What makes a family a family? When Sam Sparrow realizes that his classmates' families don't resemble his own, he leaves the nest alone for the first time to answer this question. In an age of modern families, many children, like Sam, are concerned or confused about the differences seen in the families of others - and their own. Sam Sparrow was written to help parents explore and discuss the dynamics of family with their kids. Helping children recognize differences in families - and reassuring them these differences are ok - provides opportunities for conversations explaining topics like divorce, adoption, absent parents, single or same-sex parents, as well as the death of a parent. In the end, Sam Sparrow learns that as different as families can be, they are also the same: bound by love.