Georgia's Far-Away Family is a wonderful book for expat families, and in fact for any family living far away from other members of their family.
As an expat parent of 3, raising children in a different country to the rest of their extended family, it can be quite a hard journey.
I remember in particular last September, when my middle child started middle school (collège here in France) he had to play one of those 'get to know you' games, along the lines of 'My favourite food, my favourite colour', etc. His answer to 'Where would you most want to go on holiday?' was "To England, to see my cousins, because I haven't seen them for such a long time". Ouch, my heart..
That's where this book, by Marie Robert, starts. With a little girl, in school, being asked to talk about her family. At first, Georgia is sad, as she thinks about how far away her extended family members are. Without giving it all away, Georgia something happens at school to help her see her far-away family in a different light.
The author recommends the book as being best suited for children aged 3-7. I bought a copy for my 8 1/2 year old, and she loves it too. I think it helps that she's also a red-head - she had a big smile when she opened the parcel!
Our expat/third culture kids can struggle in so many different situations to 'find their tribe' and fit in. They're multi-lingual, where their classmates aren't. Classmates and friends regularly spend weekends with family members, spend most of the holidays at their grandparents house, they have the 'ordinary', day to day interactions.
This book sends them the message that different isn't wrong, and far-away families have their own kind of special bonds and interactions.
The Amazon blurb reads:
"A story of acceptance of different types of families in our increasingly cosmopolitan world, this book is perfect for reading aloud and starting conversations about faraway families everywhere."
Marie, the author is also a Speech and Language Therapist. She has lived all over the world and currently lives in Paris, France.
As an expat coach, who has been living 'far-away' for the last 25 years, I am here to support your family in the transitions to a living within a different culture. If you would like to know how life or parent coaching can transform your family, then book a call with me today.
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