One Hundred Is a Family

by Pam Muñoz Ryan, Benrei Huang (Illustrator)

Groups making up many different kinds of "families" introduce the numbers from one to ten and then by tens to one hundred

Genres: Picture Books, Mathematics, Family, Childrens, Counting

Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Pam Muñoz Ryan is the author of the New York Times Best Seller, ECHO, a 2016 Newbery Honor Book, and winner of the Kirkus Prize. She has written over forty books for young people—picture books, early readers, and middle grade and young adult novels. She the author recipient of the NEA's Human and Civil Rights Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, the Willa Cather Award, the Pura Belpré medal, the PEN USA award, and many others. Her novels include Esperanza Rising, Riding Freedom, Becoming Naomi León, Paint the Wind, The Dreamer, and Echo. She was born and raised in Bakersfield, California, holds a bachelor's and master's degree from San Diego State University and lives in north San Diego county with her family.

Reviews

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting counting book; it counts from 1 to 10 and then starts counting by tens until 100. Each picture shows how the people in our community are like extended family, working together to a common goal. The illustrations, watercolor and ink, show people from many ethnicities and backgrounds living in harmony as well as pitching in to help make a better world. A fun way to teach counting in tens, introduce ecology, and to discuss how the community we live in effects our lives.

[Megan Piero · Rating 3 out of 5]

This counting book takes a non-traditional approach to counting to one hundred. Instead of counting ordinary objects, the book counts to one hundred by showing what activities different sized families participate in (ex.“Three is a family counting the sparkling stars at night”). This book counts one by one up to ten, and then it counts by tens all the way to one hundred. The book ends by stating “One hundred is a family caring for the fragile universe and making life better for every ONE on earth”. As a teacher, I will use this book to teach young children about how when we get involved in our community, we become family. In the book, for the number fifty, the author wrote “Fifty is a family mending after an angry wind”. In the illustration, it shows an entire community re-building an area that has been destroyed by a storm. For the number seventy, the author wrote “Seventy is a family fixing a festive place to meet”. In the illustration for this page, it shows several families decorating for a large party. After we have read the book, I will ask my students to share ways they have been involved in their community. To extend the lesson, I will take my class to a nearby park and we will all work together to clean up trash. I will show them how by working together to accomplish a common goal, we become more like family. The author, Pam Munoz Ryan, is a former educator and wrote this book in hopes that it would lead children to see families as a “patchwork of possibilities”. I believe that by focusing on counting instead of the unique types of families, the author helps children see how even when families are different, they can work together to accomplish great things. This is a great book and I recommend it for anyone.

[Mackenzie Mericle]

This week I chose to find books that were about family. This is a theme that I would use in a classroom and I really enjoyed this book that correlates with the idea of family and counting. On each page of the book, it says, "One is family... two is a family... three is a family" with sentences going off of each one. This would be a really fun book to read to younger kids because it could help them with counting. The book is also a very fun read because it gives different scenarios about family and how it can be anyone in your life who is important to you. The illustrations are also really fun and I think the counting aspect of the book would get the kids involved, especially if they were just learning how to count numbers. This is a book where I could correlate reading with math into a lesson. The book is all about different possibilities of what a family is so the kids could possibly relate. I enjoyed the counting aspect because it kept the book interesting because towards the end you would wonder how someone has a family of 10 or 20, coming to realize that anyone can be a part of your family! This is one of my favorite books that I have discovered and am planning on having it in my future classroom for a fun themed book that also involves counting for younger students.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Pam Munoz Ryan is my favorite author this month... so far. The National Hispanic Heritage Month, i've made a self-challenge read all things chicanx/latinx / hispanic. To that end, I find the wide range of work that Pam Munoz Ryan has produced to be so very appealing for a k-12 library. She writes picture books for elementary, young adult fiction, and non-fiction. It has been nothing but a pleasure to read her work to the students and to promote her works amongst the student body. Kids are gobbling up her books left and right. So glad I promoted this author!

Curriculum Recommendations:
2nd Grade - Sharing our Planet Unit of inquiry - the picture books ends with "One Hundred is a family caring for the fragile universe..."

