Mis Abuelos

Children's Literature

This book from Auld's "Conoce la Familia" series introduces young readers to the meaning of having grandparents. Through posed and candid photographs of different families, readers learn that grandparents may have different levels of activity and either be working or retired. If these textual explanations of family relations do not suffice, Auld includes a genealogical tree at the end of the book so that readers may visually learn the links between different family members. Unfortunately, the tree does not include a model of a blended family, so children in such families may have a difficult time drawing their own trees when prompted by the book. Besides defining the titles of family, Auld's book shows that grandparents are caring regardless of their distance from the child. In this way, the book is an example of good family relations. Unfortunately, the poorly designed series resembles textbooks. They consist entirely of definition and lack plot or characters. This fact could be forgiven if the content were compelling, but the material in six books could just as easily be conveyed by teachers or parents using a book featuring an extended family. Auld's books are dull, and only engage when they directly ask the reader what his family is like. 2004 (orig. 2003), Gareth Stevens Publishing, Ages 3 to 8.
—Veronica Betancourt