For many families, helping your child understand what it means to be adopted can be challenging. Other parents are a great resource, but books are also a great tool for parents and kids. Adoption books can be a means to help children understand adoption and process their emotions. There are many age-appropriate books to assist children in expressing their feelings. Because adoption is a life-long process, revisiting it at different developmental stages and finding age appropriate books is important. Additionally, reading to your child is an excellent activity to help promote bonding and attachment.
The Adoption Department at JFS has been exploring the idea of starting a book club for adoptive parents. This would be an opportunity for adoptive parents to meet, socialize and discuss adoption topics. If you would be interested in this, please contact your social worker, email adoption@jfsrichmond.org or call 804-282-5644 ext.223. In the meantime, check out this list of great books for families!
For Preschoolers
via.www.bookdepository.com
Happy Adoption Day!
By: John McCutcheon
Illustrated by: Julie Paschkis
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Pre-Reader
“Inspired by a friend’s tradition, noted children’s singer/songwriter McCutcheon created this original song for those who might like to mark a special anniversary in their family’s life — adoption day. His thoughtful lyrics (the score is included, of course) emphasize the joy and wonder of the event.” — Publisher’s Weekly
I’m Adopted!
By: Shelley Rotner & Sheila M. Kelly
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Pre-Reader
“Why was I adopted? What was it like where I was born? How did you find me? Children have many questions about adoption. With a perceptive text and dynamic photographs of adopted children and their families, the creators of this book demystify adoption for young children and celebrate the joy that comes with adding to a family.”—PBS.org
The Day We Met You
By: Phoebe Koehler
Age Level: 3-6Reading Level: Pre-Reader
“Adoptive parents narrate the loving preparations made for the day they took their child home. The story begins simply, with the phone call that notifies them of the baby’s arrival, and ends with the joy of seeing their child: ‘The minute we saw you we knew that we loved you.’ Pastel crayon close-ups of objects illustrate the straightforward story very well…Adopted children love to hear their homecoming stories over and over, and this is a perfect book to encourage such retellings.” —School Library Journal
The Little Green Goose
By: Adele Sansone
Illustrated by: Faust Anke
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader
“Mr. Goose longs for a baby, and the barnyard hens are in an uproar over his constant requests for an egg to hatch. When Daisy the dog unearths a gigantic one, Mr. Goose lovingly builds a nest and hatches a scaly-skinned, spiky-tailed ‘green goose’ who calls him Mama…Mr. Goose is a wonderful parent and showers his child with unconditional love and acceptance. However, the other chicks quickly point out the baby’s differences and taunt him with ‘Mr. Goose can’t be your real mother.’ Despondent, the little green goose tries to find a mother who looks like him, but soon comes to realize where he truly belongs.” —School Library Journal
The Moccasins
By: Earl Einarson
Illustrated by: Julie Flett
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Pre-Reader
Based on the author’s life, this simple yet profound book is about the pair of moccasins that a child receives from his foster mother. Through the moccasins, the child’s mother encourages him to take pride in his Ktunaxa (First Nations) heritage. Earl Einarson dedicates this book to “all foster parents who give of themselves and provide love when it is most needed.”—PBS.org
For Beginning Readers
via. www.chsfs.org
Let’s Talk About It: Adoption (Mr. Rogers)
By: Fred Rogers
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader
“The premise of this book — that it is good for families to talk about feelings — is a welcome one to apply to the subject of adoption. Rogers presents a simple look at three adoptive families. He includes a brief but reassuring reference to the birthparents and the reasons for their decision. Clear, full-color photos show happy, sad, and angry children and adults; the text suggests that such emotions occur in all families, and states that ‘being angry doesn’t mean that love goes away.’”—School Library Journal
My New Family: A First Look at Adoption
By: Pat Thomas
Illustrated by: Lesley Harker
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader
“Children are sometimes upset to discover that they have been adopted. This book helps young children understand adoption and explores emotional issues and questions from kids of preschool through early school age. Written by a psychotherapist and child counselor, this is part of a series that promotes positive interaction among children, parents, and teachers. Each title also features a guide for parents on how to use the book, a glossary, suggested additional reading, and a list of resources.”—PBS.org
I Don’t Have Your Eyes
By: Carrie A. Kitze
Illustrated by: Rob Williams
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader
“I don’t have your eyes, but I have your way of looking at things…” begins this uplifting book celebrating the differences within families as well as the similarities that connect them. Lovely illustrations depict children and parents from a wide variety of backgrounds sharing special moments together.” — www.handinhandinternationaladoptions.org
Rosie’s Family: An Adoption Story
By: Lori Rosove
Illustrated by: Heather Burrill
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader
“Rosie’s Family is a story about belonging in a family regardless of differences. Rosie is a beagle who was adopted by schnauzers. She feels different from the rest of her family, including her brother, who is the biological child of her parents,and sets forth many questions that children who were adopted may have.”—Amazon.com
The Red Thread: An Adoption Fairy Tale
By: Grace Lin
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Beginning Reader
“In this enchanting story from Grace Lin, a king and queen try to find the cause of their mysterious heartache. Finally, an old peddler discovers that someone far away is tugging at their hearts with an invisible red thread. In order to discover who that someone is and cure their heartache, the king and queen must follow the red thread to its end. Based on an ancient Chinese belief that an invisible red thread connects those who are destined to be together, this beautiful book will resonate with adopted children and families alike.”—PBS.org.
