One Family
Illustrated
by Blanca Gomez.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2015.
One means one. But one box of crayons can mean 8 crayons. One batch of cookies can mean 12.
One family can big or smalls and comprised of people of a ranger of ages, genders and ethnicities.
Reviews
The breadth of diversity on display is refreshing: families include multigenerational homes, interracial marriage, neighboring households, children who identically resemble their parents and those who don't. Booklist
A playful counting book also acts as a celebration of family and human diversity. Shannon’s text is delivered in spare, rhythmic verse that begins with one and counts up to 10 as it presents different groupings of things and people in individual families, always emphasizing the unitary nature of each combination…This inclusive spirit supports the text’s culminating assertion that “One is one and everyone. One earth. One world. One family.” A visually striking, engaging picture book that sends the message that everyone counts. Kirkus - Starred Review
This deceptively simple concept book celebrates family and community, while also offering young readers a chance to practice counting. Each spread features an increasing number of people who form a family. From babies in buggies to white-haired elders holding hands, families stretch across generations and races…The brief text mentions objects to be counted, and children can practice again with a spread that features all the items from 1 to 10. A final view of the city streets brings together many of the people featured in earlier pages to celebrate “One is one and everyone./ One earth. One world./ One family.” VERDICT Thoughtful text and great design make this counting book a top choice for most libraries. School Library Journal
“One” can mean any number of numbers, as in one bunch of bananas (five) or one box of crayons (eight) – and, in this nimble counting book, one clan of any size. Gomez’s adorable digital illustrations of friendly, bobble-headed people in moments of homey togetherness include multiracial family and two men holding hands. It’s a clever way to show the variety between and within families. The New York Times Book Review
Round-faced, rosy-cheeked characters representing a broad array of races, cultures, and familial make-up populate this loving concept book about the multitudes contained in the number one: "One is five. One bunch of bananas. One hand of cards. One family.” In Shannon's simple, lyrical text, well-chosen, child-accessible details suggest larger concepts of unity and collectivity, differences and commonalities, while still bolstering the fundamentals of enumeration. Horn Book
Parents need to know that One Family, by George Shannon and illustrated by Blanca Gomez, is more than the usual interactive counting book. The focus here is on how many things can be in one group, and it celebrates a mix of families, too. "One" can mean one single thing, or it can mean a collection of many things. Moving from 1 to 10, each page gives examples of what makes one pair of shoes, one ring of keys, one flock of birds, and so on. And the simple illustrations not only make that easy to understand but also show a multicultural, multi-age variety of families all enjoying one another. A fine choice for families looking for books with diverse characters. Common Sense Media
www.commonsensemedia.org
"Shannon’s message is clear: no matter how many people there are in a family, what color they are, or what ages the are, they’re still a family…Shannon’s blank verse brings home the idea of unity in multiplicity…It’s a quiet vision of a world in which every family is accepted." Publishers Weekly
“Not just a counting book, Shannon’s latest teaches children that families come in all colors, configurations, and yes numbers." The Los Angeles Times
