When Kane Miller told me about their new series, the Family Heroes series, given the massive health and lifestyle changes this year due to COVID-19, I knew immediately that I wanted the opportunity to take a look at these two titles, Family Heroes: Keeping Us Healthy and Family Heroes: Keeping Things Going. And I’m here to tell you that these books do not disappoint! From the accessible text to the inclusive illustrations to the important introduction to all sorts of community heroes, the “Family Heroes” series is worth a read with your young audiences!
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Family Heroes: Keeping Us Healthy illustrated by Fotini Tikkou
I think it’s safe to say that medical heroes have been at the front of many of our minds these last few months. This book wonderfully recenters our thoughts on the many, many ways these heroes impact our daily lives, pandemic or not. Yes, Tikkou includes a doctor and a nurse (a male nurse and a female doctor!), but we also get to learn about paramedics, x-ray technicians, and physical therapists, among others. While Tikkou breaks many gender stereotypes here (let’s give a round of applause for the female flight medic!), the inclusion and diversity in the characters’ physical characteristics will also lead to many wonderful conversations. In our house, we spent significant time talking about the doctor’s hearing aid, as this is likely the first time my daughters have noticed that, either in real life or in a book!
Both of these books are written in a fun rhyme and easy rhythm, making them natural reads (which is great, since your children are likely to ask for them over and over again!
Family Heroes: Keeping Things Going illustrated by Fotini Tikkou
Medical personnel aside, the other people (outside of my family!) I’ve been most thankful for during this pandemic are the people working tirelessly to keep our house stocked and the economy afloat. The teachers scrambling to reach their children in a completely new way, and the school bus drivers heading to remote areas to bring food and wifi to those who need it. The volunteers stretching to make sure those out of jobs have enough. The officers and firefighters keeping us safe. The delivery people who never stopped bringing our mail and increased deliveries when we were staying home. This “Family Heroes” edition covers all those helpers and more. As with Keeping Us Healthy, Keeping Us Safe is wonderfully diverse.
A big thank you to Kane Miller EDC Publishing for sharing these books with our family in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions of this book are my own.
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