We Belong Together: a Book about Adoption and Families is written in author-illustrator Todd Parr’s signature style of simple drawings in bright colors with thick black outlines. Some people have commented that Parr’s books seem to really engage toddlers and young preschoolers more than others. I believe the illustrations are a big reason why. (Some people also wish the books were available in board book format, to better survive their young admirers’ intentions.)
This book is easily short enough to be enjoyed by toddlers, but older kids will find matter-of-fact reassurance in it as well. (My older kids and I have so many good discussions sparked by books they’ve overheard me read to their younger siblings. They would never pick up these “little-kid” books themselves—so what will I do with my youngest child? –I guess I can always borrow a young cousin or neighbor.)
The book’s format is for one page to say, “We belong together because…you needed someone to help you grow strong/ a friend/ someone to say I love you/ someone to help you learn about the world and exciting places/ etc.
The facing page then completes the sentence…”and I had help to give/and we had lots to teach you/we had stories to share/kisses to give/ etc.
The next spread says “now we can all…hold hands/grow up together/discover new places together/play catch together/etc.”
The family configurations are diverse, including two single mothers (one with grandparents in the picture), a single dad, a two-mom family, a two-dad family, two traditional mom-and-dad couples, couples and families of different race and color. (The differences are never spelled out in the text itself.)
The families are pictured doing things together such as playing fetch with a dog, enjoying a backyard barbecue, cooking, traveling, holding hands while crossing the street, and getting splattered with strained carrots by the toddler in the high chair.
Parr’s genius is in having whimsical, childlike illustrations that are unexpectedly well thought-out. This truly is a book that carries its meaning in the pictures as well as the words.
Adoptive families have long loved another of Parr’s offerings, The Family Book. While not specifically about adoption, the book includes adoptive families as well as blended families, single parent and two-mom or two-dad families. It talks more about what families do, acknowledging that families look different, but focusing on more substantial things than appearances. Unlike We Belong Together, the illustrations in the family book show some animals as characters. This in itself subtly breaks down stereotypes as, for example, one family of pigs illustrates “some families like to be very clean” and another pig family illustrates “some families like the dirt”.
Please see these related blogs:
Adoption Books with Great Art Series: I Love You Like Crazy Cakes
Book Review: Happy Adoption Day