Isla's family tree by Katrina McKelvey and Prue Pittock
EK Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781925820379. 32pp., hbk.
Isla's family is about to grow and she is not happy. "This family is
full", she declares.
So her mother sits her down and explains how families are like trees
- they have a trunk that is formed by the grandparents, branches
formed by their children and then the leaves are the children of
those children like Isla and her cousins. Isla begins to understand
but when she learns that her mum is to have two babies, then there
is no room for any more leaves on her branch and the family is
definitely full.
The prospect of a new baby entering an already tight-knit family is
very common and can be very confronting to a child who is used to
being the only one, so this approach to explaining the upcoming event
is one that will appeal to many parents. Promoting it with your
parent community would be a great way to promote the school
library's relationship with that community.
However it would also have a valuable place in the early childhood
classroom as children investigate their families and their
structure. Not all of Isla's family have the traditional formation
of mother, father and children so there is scope for each child to
make their own tree and show and share that families can have all
sorts of shapes, just as trees and their leaves do, perhaps bringing
comfort to those who might see themselves as being different.
Investigating their own origins is always a surefire winner with
young children because it deeply connects to their own lives and
there are as many branches to explore as there are in the family
tree. The concepts of birthdays, naming, physical appearance and
genetics, development and maturation, vocabulary building . . . the
list is almost endless with lots of other stories that can be shared
as well. There are teachers'
notes available.
It also helps children understand that their trepidation when faced
with the same sort of news and change is normal, that sometimes we
have to change a little ourselves so we can adapt to that change but
that's what people do and it can help us grow too.
Another example of how what appears to be a simple picture book for
young readers can open up a world of possibilities.
Barbara Braxton