Florence and her fantastic family tree by Judy Gilliam illustrated by Laura Addari

Ms Collins tells her students to create a family tree. Florence is not happy with this task:

"Like that was easy. The problem is that my family tree doesn't just have a trunk, roots, leaves and branches. It has stickers, thorns and extra limbs. My family tree is prickly, scaly and partially overgrown."

Florence and her brother Fred have six parents. First there was mum and dad (Betty and Bruce) but then Betty and Bruce were divorced. Betty married James and Bruce married Lucy. So now we have four parents.  Then Bruce and Lucy divorced and Bruce married Kate and Lucy married Fabian. And this is just the six parents. There is also the complication of step siblings, adopted children, and a half brother - a total of seven kids. Luckily Florence is a problem solver and not a quitter. She manages to draw her huge family tree and she puts herself right in the middle. The final sentence is sure to make you smile:

"Next time, I'll include my grandparents - must be twenty of them."

This book will be a very welcome addition to your school library. Many children live in blended families and I am sure they will relate to Florence. Many teachers also ask their students to draw their family tree often in Grade 2 as a part of their history topic. You can see many of the pages from this book on the Publisher web site.

I read a Middle Grade novel recently with the most complex of family situations. A young girl lives with her mum. Her dad has died. Mum remarries. So now Winifred has a step dad. Then her mum dies. Now Winifred (known as Fred) lives with her step dad and his new partner and the partner's son. In the coming months her step dad and his partner will welcome a new baby into the family. Yes - as you have guessed, part of this story is about identity - just where does Fred fit in? The family tree for Winifred would certainly be a complex one. 

I would pair Florence and her fantastic family tree with Isla's Family tree; The Family Book by Todd Parr and Family Forest by Kim Kane.

I had not heard of this publisher Familius.  Here is their mission statement and Ten Habits of Happy Families:

We believe that the family is the fundamental unit of society and that happy families are the foundation of a happy life. The greatest work anyone will ever do will be within the walls of his or her own home. And we don’t mean vacuuming! We recognize that every family looks different and passionately believe in helping all families find greater joy, whatever their situation. To that end, we publish beautiful books that help families live our 10 Habits of Happy Family Life. Further, Familius does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, nationality, disability, or sexual orientation in any of its activities or operations.

Love together, Learn together, Read together, Give together, Play together, Talk together, Laugh Together, Eat together, Heal together, Work together.