24th July World Cousins Day

Cousins Day is an annual celebration of the special relationship that exists between cousins, a time to tell your cousins how much you appreciate them. “First cousins” are children of one’s aunt or uncle and whose closest common ancestor is a grandparent. Cousins often become lifelong friends through bonding at family reunions and get-togethers, holidays, birthday parties or weddings.

I don't have a lot of cousins and those I do have do not live nearby, so there is not that special bond, but my siblings and I have made sure that our children do know each other and see each other occasionally. 

Books about cousins 'weren't on my radar' until I heard debut author Sharara Attai speak at a CBC function about her new book. I then looked up the catalogue to see if we had any books because I could think of families at school whose cousins were also at school. We did not have many, so I thought this book would make a good addition.

What we had:

There are some others:

15th May International Day of Families

This year National Families Week will be celebrated from 12-18 May 2025 which coincides with the United Nations International Day of Families on 15 May. 

International Day of Families - The International Day of Families is an opportunity to raise awareness of issues relating to families in the international community.

The aim of National Families Week is to not only celebrate the vital role that families play in Australian society, but to also reflect on the critical role that families play in teaching, supporting and nurturing children as they grow. celebrate the commonalities and differences between your family and other families.

Since I started teaching the concept of a family has changed significantly and within one class of children family will mean very different things. I remember my niece brought home a worksheet with the outline of a tree home and asked her mum to help her fill it in. They pretty soon worked out that their family didn't fit the worksheet and rang the teacher auntie to ask what to do. An activity like this is fraught. My niece had two half siblings, nieces and nephews of her own and she was only five. Nowadays I could find books to help with this conundrum, but back then they were harder to find. Isla's Family Tree  by Katrina McElvey would have helped start a discussion about how families are created in different ways. There are now picture books like  My Perfect Family  by Alisha Burns that shows every family is perfect no matter how they are created - two mums, two dads, divorced parents, multigenerational, solo parents and more.

Many picture books feature families and they can serve as provocations so there is not the 

need to necessarily source books that are specifically about families, but the library has so many that are useful. See these:

15th May International Day of Families 15th - 21st May National Families Week

Each year, over a hundred thousand people and hundreds of organisations celebrate National Families Week, Australia’s annual celebration of families.

National Families Week has been run by Families Australia, with Australian Government support, every year since 2003.

National Families Week is a time to celebrate with family, make contact with extended family and friends, and share in the enjoyment of family activities within the wider community. It is a time to celebrate the meaning of family and to make the most of family life.

National Families Week is held between 15 and 21 May to coincide with the United Nations International Day of Families which is on the 15th May. The United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution 47/237 of 20 September 1993, proclaimed that 15 May of every year shall be observed as the International Day of Families.

The United Nations states that “this annual observance reflects the importance which the international community attaches to families as basic units of society as well as its concern regarding their situation around the world..."

Over the time I have been teaching, the structure of the family unit has changed greatly, but family is still an important constant in children's lives. The picture books available for young children now reflect this well. Look for these which are general in nature, not specific. There are some very good books where the family has two mothers, two fathers, an extended family household etc, but these are not listed here.

• The Family Book by Todd Parr

• The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman & Ros Asquith

• Who is in My Family? by Robie H. Harris & Nadine Bernard Westcott

• A  Family is a Family is a Family by Sara O'Leary & Qin Leng

• Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer

• Family Tree by Josh Pyke & Ronojoy Ghosh                               

• All About Families by Felicity Brooks & Mar Ferrero

• We Are Family  by Patricia Hegarty & Ryan Wheatcroft

• Family Forest  by Kim Kane & Lucia Masciullo

• Isla's Family Tree by Katrina McKelvey & Prue Pittock

• Big Book of Families by Catherine & Laurence Anholt

What better way is there to celebrate Families Week than to read together as a family? Any books, not books about other people's families but ones you enjoy!