Families Are Different

by Nina Pellegrini

An adopted Korean girl discovers that all families are different.

Genres: Family, Picture Books, Adoption, Cultural, Childrens, Fiction, School

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1991

Reviews

[Autumn Shelburne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very awesome meaning behind this book! Loved it.

[Sharena]

I absolutely love this book. This book teaches the concept: there are so many different types of families but they are held together by love. This is a great book to have in your collection.

[Lauren Dominguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a great book to talk to children about many types of families and what is different about each

[Kaylee Taunton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much! I think that it teaches young readers that not every family needs to look the same and everyone is unique in their own way as well.

[Kylee Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This cute little book is about a young girl named Nico. She has a sister, a dog, a mom, and a dad; the only difference between her and her friends is that she was adopted. Nico narrates this story and talks about how she came to be in this family through adoption. Her best friends, Molly and Anna, live with their biological parents. Nico discusses the frustration of looking different than her parents, because all of her friends look like their parents. The solution to this problem is discovering that all that is needed to have a family is love. I would not use this book for anything other than to teach about family structure. The text is simple and doesn’t give too many descriptive details, but the illustrations are very pretty and clean. In other words, the students would probably be more captivated by the pictures. Nina Pellegrini, the author, was very good at picking all different family structures to include in her book. For example, the end of the book goes into families; big families, small families, medium families, families with only a dad, families with divorced parents, children living with grandparents, and then Nicos family; an adoptive family. Nina Pellegrini is also the illustrator for this book. She captured the different families very well in the illustrations, including all family structures and races to display diversity.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Nico, who is adopted, realizes that some children live with one parent, two parents, or grandparents, and that some children have stepbrothers, stepsisters, and parents who look very different from one another.Nico struggles with her own identity sometimes until she realizes that just like everyone else - she is different.The book is very well written because it has the beginning , middle an end of the story . The conflicts that sometimes appear in children's mind about their identity are very well solved by the author. Also, the illustrations are enjoyable and reinforce very well the text.I think this book might give a positive lesson for an adoptive child.Nina Pellegrini, the author, was very good at picking all different family structures to include in her book. For example, the end of the book goes into families; big families, small families, medium families, families with only a dad, families with divorced parents, children living with grandparents, and then Nicos family; an adoptive family. Nina Pellegrini is also the illustrator for this book. She captured the different families very well in the illustrations, including all family structures and races to display diversity. I liked that important aspect of love in one family is very well described.

[Romanus Elangwe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nico lives in a large town with her family (father, mother, a big sister and a dog).She fights alot with her big sister, Angel but they still love each other. Angel and Nico were adopted. They came from Korea when they were babies; they sometime wear Korean outfits. Their dog's name is Buster. Buster is one of her best friends. Other kindergarten friends are Molly and Anna.Nico and Angel love their mom and dad, but they do not look like them because they are adopted; but mom and dad promised to love and take care of them forever.

At first Nico didn't think it strange to look different, but it bothered her when Molly and Anna look like their moms and dads. She wanted to be just like them. Then she talked to mom about it and mom told her that there are different kinds of families. Families are glued with a special kind of glue called LOVE. One of the kids in Nico's class looks like his dad but not like his mom. There are large, medium and small families who all look different, eventhough they are related. Nico is nolonger worried, knowing that families could comprise stepmothers or fathers, half-sisters or brothers.

[Jena Costin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Families are Different by Nina Pelligrini is a wonderful story and read-aloud to introduce the subject of adoption in the classroom. A young girl named Nico who was adopted from Korea at a young age narrates the story. She describes her struggle to understand her identity as she questions why her family doesn’t look like others. As the story progresses Nico realizes that all families are different- varying in size and composition. The central theme of the book is that all families, regardless of their differences are “glued together by a special kind of glue named love.” The book not only discusses diversity, but also accurately illustrates the various family structures we see in our society. Although it does depict a plethora of various family constructs, the book does not show same sex parents among other family compositions. This is a bit disheartening, however the book does provide a basis to celebrate differences, introduce international adoption, and understanding diversity. It is especially relatable for children because it is written from the perspective of the child.

[Molly]

I think this simple book is really important. It describes, with supportive illustrations, different ways to be a family. It cover same sex parents, inter-racial families, families with adopted children, and families with single parents. Granted, it does not cover every possible family structure out there, or even come close, but it does offer diverse perspectives. This simple childrens book doesn't explore the issues of any single family deeply, but instead gives a surface presentation of possible family structures. I would recommend it especially embedded in a unit where families are explored. This way you could couple it with other stories that go deeper with specific family structures.

