hand of cards./ One family"), Shannon's blank verse brings home the idea of unity in multiplicity. Gomez's figures have a pleasing, doll-like look, with round heads whose features convey friendliness. Her scenes of city life are imbued with warmth, comfort, and a kind of universality--there's little obvious luxury or poverty. It's a quiet vision of a world in which every family is accepted. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Mary Cummings, Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises. Illustrator's agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (May)

PreS-Gr 2--This deceptively simple concept book celebrates family and community, while also offering young readers a chance to practice counting. Each spread features an increasing number of people who form a family. From babies in buggies to white-haired elders holding hands, families stretch across generations and races. Young listeners will recognize familiar activities such as strolling through the zoo, doing laundry, or baking cookies. The brief text mentions objects to be counted, and children can practice again with a spread that features all the items from 1 to 10. A final view of the city streets brings together many of the people featured in earlier pages to celebrate "One is one and everyone./ One earth. One world./ One family." Gomez's rich colors and clean design make the book a good choice for small group sharing, but she also includes many details to be appreciated in solo rereadings. Even the fly leaves are carefully designed. In the front, individual portraits of people and animals gaze ahead as they hang on the wall. In the back, the characters lean from their frames to converse with one another, while some of the pets escape entirely. VERDICT Thoughtful text and great design make this counting book a top choice for most libraries.--Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University Library, Mankato

"The breadth of diversity on display is refreshing: families include multigenerational homes, interracial marriage, neighboring households, children who identically resemble their parents and those who don't." —Booklist

"Round-faced, rosy-cheeked characters representing a broad array of races, cultures, and familial make-up populate this loving concept book about the multitudes contained in the number one: "One is five. One bunch of bananas. One hand of cards. One family. In Shannon's simple, lyrical text, well-chosen, child-accessible details suggest larger concepts of unity and collectivity, differences and commonalities, while still bolstering the fundamentals of enumeration." —Horn Book

"The text is focused and precise, and the examples are often friendly ("One pile of pups") and sometimes rhyming ("One house of bears. One bowl of pears"), making for a cozy read-aloud that trips agreeably off the tongue. There's an entertaining seek-and-find element to the cited objects, perfect for sharp young eyes, and a closing spread identifies all the countable objects spread by spread. Complicate your counting curricula in the nicest possible way with this." —BCCB