Review Detail

Our Unbreakable Thread: A Family's Love Through Generations

Kids Indie 279

The Ties That Bind

June 01, 2024

Overall rating

3.0

Plot

3.0

Characters

3.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

3.0

Told from one young father's point of view, we are privy to his musings as he looks at his young soon. He has the idea that there is an invisible thread linking the two of them. This thread connects them in sometimes magical ways, saving the little boy from a terrible accident, and becoming tangled when the two fight when the boy is older. The boy doesn't notice the thread until he is older, although the father always knows it is there, but when the grandfather passes away, notices that the thread connects him as well. When the boy has a son of his own, he finally understands how important the thread connecting him to past generations has been.

Good Points

This is illustrated in watercolor and gouache illustrations that have a dreamy, vintage feel of early 1980s illustrations, making it a perfect style for today's young parents and THEIR parents. The text is just long enough to make a child feel reassured, but short enough to read every single night if this becomes a favorite to have in rotation.

Books about how much parents love their children are nothing new, and there seems to be one for every generation. Munsch's I'll Love You Forever is from 1986, and McBratney's Guess How Much I Love You? is from 1985. There are other titles as well, such as Richmond's You Are My Heart, or Clement's Because Your Daddy Loves You that would be good read alikes for this touching story of intergenerational connection.

Other than the McBratney title, which my aunt gave me when one of my children was born and which makes me cry, I'm not a huge fan of these books. I think it's generational, though, and today's parents probably love this opportunity to tell their children how much they love them via picture books.