The Animal Family

"The Animal Family" (1965) is a book of children's literature (ages 9-12) by American poet and critic Randall Jarrell, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (of "Where the Wild Things Are" fame). It is a 1966 Newbery Honor book but because of its depth and character has appealed to adults as well.

It is a story of how a family finds each other by chance, rather than being a family born together with shared similarities, they connect despite their differences. A man, a boy, a mermaid, a lynx and a bear - all orphans - find an idylic home together in a log cabin in the woods by the sea. Through their shared experiences and self-created the myth of their own origins, they create their own unique identities.