All Families Invited

by Kathleen Goodman, Jo Edwards (Illustrator)

Overview

When eight-year-old Annabel dreams of making her school’s father-daughter dance more inclusive of all family types, she thinks changing the name of the dance will be an easy task. But Annabel quickly realizes that it’s harder than she thought to change the way things have always been done. Nevertheless, she carries on and feels empowered by the wise words of her mother. In the end, Annabel learns what it takes to succeed in creating a fun and welcoming experience for all students, no matter their family composition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781733608015
Publisher:	Kathleen Goodman Counseling Pllc
Publication date:	04/23/2019
Pages:	34
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kathleen Goodman has worked for over a decade as a school counselor, where she has observed the shifting demographics of families. She wrote Annabel's Dance to inspire a more inclusive dialogue in school communities and to celebrate all forms of family. Goodman also runs a private counseling practice for children and adolescents and is an adjunct instructor at Seattle University. She speaks at national counselor conferences and consults with local schools. She lives in Seattle with her husband, where they spend time in the outdoors hiking and kayaking.

Jo Edwards is a fine artist and freelance designer with a degree in media arts and design from James Madison University. She has created artwork for the New York Times bestseller and Oprah's Book Club memoir Love Warrior, by Glennon Doyle Melton. Her murals are featured on buildings in the Washington, DC, and northern Virginia areas. When she's not creating beautiful art, Edwards is spending time with her husband and two sons.

Editorial Reviews

04/27/2020

Annabel, a brown-skinned girl who lives with her single mother, is upset when she faces exclusion from her school’s father-daughter dance. Two of her friends, one with two moms and one who lives with his aunt and uncle, are also left out, and their combined circumstance gives Annabel the courage to push for change. She creatively rebrands the dance as a “Family Fall Fest,” hanging a handwritten banner over the school’s dance signage. But her pedantic principal speaks of tradition, and informs her that the school has already printed all dance-related materials. Encouraged by her mother to try again, Annabel pens a thoughtful letter advocating for inclusivity and familial diversity: “Families come in all forms and I think we should celebrate that!” Though Edwards’s colorful renderings lack outlines and dimension, the textured digital artwork captures a variety of skin tones and family compositions. Goodman’s narrative offers a worthwhile, if didactic, lesson about accessibility and inclusion. Ages 5–8. (Self-published)

Publishers Weekly