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Reviewed by: Ana Canino-Fluit, Elementary School Librarian Title: Oh No, the Aunts Are Here Author: Adam Rex Publisher: Chronicle Books
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: PK-4 Genre/Type of Book: Picture Book
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Overwhelming family Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: The title made me laugh, and as we approach holiday season, I know a lot of kids are going to feel the same way. If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: A frenetic and hilarious roller-coaster of a book that captures the overwhelmingness of family visits.
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Review:
Adam Rex and Lian Cho's frenetic and charming picture book, “Oh No, the Aunts are Here” capture the roller-coaster of feelings children experience when family descends en masse.
A young black girl’s comfortable routine is upset when a diverse quartet of aunts (multi-racial and including at least one LGBTIA+ couple) arrives for a visit. They poke, prod, lick, brush and badger in loving yet overwhelming ways. The young MC is swept along on the aunt’s grand adventures, facing relentless questions, singularly boring museum visit, and is evicted from her room to accommodate the aunts. Just when the visit gets to be a little too much, with Aunts seemingly everywhere, they step in to protect without hesitation, highlighting the power of familial connection and then just like that they are gone again. The tone is humorous, gently chidding, deeply amused by the aunts while deeply sympathetic to the young girl’s feelings of bewilderment and imposition. I loved how the art contrasted with dialogue, capturing the energy of the Aunts against the measure and careful description of the events by the polite main character. I think this is a great book to share with students before the holiday season and the varied way we relate to family, whether we have lots close by or far, or none at all.
I loved the matter a factness of the diverse representation in the book. It is not the point of the story, just her reality and her family.
Number of party hats:
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