Isla's Family Tree

By Katrina McKelvey, Prue Pittock (Illustrator)

A girl learns her family can grow without limits, embracing new members with love and acceptance.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 19 ratings

32 pages

$18.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Isla struggles with her family's changes, convinced there's no room for new members. Her mother introduces a family tree to show how families grow. As Isla meets her new brothers, her heart opens, and she realizes her family branch can expand. This touching story explores themes of acceptance and belonging, highlighting diverse family dynamics, including adopted cousins and same-sex couples. Can Isla find space in her heart for her new siblings, and what does it mean for her understanding of family? Discover how Isla's journey reveals that every family is unique and limitless.

From the publisher

Isla isn’t happy that her family is changing, so her mother creates a clever family tree with Isla to teach her how to accept that families always grow. Her mother hands her two new leaves, but Isla doesn’t think they belong. “There’s no room left on our branch — it’s full!” she says. Isla tries to make them fit somewhere, maybe with her cousins, at Aunty Violet and Aunty Jasmine’s house, or at Aunty Daisy and Uncle Doug’s. There’s definitely no room on her branch though!

However, once she meets her new brothers she has a change of heart. She falls in love and finds room for them after all — “Our branch grew a little,” says Isla. “Our family is never too full.”

Isla’s Family Tree is the perfect book for any family needing to find a way to introduce new family members, or to show children how they belong in their own family. The book explores important issues surrounding familial change and acceptance, while also providing a glimpse into a diverse family. Including adopted cousins and same-sex couples, it highlights that every family is normal. There are no rules about what a family looks like in a forest full of family trees.

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