A Handful of Buttons

by Carmen Parets Luque

Not all families are the same. Each family is different, unique and special. This is the beginning of a children's book about family diversity. What types of families are there? And what special thing makes them a family? These are some of the answers we want to offer to encourage tolerance towards others.

Genres: Family, Childrens, Picture Books, Adoption

28 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2018

About the author

Carmen Parets (1983) is a preschool teacher, children's book author/illustrator, and blogger. She has authored and illustrated over eight children's books, which have been published in six languages: English, Spanish, Italian, German, French, and Catalan.

Reviews

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to find a book about family diversity and there are surprisingly not that many options. This was a pretty cute book that described lots of different family structures an scenarios. It was LGBTQ+ inclusive and discussed interracial families, however it did not take into account any families with gender fluid or non-binary members. It also said that the one thing that ties all these families together is love, and that is not necessarily true. Some families do not have moms or dads that love them.

[Mikaela Wong]

“A Handful of Buttons” by Carmen Parent Luque describes the vast diversity in families. This book teaches us that families can comprise many different people. For example, families can have a mom, a dad, and three kids, while other families can have a mom, a dad, and one kid. Or that a family can have two families within. A child could have one family with their mom and another with their dad. The moral of this story is that every family is the same way, which is loving and caring for each other. “A Handful of Buttons” can make you think of your own family or even families you may have seen or do see. In the article “The All-White World of Children’s Books,” Nancy Larrick mentions the importance of having diversity in books. When a child sees that they aren’t the only one with a family like them, it can create inclusion and equality. I think the book “A Handful of Buttons” does a great job of explaining the different types of families there can be. This book also does a good job of correlating buttons within the story. Having the buttons represents how you can tell what ethnic culture they may be or whether the kid has the same genes as their parents or if they are adopted.

[Antonia Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro que muestra la diversidad que existen en las distintas familias, las representa con ilustraciones muy particulares y a la vez interesantes. Por un lado deja empatizar con todas aquellas familias que son representas, evita etiquetar las familias, quitando el estereotipo de familia compuesta por padre y madre, muestra familias de dos madres, de solo un padre, entre otras. Por otro lado no se encasilla en solo un punto, no solo los padres y madres son diversos en las familias sino que también el número de hijos o las mascotas que la familia podría tener.
Es un libro que enseña desde una perspectiva ideal para enseñar tanto en aula como en casa, vivimos en el Siglo XXI en el cual la diversidad familiar no debería ser algo malo, ni mucho menos algo de lo que los niños y niñas no deberían saber y/o conocer.

[Michaela Klegseth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how the author compares the people in the family to buttons because of the different shapes and colors. Families come in all shapes and sizes and different kinds of people in a family.A normal family is not just a mom and a dad and two kids one boy and girl it can have a mix.Not all families are the same and not all families deal with the same circumstances. There are different ways to make a family and I think love has to do with it.The illustration are unique to the words of the story and very thoughtful. This book shows the inclusive families that have two moms or two dads.The different dynamics of families are shown and loved.I would recommend this book in any library.

[Hannah Falgout · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A handful of Buttons" by Carmen Parets Luque.
What an excellent book. I loved how they used buttons as faces so that you cannot know what these people look like leaving room for imagination. The book is about different types of families, and having a family that does not look like another family is okay. The pictures were simple but full of color. I enjoyed reading this book as it was very diverse and straightforward. This is a great book to share with a class that struggles to see people as people. I enjoyed reading this, and it's an excellent book for young elementary kids. It is a children's literature picture book. The overall message is that no family is the same.

[Cynthia Gutzwiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Unique Family!!

Here is an exciting book about families. It shows all different types of families. It shows families that have lots of children and some families have only one child. The Illustrations are unique and interesting. I highly recommend this book for all. If you don't have buttons ready to draw and add buttons to make your own family, y'all can draw buttons. Enjoy and happy crafting.

[Molly Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about different types of families, and how having a family that might not necessarily look like another family is great! The illustrations were simple but full of color, and I really enjoyed reading this book, because it was very diverse and straightforward. This is a great book to share with children because it shows them how no families are exactly the same and how that is a great thing because it means everyone is unique and special in their own way!

[Katie MacIver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another must have that I want to have in the classroom someday. This story highlights that each student comes from a different family however they all have one thing in common which is love. This book features all family types and would be a great read aloud during the beginning of the school year.

[Sarah Gunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art style is adorable and inspired some of my Kinders to do some button-doodles themselves!

"A Handful of Buttons" by Carmen Parets Luque is a great little story about family diversity, helping children to understand that all families are different and that's okay. A great book to add to my Kinder bookshelf!

[LaTressa N. Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buttons

A book that teaches children about differences in families (adopted, divorced, blended). Colorful illustrations of various buttons are used to teach children about the diverse dynamics of families.

[Elise Heery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a really good book to explain that no family is the same. I shows that families come in different shapes and sizes. As well as different ethnicities and genders. I can really see how it can be implemented within schools and with a wide range of children

[Ryann Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book that I have chosen to use to teach students about comparing and even math. I can teach them to look at them and compare how some are different colors, bigger, smaller. In the math lesson I will use them as counters so the students have a visual.

[Lindsey Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is adorable! A great read for preschoolers about how a family can look many different ways!! I Love the illustrations made of button people! I’m sure many children would love to make their button family after reading this book!

[Cyndy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book, because I love buttons. It's a book about families and how different they are. It is a good introduction to different families a child might be exposed too. The only suggestion I have for future editions is to not use any button colors that might appear to be skin tones.

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute read, creative idea ... the button faces. very cute. great read.

[Fabi Vázquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustó porque te enseña en verdad como son los diferentes tipos de familias que existen.

[N�Ria Camahort · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book to teach about all kids of family. It also offers the easy possibility to play with bottons at home so you can represent your own family with them.

[Nancy Stockbridge · Rating 1 out of 5]

boring

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