A very cute title about a little girl joining her family. A good representation of adoption and blended families, this book is excellent for libraries that are looking to fill a gap in their collections. The illustrations were charming and had many diverse characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

In Dad and Daddy's Big Big Family, the family is having a reunion with extended family. The children in the book think that family is only the people you live with. The fathers explain that family is the extended people you are related to as they come together for a picnic. The book shows LGBT representation but the story is not centered around a character being LGBTQIA+.

Title: Dad and Daddy’s Big Big Family
Author: Seamus Kirst
Illustrated by: Karen Blunting
Publisher: American Psychological Association and Magination Press

Dad and Daddy’s Big Big Family By Seamus Kirst is a picture book that promotes positive and diverse families built on love.
This was a cute picture book about a child with two dads who is going to a large family reunion. The book explains what extended family is, as well as chosen families. This is a cute and inclusive book that I would read to my own child (who’s 4 years old).

Thank you Netgalley, American Psychological Association, and Magination Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own."


A wonderful book that celebrates the uniqueness of every family is a language children can understand.

I very much enjoyed the subtle way adoption, step parents and same sex marriage are normalized and the subtle say they were presented was a nice touch

This was too adorable! Such a great story and such an important message for kids. I would love to read this to my class and start this conversation of loving everyone. The art was so cute too!

Here is another title that is published under the imprimatur of the APA (see below). These books offer inclusive and insightful looks into the kinds of things that kids think about.

In this story Harper and her dads are going to a family reunion. When she meets Noah there, the two try to figure out what it means to have so many people in your family; do they all live with you, and how could that work they wonder.

Over the course of this short, very nicely illustrated story, the two expand their understanding of “family.” They learn the ways in which families are both similar and different and formed with love.

Many thanks to NetGalley and American Psychological Association, Magination Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

This book goes into extended families and helps some kids work through what family means. I loved all the different types of families represented, and that it touched on different families having different rules as well. Having books featuring queer families where the entire focus isn't on being a queer family is nice too.

A very cute and well thought out explanation of family for kids. The illustrations were great and the representation was fantastic. Highly recommend and very much age appropriate!

I enjoyed how this book represented different family structures. It is a cute story to make kids feel included and represented with their family structure.

This was an amazingly lovely book. I loved the writing and the art and the message. This needs to be in every library.

Although I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and American Psychological Association, Magination Press for the opportunity to read this story.

I love stories for children that involve other kinds of families. It is important for them to know that not all families have mom, dad and 2.5 children. In this family, there are Dad, Daddy and Harper. In this book they are going to Harper's first family reunion where she is going to meet all kinds of her extended family. I love the assumption that Harper makes that the family will all be coming to live with her. The only family she's known is her and her daddies, so it is reasonable for her to assume that the rest of the family will come to live with them too. Her daddy explains that families are like spider's webs that branch out and just keep growing. I love that picture! He also explained that what connects all families together is the love that binds us all. It is just a beautiful story about family. Perfect to share with your child and teach them about other kinds of families.

This sweet children's book tells the story of a little girl named Harper who attends a family reunion and learns about all of her extended family, many of whom she had never met. This book is perfect for showing children that there are many different kinds of family and that sometimes you can be related to people you didn't even know about! I also really liked that while the main character has two dads, this was not the focus of the story. It was a story about a family reunion, not about a little girl with gay parents. By taking the focus off of the gay relationship, it sends the message to readers that this is just another type of family that is out there, normalizing it, as a result, young children who do have gay parents can read this book and relate to the character but it is also a book that can be enjoyed by any child and send important messages. I would highly recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the 4-9 age range. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

Dad and Daddy's Big Big Family is a charming and well written illustrated children's book by Seamus Kirst. Due out 9th May 2023 from the American Psychological Association on their Magination Press imprint, it's 32 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is such an appealing book for the youngest readers and the adults in their lives. It explores the meaning of family and follows an extended family through the experiences of young cousins Noah and Harper at their family reunion. The story, from Harper's point of view, examines what it means to be family (do we all have to live in the same house?), to how families can be made of people we're biologically related to, or step-families, or blended families; all kinds of families.

It's fully illustrated throughout, and the art by Karen Bunting is simple and colorful, with lots of appealing details, inviting a longer look. The text is simple and well done, with good age appropriate explanation which will be easy to understand.

Five stars. Beautifully written and illustrated. This would be a superlative choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, classroom reading, or gifting.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A sweet and savvy take on all of the wonderful people who make up a family. This book follow's a young girl and her fathers as they make their way to a family reunion, where they connect with a diverse array of folks who make up their extended family. We have same-sex couples, foster siblings, single adult cousins, and grandparents raising their grandchildren, all of whom are part of the 'web' that makes up an extended family. The illustrations complement the text perfectly and depict characters of varied races, ages, and sizes, all of whom gather in a beautiful outdoor setting. This book is a much needed addition to the existing canon of picture books that affirm everyone's family structure and value! We'll definitely be adding this title to our library and promoting it in the next academic year as a fantastic read-aloud option.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

This book was very cute. I loved the illustrations and variety of family situations. A good conversation starter for different kinds of families.

What is a family? Who is part of a family? Does everyone live in the same house? Is everyone the same color? Speak the same language? Have two parents? Learn along with Harper as she has fun at the big family reunion in the park!
The illustrations by Karen Bunting are simple, delightful, imaginative, and colorful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from American Psychological Association/Magination Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

This was so, so sweet. It had so much going for it! It was about family and acceptance and was also so eager and tender since it was from a child's perspective! I thought it was just the perfect story about family and discussing how family can be both the people you live with and this vast web of people that you're connected to. And it made having two dads NORMAL because everyone in this book, everyone in this web of ONE FAMILY, had different versions of nuclear families and it was WONDERFUL and ACCEPTED!

I loved it so, so much. 10/10

Such a cute story. I love how something so simple can provide so much inclusivity. I think this is the perfect book for anyone to have in their kiddo's library.

Dad and Daddy’s Big Big Family is a beautiful picture book full of inclusion and love. The story surrounding families of all shapes, sizes and coming from different places is something everyone should read in their homes. This book is fantastically written and will be loved by many