Product Description

Did you ever wonder where you got your freckles, or your weird toes, or that astounding ability to wiggle your ears? Do you know the difference between a second cousin and a first cousin once removed?

Families are a real puzzle, especially a family as big as Ollie’s. But with Grandpa Max’s help, Ollie navigates his family tree and sees the many things all these different people have in common as well as the things they don’t!

A book as useful as it is entertaining with fabulous portraits by a Caldecott Honor artist. And as an added bonus, Ollie’s family tree is included on the endpapers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1109832 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3–Grandpa Max says that kindergartener Ollie looks just like his brother Winthrop did in 1924 when he was the shortest kid in his class. Then, it is revealed that Ollie strongly resembles his brother Angelo because both have hair that sticks straight up. Charming illustrations highlight the similar traits within an extended family, including those shared by first cousins once removed, second or third cousins, or even half-siblings. The endpapers consist of a genealogical diagram of the whole family, and include pictures of everyone mentioned in the text. While the book has the feel and the vibrancy of a picture book, the implied concept–how genetic traits like hair color or left-handedness are shared by some family members and not others–seems far beyond its intended audience. Even so, youngsters may simply enjoy comparing their own traits to those of the characters in the story and to think about their own families–and perhaps that is enough.–Alexa Sandmann, Kent State University, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 2-4. With lively colored-pencil portraits of one extended family, Isadora's latest book celebrates connections and diversity across several generations. She begins with Ollie, the shortest kid in his kindergarten class, who looks just like Grandpa Max's brother, who, back in 1924, was the shortest kid in his class. Grandpa says that Ollie also looks like his cousin Angelo, and that both boys look like "their first cousin once removed Roger, who has large ears that he can wiggle just like his granddaughter Sidney and his uncle Melvin." It all sounds great, but kids will surely wonder what the term cousin once removed means. Isadora tries to explain in a note, but most kids will still be confused, even though the family tree on the endpapers does help. What works best here are the wonderfully individualized portraits, some of them showing interracial connections. Whether the topic is dimples, eyebrows, or long second toes, this book will stimulate kids to explore their own family roots. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Rachel Isadora lives in New York City