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This week’s children’s book review is all about My big fantastic family by Adam and Charlotte Guillain and illustrate by Ali Pye. It was published by Nosy Crow and it can be purchased on Amazon*.
When Dad says that he’s moving out, Lily-May feels all upside-down inside. But now Dad comes on Sundays, and they ride their bikes really fast and make secret dens together. Lily-May plays more just with Mum now, too – and when Mum’s new partner Peter comes over, they play pirate ships! Sometimes, there are tricky moments – Lily-May hates it when Mum has to work late – but a birthday party with Lily-May’s big fantastic family helps her realise just how many people love her.
This reassuring celebration of non-nuclear families will help children to understand that they will alwaysbe loved, even if parents separate or divorce.
When I was a child my Mum and Dad separated and got divorced but I don’t really remember much about it, especially not having it explained to me. I wanted to share this book today for anyone who might be going through something similar and maybe aren’t sure how to talk to their child about what’s going on or what their family might look like going forward.
My big fantastic family tackles the topic of parents separating and how a child might feel after initially being told. It can be a hard thing to understand and this book doesn’t shy away from showing a child upset or not wanting it to happen, as this is to be expected.
The book shows that there are things to be happy about and things that maybe the child will really enjoy. For instance, the girl does different things with her Mum than she does with her Dad and this means they can have different kinds of fun. Mum also has a boyfriend so this means someone else to play with and extra grandparents.
The illustrations are really bright and colourful but also quite simple at the same time. It’s easy for the reader to see what the girl is doing with different members of her family with not too much text around them.
My big fantastic family really helps children and families celebrate having different set ups. I think this would be a wonderful book for a child who might need a bit of help understanding what’s going on in her family.
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