How to grow a family tree

Gr 1--4--For some children, the ubiquitous school project of creating a family tree can produce anxiety. How do they represent nontraditional families? In this tender and lushly illustrated story, Emmylou dreads the day she must share her family tree. Unlike the other students, she does not have a big, loving family. Emmylou, whose hearing is impaired, lives alone with her mother. She knows nothing about her father or grandfather, and her mother is tight-lipped about family. As Emmylou sorrowfully assesses that her family is different, memories of her neighbors float into her mind. She remembers how Mr. Li patiently taught her to bike and how willingly Mrs. Patel shares mango chutney and wisdom with her. When Emmylou babysits the children next door, she feels responsible as well as loved. As she recognizes the special relationships in her life, she cannot escape a big thought: "there are no spots for neighbors on family trees." Hu alters the watercolor tones throughout the story to reflect Emmylou's mood. Blues predominate when Emmylou is downhearted, but whenever she reflects on the actions of her caring neighbors, the tones of orange and yellow suffuse the illustrations, palpably offering readers the warmth of her memories. VERDICT A beautiful reflection on the wonders of a found family, and an important book for the shelves; blended families, chosen families--all will find succor in this volume.--Sally James

A school assignment to create a family tree and present it to the class causes anxiety in Emmylou--until the child comes to a new understanding offamily. Emmylou's classmates' trees seem to have branches on branches, but the youngster has just two: "Mama and me." Tentatively, Emmylou broaches the subject with Mama, starting by asking, "What was my grandmother's name?" Mama answers; then her "lips press together / tight / tight / tight" before offering one more tidbit: The recipe for the cake Mama is baking came from Emmylou's grandmother. Listeners don't learn why "Mama never says" the names of Emmylou's father or grandfather, but it's clear Emmylou is nevertheless part of a supportive community. Subsequent pages interleave other students' presentations with Emmylou's interactions with loving, caring neighbors, and little ones will likely be ahead of Emmylou in arriving at the answer to the dilemma. Sure enough, on the day of the presentation, Mr. Li, Mrs. Patel, and Rosa and Gabriel and their twins join Grandma Louella, Mama, and Emmylou on the found-family tree. References to Emmylou's "good ear" indicate that the youngster is hard of hearing. Hu threads ginkgo branches through her muted, watercolor-in-digital illustrations with the same nuance Birdsong brings to her text. Appearing both symbolically and literally, the branches gracefully reinforce the story's themes. Both Emmylou and Mama have straight, brown hair and pale skin; their neighborhood is robustly diverse. A sensitive answer to a potentially insensitive and sadly common school exercise.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.