My Real Family [Hardcover]

Emily Arnold McCully (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 1994 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

It’s the last performance of the Farm Family Theater, and Sarah is excited because it’s her turn to pick her favorite activity, dinner, and a bedtime story. But Blanche gets to choose instead! Sarah is crushed. Her real parents wouldn’t do this to her. Maybe Sarah is adopted! “A book that will be of comfort to all youngsters, especially those who think they deserve more attention than they get.”-School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The thespian Bear Family makes a welcome return in this warm story, which opens as the curtain closes on one of the Bears' hit plays. Praise abounds for the writing, directing, acting--and especially for the sets painted by Blanche, an orphaned sheep who is visiting the Bears. But no one compliments Sarah for her work on the props and costumes. Blanche continues to command the attention to which Sarah feels entitled. Then comes the last straw: father Bruno offers to adopt Blanche--and gives her Sarah's bedroom. Infuriated, Sarah imagines that she doesn't really belong to this family; rather, her true parents are heroic forest rangers who have long missed her. She sets off into the woods to find them, but instead stumbles upon her "real family." At last, Sarah concedes that Blanche (who masterminded the search for her) is an okay addition to the clan. McCully ( Mirette on the High Wire ) masterfully combines ink, watercolors and pastels to create fetching illustrations for this buoyant tale, which will help soothe that common childhood malady of feeling neglected. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-The theatrical Bear Family (The Evil Spell [1990] and Speak Up, Blanche! [1991, both HarperCollins]) is back, this time with an offstage adventure. Sarah, the youngest, is pleased with herself for doing such a good job as props manager and costume mistress in the latest Farm Theater production, but no one in her family pays much attention to her. Instead, they praise Blanche, an orphaned lamb who is visiting. And, worst of all, instead of sending Blanche home, Sarah's parents invite her to stay with them. They even announce that they would like to adopt her. Sarah seems close to losing everything-her parents' love, her room, her place in the universe. She decides that she was adopted, and runs away into the woods to find her birth parents. Of course, the heartsick Bruno and Sophie pursue her. In the end, Sarah gains a greater understanding of the unshakable place she holds in her family. The enormously appealing, almost impressionistic illustrations are done in pen and ink, watercolor, and pastels. With economy of line and marvelous use of accent and shadow, they capture, in turn, the friendly and fearsome ambiance of the forest, and explore the full range of ursine emotions. These charming and expressive creatures draw readers into Sarah's world. A book that will be of comfort to all youngsters, especially those who think they deserve more attention than they get.
Anna Biagioni Hart, Sherwood Regional Library, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (May 13, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152776982
• ISBN-13: 978-0152776985
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,631,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A book about feeling left out, then fitting in, June 21, 2001

By 

A CPA in LA (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Real Family (Paperback)

The book explores jealousy as a little bear perceives her family is treating a non-family member better than her. I thought the book did a good job of exploring the different emotional swings and winding up with a happy ending, but I have to admit that my 4 year old daughter doesn't like it.