Book Nook - Every Family is a Tree

 For thousands of hopeful parents, the path to building a family is anything but traditional. 

Dr. Andrea Ali-Panzarella, a pediatrician and author of Every Family is a Tree, knows this firsthand. After years of struggling with infertility and loss, she and her husband welcomed their three sons with the help of compassionate physicians and gestational carriers.

Now, through her beautifully illustrated children’s book, Dr. Ali-Panzarella is helping parents normalize conversations about family-building, loss, and the many ways love creates a family. With warmth and honesty, she offers an empathetic voice to families navigating infertility, pregnancy loss, surrogacy, and adoption—and a much-needed resource for children growing up in non-traditional families.

I had a chance to see an e-copy of this book. As a teacher who has had students with many non-traditional families, I know it's an important message for every child to read. Family tree reports can be challenging for adopted or foster students; children who are raised by grandparents can feel sensitive about the generational gap; different families are more or less open about fertility and miscarriage. This book can normalize conversation and acceptance about the many different ways that families are formed - and the love and support that bring them together.