Bookseller Publisher Review

A little girl navigates her way through her family tree-complex enough to be renamed a forest-in this timely and upbeat picture book, which explores the varied connections now common in Australian families. As she introduces her family members they are first portrayed visually in a literal manner- only half of her half-sister appears on the page, for instance-and then amended by the illustrator later. In this way, relationships such as half-siblings, stepmothers, partners and even big siblings are clearly and humorously explained. The vibrant pencil and watercolour pictures are delightful and enhance the cheeriness and humour of the text. The literal illustrations are particularly good fun. While a small child might find a lot of information to absorb on a first reading, this book should stand up well to rereading and is a useful tool for increasing a child's understanding of a relevant social topic. Family Forest would lend itself well to preschools and younger school classrooms as an opening for discussions on families or exploring a child's own family tree. Recommended for preschool, school, library and home use for ages three to eight. Jenny Gorman is the children's bookseller at Megalong Books, Leura