[Megan Burroughs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could be good for all ages, because it explains how there are many different families. This particular family is about a little girl being adopted, at first she felt upset by not looking like her parents. When she observed that her classmates families were not the traditional one she felt more confident in being adopted. The illustrations are nice because not only does the story tell about the different families but also the illustrations show the different families too.

[Jacqueline Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Level: L
Book Level: 2.6
Book Summary: This book is about an adopted Korean girl who doesn't want to go to family night at her school because she doesn't look like her family. Throughout the story, she learns that every family looks a little different in different ways. Sometimes they're different in size or skin color or hair color, but no matter what, every family is full of love and that's what matters.

Mentor Book Writing Trait:
I read this book with my kindergartners this fall and it was amazing to me the level of conversation we were able to have about the ideas presented in this book. For this reason, I think this book demonstrates the writing trait idea well. It started many conversations about what a family is, adoption, divorce, step parents and siblings, half parents and siblings and more. Many of my kindergartners were able to learn about things they didn't know but they were also able to learn about each other. This was an amazing opportunity of building a safe and accepting classroom environment. Not only could this book be used as a mentor text to start these conversations and help students learn about each other, it can also be great way to show students how much you can teach others in a book. You could follow it up with a discussion about what was learned from the book and the discussions that were sparked because of it. This could lead into students writing about their own family and how it might be a little different but that's okay because it's full of love!

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about a girl named Nico and her sister Angel who are adopted from Korea. She understands that she is loved by her parents who adopted her even though she is biologically not theirs. She had some internal issues about how she did not look like her family, but her mother told her that all children do not always look like their parents but they are glued by love. She then realizes that her mother was right! She saw a bi-racial family, a family with a single mother, a family who looks the same, a family who looks different, a single father, a family with divorced parents, a family that is raised by grandparents, a family with step-parents and half siblings, and a family with a biological and adopted child. She realized that she was like everyone else because there was a lot of love. I really enjoyed this story and the illustrations.

[Dest · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's so funny to read reviews that say this book does not include same-sex parents (true, it doesn't in the text) and then read reviews that say this book *does* include same-sex parents. I think it's because one of the illustrations has parents who look like they could be lesbians -- but it's subjective. The pages aren't numbered, but it's the "big" blonde family ("They all look alike, even their dog, Sparky.")

My daughter was recently watching Daniel Tiger and commented that Miss Elaina's mom doesn't look like her, so how can she be her mom? Hoo boy, time to bust out more books about family diversity! This is from 1991, so not the most appealing choice, but I think it does its job well enough. It's part of the "Diversity" book kit you can order from my library.

[Maliha Arman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent way to introduce different multicultural families. Its shows the differences between children that are adopted and those that are born into the family. This book has rich and new vocabulary words that your child may never heard of such as: adopted, Korea, strange and different. The images compare different types of families, those that have a step mom, or are growing up with grandparents. Allows each child to relate to some of the families in the book.

[Carlie Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade: Preschool-2
Genre: Historical Fiction
Review: I really like this book because not all families are the same. Everyone family has their own story and different members. It’s a great book for children because they realize that there are different types of families. It also helps them to realize that there are family somewhere that is just like their family.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A girl who was adopted from Korea talks about how she feels once she notices that her friends look like their parents. She then looks around and sees all different kinds of families, but all are glued together by love. Most family books seem to just identify different types of families, this one is adoption specific and talks about the girl's feelings.

[Natasha Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very awesome. It shows each child that its okay to be different. No one will love them no less for being different. Each person and family is different and there is nothing wrong with that.

[Michelle Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book discusses the true meaning of family. Encourages great discussion, although a family may not be biological, doesn't make them any less of family. Illustrations are different, but still provide color and contrast. The concept of loving all people was definitely expressed when reading.

[Sonya Bausinger]

This book is about a girl and her sister who are adopted and struggling with the fact that they don't look like their family. I like that it talks about all types of families and how each one is different in their own way.

[Mary Greer Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing all around book for young children. This book touches on the diversity of our families and the world in which we live. This is a great book to start a discussion on families, diversity and social/emotional skills with young children.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sweet book brought back childhood memories.

[Mort · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discusses Different Families and how all families are different and are all unique

[Scott Cahalan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an awesome book that teaches the children that there are many different types of families.

