Title: We Are the Wackadoodles: Welcome to Our Blended Family
Author: T.A. Duggan
Publisher: Tracy Duggan
ISBN: 978-1-958122-07-5
Pages: 29
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book
Reviewed by: Gabriella Harrison
Pacific Book Review
T.A. Duggan’s illustrated children’s book “We Are the Wackadoodles: Welcome to Our Blended Family” embodies unity in diversity, which is acutely needed in today’s greatly divided world. This book is an introduction to a series that deals with positive and negative subjects and challenges children confront in their daily lives. It begins with an introduction to “The Wackadoodle Way,” which is to be grateful, honest, and kind. Members of the Wackadoodle family are introduced next, starting with Mr. Wackadoodle (C.C.) and Mrs. Wackadoodle (J.J.). They explain how they began a blended family by fulfilling their dream of opening their home to homeless children around the world.
Following this heartwarming start to the book is an introduction to their children. Some of them joined the family from Kenya, Croatia, England, China, and Ireland, while four of them were born into the family, and three of them are cousins of the family. The children are between the ages of six and fourteen and have varying interests like reading, drawing, writing, playing football, gaming, fashion, dancing, singing, and so on. Furthermore, Mr. and Mrs. Wackadoodle explain their organized system that ensures the children are well cared for and actively participate in family activities and chores. The creation of rotational charts outlining each child’s chores for the month and using a buffet line to feed everyone are examples of their organized system.
The writing is accessible and direct, making it a good choice for children between six and twelve. Also, there are attractive illustrations and pictures throughout the book, which the author uses to introduce each character and offer some insight into their lives. It is a short book of only twenty-nine pages. Therefore, it will be easy to read in one sitting. An aspect of the book I particularly appreciate is the inclusion of maps spotlighting the countries the children came from. I believe this is a superb way to introduce children to geography and make them curious about other locations in the world, which will boost inclusion. Another appealing thing I observed is the attention given to each illustrated character, ensuring the illustrations captured some aspect of their personality: twelve-year-old Chandy is depicted with blue hair, fierce eyes, and a determined pose, which paints him as someone who can be a bit headstrong and quite energetic. This illustration matches the description that says he struggles with direction and rules but is adapting. Additionally, the tone of the book is kind and loving, which matches “The Wackadoodle Way.”
“We Are the Wackadoodles: Welcome to Our Blended Family” is a great book for parents trying to teach their children about unity and respect for everyone regardless of origin and race. It is also a good book for parents who want to ignite their children’s curiosity about the world.
