This book is perfect for all families. It shows us what makes a family, and not all families are connected by blood. I think this is a good read for all children, either in school or at home. Many children will see themselves or a friend or classmate represented in this book.
The pictures are also lovely and will appeal to all readers.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zonderkidz through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

What a great story for young children with various messages. This nuclear family is made up of mom, dad, young son and three dogs. The young boy narrates this story of discovering what makes a family and how is it built. Families, like houses, are truly all different and no two are alike and this story adds to the family on each page. He talks about blood relatives and others who are just part of the family because they love one another and are there for each other. The analogy of the tools was a bit much in some cases, but on each page, it showed other people working and playing together who were part of his huge, extended family of love. I also loved the message of remembering those who might be alone or hurt. There was also a page about dogs and pet adoption. So many ways to add to a family. My grandson loved this and was able to equate different people to the various pages. This is also a very diverse story and the illustrations show a multi-cultural community full of found family. The text was made up of short sentences and my grandson was able to read this book aloud to his siblings with just minor assistance. A great book for any family, classroom, school and public library full of positive messages.

Built Together is a fun children's book that fosters inclusivity and promotes the love of family and friends. Just as the author builds houses on her hit HGTV show, families are built one kind choice and new friend at a time. Families aren't just relatives, but friends as well. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy to review.

Built together tells a story about how to make your own unique family. I love the metaphor of building a house to build a family. It goes right a long with the Mina Starsiak's brand. I enjoyed the brig and crisp illustrations and the diversity shown throughout the book.

I am a huge fan of Good Bones on HGTV and follow Mina Starsiak on Instagram. When she posted that she would be coming out with a book I had mixed feelings about it. Many celebrities get into wanting to write a children's book and I feel that it is a special someone who can truly write them. Built Together was definitely a cute story where Starsiak uses her unique family background to create the story. Many families are built differently and to showcase how large and unique their family is will reach to many other families. And there are also other ways that make someone part of your family, not just by blood. I felt some of the building aspects were not needed by the child character. They went into detail about maybe you need this tool and this tool, and it felt more like filling up the pages vs the actual point of the story. It needed to only be a quick glimpse. The tools they use for actually build houses do not build a family, it is the way we come together to support one another. You can tell this wasn't necessarily written by a regular children's author, however, the effort and the story behind it I feel will resonate with what we think of families today.

Thank you Zonderkidz-Books and NetGalley for the advance digital reading copy of this book.

This was such a sweet story about building a family and the tools you need to use. This book not only teaches us that family is not just blood relatives but it is also a learning opportunity for all of the tools listed. I love that their family includes multiple grandparents, step family members, friends and pets.

This would make a great gift when there has been a divorce/separation and now there will be a new marriage and new family members.

I loved this book. I have a big family (not as big as her), but it's always hard to explain to my kids just how big our family is. I read this to my daughter and she loved it as much as I did! She is such a social butterfly and always talks about her friends like they are family so I love how the story included that family isn't just blood.

Thank you netgally for the ARC!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55063360-built-together

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

This is a cute picture that celebrates the diversity of family. It includes those who are family by blood and those who are family by choice. There is a sweet metaphor running through about building your family and the tools we use to do so.

This is a very well done children's book showing just what makes a family, and that not every family is connected through blood.

The illustrations were done in a way that holds readers of all ages' attention as they read the book with mini bookworms.

A good book for all families!

I voluntarily received and reviewed a complimentary e/copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

I received an advance d copy of, Built Together, by Mina Starsiak. This is a really cute story, I really liked it. The story was simple but beautiful. Family does not have to be blood, or even human! I loved the pictures in this book too.

I loved the illustrations in this book. So fun! The pictures were diverse and the book has a nice message. Family is what you make it. It can include anyone and anything you wish. It is a nice book to lift spirits in uncertain times. I recommend this book and my library will be purchasing a copy for our collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the DRC.