For children in elementary school
via.www.harpercollinschildren.com
Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born
By: Jamie Lee Curtis
Illustrated by: Laura Cornell
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader
“I love this book because it beautifully tells the story of adoption in a way that tells adopted children that: you were chosen and special; you were a part of this family from the beginning; and your birth parents are wonderful people who loved you enough to allow you to become a part of our family.”-PBS.org (also available in Spanish).
Kids Like Me in China
By: Ying Ying Fry
Illustrated by: Terry Fry
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader
“In this view of China adoption from a child’s perspective, eight-year-old Ying Ying Fry, a Chinese American girl growing up in San Francisco, returns to her orphanage to remember what it is like and to write a story so that other adopted children will understand where they came from. Kids Like Me in China combines real-life photos with the forthright observations and complex feelings of an adopted child as she meets caregivers and befriends children in the city where her life began. A child of two countries, Ying Ying is determined to claim both as her own.”—PBS.org
All About Adoption: How Families Are Made & How Kids Feel About It
By: Marc A. Nemiroff & Jane Annuziata
Illustrated by: Carol Koeller
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader
“For children adopted at any age and from any country, All About Adoption explores the what, how and why of adoption, as well as the many feelings kids can experience as they grow up. And for parents, an extensive afterword discusses the unique practical and emotional dimensions of adoptive children and their families, with suggestions for answering the most challenging questions.”—Adoption Assistance Program
We Wanted You
By: Liz Rosenberg
Illustrated by: Peter Catalanotto
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader
“Beginning ‘From the moment you were born — and even before that moment — we knew we wanted you,’ a poetic text and Catalanotto’s glowing illustrations distinguish this book on adoption. As the parents explain how they waited and searched and hoped for Enrique, the illustrations show the boy during several milestones of his life, beginning with his high school graduation on the title page and moving back through his life with his adoptive parents: catching the school bus, getting measles, fishing with his father.” —School Library Journal
For tweens and teens
via.www.amazon.com
Who Am I?: And Other Questions of Adopted Kids
By: Charlene C. Gianetti
Age Level: 9-12
Reading Level: Independent Reader
“When neither picture books nor adult guides are of help, this latest plugged-in book speaks confidently to preteens and teens seeking answers to their questions about being adopted. Why am I so different from my family? Why did my biological mother give me up? Should I search for my birth parents? Who Am I? gives answers objectively and reassuringly with advice from experts and quotes from adopted teens.”-Google Books
Adopted Teens Only: A Survival Guide to Adolescence
By: Danea Gorbett
Age Level:13-18
Reading Level: Independent Reader
“All adopted teens have questions-questions about their adoptive family, about their birth parents, and about how adoption has affected and will continue to affect their lives. But not every adopted teen knows how to approach these questions or how to handle the intense emotions and high stress often associated with them. This guide has answers. Based on true stories, extensive research, and Danea Gorbett’s own in addition to her background in psychology and education.”
—BarnesandNoble.com
Adopted: The Ultimate Teen Guide
By: Suzanne Buckingham Slade
Age Level: 13-18
Reading Level:Independent Reader
Through interviews and adopted teens sharing their own stories, this book provides valuable insights for teens struggling to deal with questions and feelings they may have around their own adoption.—Barnesandnoble.com