[Dayona Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book teaches a valuable lesson not only to just children who are adopted but also to children who may not quite understand that their peers may be adopted. This realistic fiction talks about real life situations. Pellegrini stresses in this book how no matter where you've come from you still can have a loving family. She focuses on showing divorced families, adopted families, parents who may have remarried, as well as families who look exactly alike. Showing children this and letting them know this is a norm and they don't have to feel different or excluded because they may not be with their biological family is so important. I also think this is very interesting for children because it gets children to thinking about things that they may have seen and not quite have understood considering different families. Great photos, great message, and great deliverance. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

[Quentishia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Families Are Different by Nina Pellegrini is a children's fiction book that gives the audience a look inside Nicole's life as an adopted child. Nicola, also called Nico, is narrating her story on how her and her older sister Angelica live a normal life in an adopted family. Nico always realized how her and her sister did not favor their parents but it never phased her until she saw how closely other families resembled one another. Nico often felt a sense of sadness and discomfort being that she did not resemble her caregivers. After talking to her adopted mother, Nico soon realized that there are different kinds of families and that love bonds them together. in the book, Nico began to describe all the families that she saw and felt more comfortable that she was not the only one who looked a bit out of place. Some of the families that Nico saw were single household families, biracial families, divorced families, step families, grandparents as the main caregiver, and families with adopted children just like her. Families Are Different is a great book to show how diverse families can be and how different cultures can come together as one. The overall message behind this story was positive but was a bit boring to read. The illustrations was also done by Pellegrini, which I thought could have been more appealing. The book was published in 1991, which is portably the reason why the illustrations are not that appealing to the eye. I defiantly think that this book would be a good read for younger students but I don't believe they will be completely excited about reading this book.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Families are Different by Nina Pellegrini is a narrative told from the perspective of six year old girl Nico. She was adopted from Korea as a baby and now, she’s questioning why she doesn’t look like her parents. Nico feels as though she is different because the people in her family don’t look the same as some families do. Nico observed her surroundings and noticed that are families are different. There are small and large families, and families that have grandparents as the guardians. Nina Pellegrini has two adopted daughters, and she wrote Families are Different from inspiration from one of her daughters. Families are Different was written to address various family structures. It highlights the uniqueness of families from all over. This book illustrates no one family is the same but they’re all built upon love. In the classroom, this text would be good for beginning readers. The language used by Pellegrini in the book is simple enough for a young reader to enjoy this book on their own.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Families Are Different, by Nina Pellegrini, is a story of a little girl named Nico from Korea, who was adopted by her European parents as a baby. In the story Nico, a very observant six year old,questions why she does not look like the rest of the members in her family.
After closely watching her surroundings and the people in her environment, Nico noticed that all families are different; she learned that families can vary in size, and composition. Some families have one parent and some families have grandparent's who act as parents. Although families may be different they all share one common trait and that is love.

The author of this book, Nina Pellegrini, is an adoptive mother. One of her adoptive daughters inspired her to write this book.

I would love to have the book in my classroom. The book teaches that families come in many forms, and also encourages students to gain a sense of awareness as well.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: Nico, an adopted child from Korea, doesn't like looking different from everyone. She learns that her family doesn't have to look like her for them to love her. Her mother teaches her that families can come in all shapes and sizes.
Genre: Picture book
Audience: Ages 4-8
Curricular Uses: Shared Reading, Read-Aloud, Independent Reading
Topic: Celebrating differences, International adoption, diversity
Reading Level: Early Readers
Theme: Everyone is different, families come in all shapes and sizes
Illustrations: Bright, colorful pictures that promote understanding of diversity. Illustrations reinforce the text.
Additional Comments: Repetition of high-frequency words are used throughout the text that will help early readers to be successful when reading this book. Great book to introduce the topics of international adoption, diversity, and accepting differences.

[Janice Redding · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a little girl who noticed that she does not resemble her parents; therefore, she thought she was different than other children. Later on, she realized that she was adopted, which caused her to think about other families. As a result, she concludes that every family is different included her. I like this book mainly because it explains that every family is different and has distinctive features. There is no family that looks the same. This book represents single parent, whether it is a mom and a child, or a dad and child, as well as divorced families. In addition, it distinguishes small and large families. Then, it went on to state that some families include the grandparents as legal guardians for the children. I can use this book to elaborate more on single parents and parents who are divorced. Again, helping students feel proud of who they are.

[Cerita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It would be great to read to a class, which most likely includes different types of family. This would help even the children of typical families understand or be introduced to the concept of family differences. It could also help children get to know some facts such as what it means to be adopted, and that it is ok to have only one parent. It also gives a message that anyone can be loved no matter how different they are. Plus, the illustrations are enjoyable.



Extension Activity: After reading this book I would give all of the children a piece of construction paper and instruct them on drawing a family tree. They will draw their family members and put the member's name up under their picture. We will then discuss and share some of the differences between our families.