Dixon, Sean. The Family Tree. Illustrated by Lily Snowden-Fine. 2022. 48p. Tundra Books, $18.99 (9780735267664) Recommended grade levels PreK-3.
Ada is assigned “The Family Tree Assignment” by her teacher who drew a beautiful oak tree that Ada is to complete by Monday. After Ada appears distressed her family proposes checking in with different members of Ada’s community for support in how to complete the assignment. Through the families represented in the book the definition of family structure is expanded to include the many ways to become a family including surrogacy, IVF, foster family, and adoption. In the end, Ada is ready to present a family tree centered within a greater, nourishing environment. The illustrations are simply painted and include what looks like colored pencils for basic facial features. While Ada ultimately feels confident presenting her family tree this book should not be the only book an adoptee has on their bookshelf.
Perspectives: From my understanding, Sean Dixon writes as an adoptive parent. This book expands narratives around adoption and is important for that reason. I also like how Sean Dixon makes sure to include a conversation around Ada’s birth mother and provides a clear response to her question “Why didn’t she keep me?” The response the parents give Ada in the book may be helpful for adoptive parents and affirming for an adoptee.
Practice: However, the complexities of Ada’s feelings around adoption are only expressed at the beginning and toward the end when trying to figure out how to include her birth mother. When reading this book with a young reader they are exposed to many ideas presented with cute phrases, “What-If” baby and “Sure-Is-Great” for IVF and surrogacy. The book smooths over these terms that carry great nuance. I hesitate to gloss over this part as an educator or provide this single story because each of these experiences has its complexities. If I were reading this to a class I would want to make sure they do not walk away with a stereotype about these ways families choose to bring a family into their lives. Teachers should seek to expand the narratives around these experiences through stories and building student background knowledge.
Buy it for the school library and borrow it for your adoptee bookshelf.
The Adoptee Bookshelf 