[April Fusilier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book teaches about diverse families and communities in a unique way. I loved how groups of people were described as families in non-typical circumstances. Extending the view of family to the global community is a wonderful message. I loved how the book demonstrated the characters as being happy doing everyday activities that students can relate to.
It also teaches children how to count up to a hundred by ones and then by tens. I would certainly use this book to introduce the concept of counting by tens. It was terrific how the book ended on a very positive and socially conscious note, stating that it is our job to make the world a better place for our global community.

[Jennifer Curtin · Rating 3 out of 5]

EDLI 200 Reading Requirement: Picture Book
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: Grade K-2

What makes a family? How many people make a family? What do families do? Through simple text and rich illustrations, "One Hundred is a Family" answers these questions and more. Families from around the world show how they share love and celebrate each other. Groups of people who work toward a common cause or live on the same street are also a family. All who make up the human race are a family in this lovely book that focuses not on our differences but on our similarities.

[Mairead Lawyer]

“One Hundred is a Family” is a good read for early elementary aged children. It counts from one to 10 and then in intervals of 10 from 10 to 100 explaining that families are more than just parents and children. For example, “sixty is a family sharing a neighborhood street.” Since it can be used as a counting exercise, it would be better to use this with the younger children. It shows many families of all different sizes and backgrounds having a good time, which is perfect for introducing the younger students to the idea of diverse families.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book...however, the pictures don't really coincide with the family that is being spoken of...

The "Family is two" talks about 2 starting out a new family, and then the picture is of a father and baby...huh? Family is two should be a husband and wife...which is not shown anywhere in the book, by the way.

And...I'm not sure the universe is fragile...I'm pretty sure God is in charge of it.

But giving children a feeling of being part of many families is probably a good thing over all. :0)

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could be used in many different ways, one of which is the celebration of Earth Day, because it ends with a hundred people all together taking care of the earth. It’s a counting book, in rhyme, including one through ten, then by tens to one hundred. Each page shows happy people from all cultures and ages doing things they love best, eating, telling stories, sledding, celebrating, etc. It’s a delightful book that will be good to read aloud to young children.

[Alli Smith Hagerty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great book for kids just starting to read and is a great book for partner reading. Not only is it good for those reasons, it also helps with counting. This book has a great message behind it to. Its about families that come in different shapes and sizes and how they come together. I think students can learn that there a different types for families out there and if a family does not look like theirs then it isn't a bad thing.

[Leslee Mahoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was cute because it counted up to 100 in a unique way that not only teaches kids how to count but also teaches them morals about being part of a family and community. The illustrations were great because it didn't focus on one type of family or community but also showed different cultures.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning with one single person and working up to one hundred, various kinds of families are depicted as they engage in the simplest of activities, ending with the care of our "fragile universe" and "making it better for every ONE on earth."

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to teach children about the diversity of families. Family can come in many different forms and sizes. I like that the book celebrates family as a social community. We are all family and should strive to make the world a better place.

[Tarin Cosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about different families and how they can be all sorts of things. This is a great book to talk to kids about when they, or people they know, come from families that are different than the norm. The illustrations in this book are great.

[Elaina Albarado · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this counting book because it is very different than others. It starts off by counting by ones to tens and then tens to hundred. What makes it different is that instead of counting basic objects it is showing different people from different walks of life doing different things that can help out the Earth. In showing the different people you can see the different activities they are doing, the different cultures, the different places people live, and the different activities that people participate in. The book shows all different people working to basically a common goal to do good for themselves but also the Earth. The illustrations depict the activities in the book and different cultures of people with distinct fascial expressions and coloring. I think this book is a great book for young children learning numbers but also seeing and learning of different cultures as well.

[Emily Gerstenschlager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read May 25, 2021
Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: 1-3
I think this book is a great book to use while teaching counting by tens. I like how the book begins with counting by ones up to ten then switches to counting by tens for the remainder of the book. I think using this book will help create a visual for the students about how many each number is while also giving them practice with counting by tens. Showing that increasing a number by tens is a much bigger leap than by ones through the activities portrayed in the story will help connect those numbers to physical things, which will help students have a better understanding.

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2021
Gift from Harper's grandmother

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute cute cute about families.