There's No Place Like Home
The world of children centers around their families. Even the tiniest babies respond to their parents' smiles and the security they feel with the people they know first and best. As children grow, they venture into new places. They learn to interact with other relatives, with early teachers in child care centers and preschools, and with people in their communities, but the comforts of home and family remain central to their well-being.
Children learn about their own families as they grow, and they can discover more about families from the books they enjoy. Our Grandparents: A Global Album is a tour of the special relationship between young children and their grandparents in many cultures. This small volume of lovely photographs highlights the unique moments shared by these two loving generations.
While many mommies sing to their children, most would not claim to have the music make them fly. But that's exactly what happens in Floating on Mama's Song, a story told in both English and Spanish. Our seven-year-old hero, Anita, is sad when the music stops and uses her own talent to bring back the music.
Sixty-seven thousand, four hundred and thirty-two cousins is probably a lot more family than any of us could consider, but that's exactly the family of a starling named Calvin in Calvin Can't Fly: The Story of a Bookworm Birdie. While his siblings and cousins dig worms, play in the dirt, and discover grass, Calvin spends his time in the library discovering books. Calvin doesn't act like the other starlings, but he learns some valuable lessons that allow him to contribute to his very large family's safety and success.
These are three of the many books that help young book lovers learn more about their own families and families around the world. Through fact and fantasy, they present the family as the heart of support, trust and love.
By Susan C. Brenner, EdD.
Susan Brenner, EdD, is senior vice president of operations
and has been with Bright Horizons for more than 18 years.
As a contributor to the Growing Readers Review since its
inception, Susan loves the discussion of great children's literature.
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