Jess Galatola (text) and Jenni Barrand (illustrator), Some Families Change, EK Books, May 2024, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922539670
Rather than narrate a story, this book is a series of beautifully illustrated simple statements about the myriad compositions of families these days: some families get bigger or smaller for various reasons, some children may have two fathers, others may have two mothers, some live with a lot of relatives, some regularly move between two or more houses.
Other issues are also sensitively addressed including a parent who may disappear for a long time then return. The last few pages emphasise that it is normal for children to feel all sorts of emotions, the importance of talking to grown-ups and – most vital of all – that no matter the changes to their families, their parents love them.
Reviewed by Elizabeth Douglas
