Some Families Change by Jess Galatoa and Jenni Burrand

Title: Some Families Change

Author: Jess Galatoa and Jenni Burrand

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: EK Books

Published: 1^st May 2024

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 32

Price: $24.99

Synopsis: Some Families Change tenderly guides children through various models of changing families with gentle verse and inclusive imagery. ‘You may not have thought much about it, but did you know that some families change? Some get bigger, others smaller and some completely rearrange!’ Changes in the structure of a family can be joyful, turbulent, and especially confusing for little humans.

Some Families Change is a gentle and reassuring way of showing children that all families go through changes – it’s completely natural, and they are not alone. The book candidly explores concepts such as split families, single-parent households, families with two mums or dads, families that join together, and more, always maintaining sensitivity and sincerity. Children grappling with these changes often harbour difficult feelings.

The book validates these emotions, emphasizing that it’s okay to feel upset or worried because adjusting to change takes time. By sharing this book, children and parents can embark on a journey of understanding and emotional healing together, reminding themselves that their feelings are normal, and it’s healthy to express them. A timely and therapeutic resource, Some Families Change assists families in navigating their emotional journey together, amidst the inevitable changes that life brings.

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The premise of Jess Galatoa’s debut picture book, Some Families Change, explores the myriad of ways a family might change throughout the years, and the different ways families are created and exist. A changing family is tough for anyone, but for young children, who are experiencing these changes for the first time through death, someone leaving, families splitting up or two families coming together to create a new blended family, there are going to be complex and difficult emotions for everyone involved, and children can feel these emotions deeply and not know how to deal with them or know that other people in the family are also feeling these emotions. This book reassures people that it is okay to have conflicting feelings or to not know how one feels at all through this process.

What Jess has created is a gentle book to help children understand changing families, using different family models and diversity, inclusive imagery and gentle rhyming verses that explain these changes are natural, and that there will always be love in families. That the love doesn’t go away when the changes happen. The exploration of split families shows children that this change doesn’t meant the end, it just means they may have two homes, but just as much love. It shows that some people live with a single parent, or two mums, or two dads and that this is perfectly okay because every family is unique. Every family is special and important. Most importantly, this is a sincere and sensitive book that is like a hug when we need reassurance – whatever our age. It is aimed at children, and works to validate the emotions they feel, because whenever we experience something new and unknown, it is okay when we are worried or scared. We all need to adjust to change – and that’s where Jess’s book is great, because it validates all these emotions and will help readers of all ages and in particular children, cope with these feelings,

These unique families remind us that we all need to navigate tough things throughout our lives – and that children may not always know how to cope with things – let’s face it, adults don’t always know how to cope with things, express our emotions or work out what we are feeling. This book is aimed at helping kids do this, but I think can help the family as a whole  when they are facing a significant change, particularly if it is out of the blue, or something that nobody has experienced, as there are always going to be new things that we go through during our lives that will be new, and where we may not have coping mechanisms to deal with some of these things. It is very family focused, making it a powerful book that is emotionally gentle, reassuring, and also joyfully diverse – I loved seeing the different families throughout, reflecting the reality of families today.

This heartfelt book is perfect for families and children of all ages – yes, even older children, because sometimes, older children need a gentle and calm book to help them cope with the feelings that come with changes. I think this beautiful book will help many families and people adapt to changes in their lives, and I loved reading it, so I hope that it helps people navigate changing families in their lives.