Love Is a Family (Hardcover)

by Roma Downey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Lily storms home to her mother one day, demanding a real family. It's Family Fun Night at school, and she's positive they'll be the weirdest family there. Her single-parent mom doesn't seem overly fazed, reminding her daughter that they are a "small kind" of family, but real nonetheless. Lily isn't convinced. She seeks refuge in the noise and pillow fights of her friend Melissa's crowded house until it's time for the school event, where, surprise! it turns out her little family isn't unusual at all. Remi lives with just her dad--her mom died and she has no siblings. Tamika is adopted and has a puppy. Josh and Tony live with their grandparents. By the end of the evening, Lily understands that "Love is what makes a family."

Devoted followers of TV's Touched by an Angel star, Roma Downey, will be thrilled to see "Monica" has written her first children's book. Any child who has ever felt mortified at the quirks of his or her family will find solace in Lily's revelation. Of course, all the families in Lily's classroom seem highly functional, as well as heterosexual. In the litany of differences ("They saw families with step-dads and step-moms and half-sisters and half-brothers. There were single moms and single dads and families made up of different colors of skin."), readers who anticipate something along the lines of "and families with two mommies" will be disappointed. But that's what Heather Has Two Mommies is for. Justine Gasquet's colorful, almost cartoonish illustrations will be another bonus for Roma Downey fans--the mom looks just like Downey! (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal
K-Gr 2-It is time for Family Fun Night at school and Lily, who lives with her single mother, wishes she could go with a "real" family. Her mother tells her, "-most of the time our little family feels just right to me. Love is what makes a family, and we've got plenty of that." The child's fears about feeling uncomfortable at the event turn out to be unfounded. Lily and her mom meet a girl whose mother has died, leaving her alone with her dad; an adopted child; two brothers who live with their grandparents; stepfamilies; and half brothers and half sisters. The paintings have childlike perspectives and are effective in showing the young protagonist standing alone in her ordered, quiet home in contrast to the busy activity of the large, noisy household next door. The book sensitively addresses the issue of being different and finding common values in diversity. Children in nontraditional families might feel reassured by having their situation affirmed, but the message overpowers the thin story line.

Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperEntertainment (September 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060393742
• ISBN-13: 978-0060393748
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #792,207 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern Families, January 15, 2003

By	marla a. sharp (scappoose, oregon USA) - See all my reviews

A beautiful and tender look into the "modern" structure of the family through the eyes of a child who realizes that a family doesn't require a particular "shape" or "number" to make it any more real. As a city librarian, I deeply appreciate an author sensitive enough to present a story capable of being read to ANY group of children without pushing political or "alternative lifestyles".

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gently touches wounded hearts, March 17, 2008

By	Counselor - See all my reviews

Roma Downey must draw from her own achings as a single mother when she writes this story. She lovingly shows how to wrap children in love when they are the most vulnerable. This story is valuable for all caring mothers and fathers, and reaches the vast majority of situations the children will encounter.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my daughter's favorites, July 14, 2008

By	Mom "Book Lover" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This is one of my daughter's favorite books and has been for a long time. Our family is much like the one in the book. I'm so thankful to Roma Downey for writing it.