Dear Child

by John Farrell, Maurie Jo Manning (Illustrator)

Young children can change your world forever. Over the years, families have taken many different forms. But one thing remains adults are forever changed by the arrival of a child. The love and sense of wonder they feel for this small life deepen as each day passes. John Farrell and Maurie J. Manning offer rhythmical words and tender, playful paintings to show the emotional connections between grown-ups and their little ones.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, LGBT

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2008

Reviews

[Christian Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Child is a book written in a poem form, it is written in the perspective of the parents of three different family groups. The parents represent a variety of cultural groups which include a black family, single father,and a lesbian couple. This book is beautifully illustrated and the artwork portrays the love of the parents. The poetic style allows young readers to enjoy the repetition and the rhyming words on each page. What I like most about this this book is that it does not make any type of family different or special. It still introduces different kinds of families but Farell focuses the book on the parents' love for their children. The book gives the children things to think about and to question. This book is a great book to introduce for a discussion about families.

[Chris Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear Child is a very sweet book written by John Farrell. He is a singer, songwriter, author, and storyteller that does not identify with the gay cultural group but this book touches on the topic. Dear Child is a book written in a poem form, that is from the perspective of the parents of three different groups of parents. The parents include a single father, a lesbian couple, and an African American couple. Throughout the book, the parents are telling the readers how grateful they are that their children are in their lives. For example, one stanza says, "And it's you, dear child, who have helped me to know the thrills of ice-skating, the wonders of snow." Young readers would enjoy the repetition and the rhyming verses of the stanzas. I also enjoy the illustrations and how even though each page focuses on one of the three families, you can see the other two families somewhere in the nearby background.

I would incorporate this book in my classroom because it touches on many different types of families from the hetero-normative to the single parent and to the same sex parent families. Kids will be able to relate to the story and find comfort in understanding that their families may be different, but they are still a family at the end of the day.

The characters in this book do not have names but they are three families including a single parent household, a household with a mother and father, and a household with same sex parents.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wonderfully written poem highlights the joy that a child brings to the family. It’s from the perspective of three different parental structures – a lesbian couple, a single father, and an African American couple. The parents describe how thankful they are for the child and how much of a positive impact the children have made. The illustrations, repetition, and rhyming verses are great for younger students/readers.

The book goes along with my topic of families, and shows an accurate representation of different family structures. The genre of this book is Poetry and it is appropriate for children in Preschool to Kindergarten.

The book meets several criteria for a quality children's picture book. It offers children a variety of things to think about/consider and question, it is age-appropriate and children can understand what is represented, utilizes style and language that is appropriate for children, and it includes realistic and convincing characters. The illustrations are accurate, they correspond to the text, they hold the children's interest, and they enhance and add to the story. The book does a great job of representing a variety of cultural groups, the children are exposed to multiple perspectives and values, there are no negative stereotypes represented, the lifestyles of the characters are definitely genuine and complex, the characters use speech that accurately represents their culture, and there is diversity within the cultural groups represented.

[Isis Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dear Child is written in a poem form, however I do not believe that the poem is interesting enough to keep the children's attention. However it does offer a variety of questions that the students may ask about the depicted family structures. The plot is not rich, and does not seem to have a problem and solution either. It does have an accurate depiction of setting, plot, and characters and the illustrations do seem vibrant enough to catch children's attention and enhance the story. The story also represent a variety of cultural groups -- primarily the Asian culture. It is written from the perspective of three different groups of parents. The parents include, a lesbian couple, a single dad, and an African American couple. Because of this, children are exposed to various perspectives and values, but they are not exposed to bias or stereotypes. Throughout the story, the parents are stating how happy they are that their children are in their lives, and the speech of the parents are accurate based on cultures. The author is not particularly a part of the specific groups mentioned in the story, however he is the founder of Bridges of Peace, which is an organization that advocates understanding through writing and art.

[Megan Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Child is a great way to introduce children to all kinds of families. The story has examples of gay, single parent, two parent, and multiracial families who are each celebrating the adoption of a child. I like this story because it does not make any type of family "different" or "special." Though it introduces different kinds of families, the focus is on their love for their children. My favorite part of the story is told mainly by the colorful illustrations. One woman is having a baby shower. Instead of being pregnant, she is holding a picture of the child that she is in the process of adopting. The book shows how these children have completely changed their parents lives for the better. The author, John Farrell, is an educator who gives talks on tolerance throughout the nation. This story is a wonderful tool to expose children to a variety of family structures as well as the concept of adoption.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just had the pleasure of being at a poetry workshop with John Farrell who writes and sings his story/poems, and this one has been published as a picture book. It is a beautiful poem from all parents, shown in various ways by Maurie Manning. It is a celebration of becoming a parent, the wonder felt when one realizes that this child is part of you. The diversity of parents is beautiful to see, and the words written are so loving. I also got to hear John sing this. He has a cd that includes it, too. Some favorite lines: “Leaves are much greener now./More flowers in bloom, strangers start smiling/when I tell them of you.” I ordered several copies, and just gave one as a gift to a staff member with a brand new baby! You can read more about John here!

[Valarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely, poetic book about a parent's love for their child. The three families pictured are white, black, and multiracial (white mom, Asian mom, adopted Asian child). Adults will notice this, but children may be confused about why the families keep changing. The narrative doesn't clearly shift "voice" when the pictures change, so my 4-year-old was lost. Still, the sentiment is beautiful and I appreciated the understated representation of LGBT and adoptive families.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear Child is beautifully illustrated book that shows gay & lesbian, single parent, and two parent family structures that are also racially & ethnically diverse.

[Aubrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good artwork and a very positive message about love. This book presents a diversity of families: single parent, same-sex couples, multiracial and adoptive parents - wonderful to see this!

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

More suitable for adults who wonder why they opted for parenthood; competent illustrations