Books about Adoption
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Books about Adoption
Sept 2007
Hi,
My cousin is about to adopt a 15 month old boy from China and I was hoping to get
recommendations for good books that might show pictures of Asian children (boys
would be great!) with Caucasian parents or any other books you can recommend.
Board books would obviously be best but anything that fits the bill would be
wonderful.
Thanks!
Susan
There is a great book called Motherbridge of Love which acknowledges both the birth mother (Chinese)
and adoptive mother (anglo). It's written for pretty young kids and not factual, more poetic. It is a
girl main character however.
Picture Book Fan
Through Moon and Stars and Night Skies by Ann Turner, about a boy adopted from an orphanage in
Southeast Asia. When my kids were younger I would read this book to them, modifying the details
somewhat to reflect their own adoption stories. Now that they are 5 and 7, they enjoy the book as
written. It's safe and comforting, but can also be a jumping off point for further discussion.
Lisa
I'm adoptive mom of a Chinese girl... unfortunately, a lot of kids' Chinese
adoption books are geared to girls. However, a couple of suggestions for a boy. Two
classic books, ''Are You My Mother'' and ''Corduroy'' are great for adopted kids
(my daughter loves both). ''Over the Moon'' is a wonderful adoption picture book
that is more gender neutral, though it is not China-specific. You might want to
check out the China Sprout website, which has a very comprehensive selection of
books for kids adopted from China.
July 2003
Can any one tell me if ''Inside Transracial Adoption'' by
Steinberg and Hall or ''Toddler Adoption:The Weaver's Craft'' by
Mary Hopkins Best are worthwhile reads?? I can't find anything
about this in the archives. Also, any other reading material
suggestions for parents adopting a Guatemalan toddler are most
welcome! Thank you!!
Christine
As far as I am concerned ''Inside Transracial Adoption'' is a must-
read. I don't know if you knew it but the 2 authors have an
adoption facilitation agency in Richmond called Pact, an
adoption alliance. They specialized in adoption of children of
color. I suggest that you become a member to Pact, as we have
been for 4 years now. They will give you a selection of books to
read. They have a booksource in which they rate hundreds of
books about adoption/parenting and more for adults and children
of all ages. It has become my reference for buying books. They
also offer amazing educational conferences and meetings. Anyway,
check it out and make up your own mind about them. I think their
website address is www.pactadopt.org
f.choquette
Though I have not read all of that book (I have read sections of
it in Pact Press and other places) I can say that anything
written by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg is well worth reading.
They are really pioneers in the area of transracial adoption,
and are both clear-eyed about what is involved, and very
supportive and positive about how to make it work. You might
find some of what they say harsh (especially before the child
comes home), but every transracial parent should at least
consider what they have to say about racial and cultural
identity. You should also consider joining Pact, and taking
advantage of their workshops and especially their incredible
collection of books for sale on topics of adoption, culture,
cultural identity, race and other topics of interest to
transracial (and transcultural) adoptive families. Pact is also
a great way to network with other families like yours.
Good luck to you! The fun is just beginning!
another adoptive parent
I can wholeheartedly recommend Hall & Steinberg's book Inside
Transracial Adoption. As an adult who was transracially adopted,
I found it incredibly valuable, sensitive and necessary.
And I have to put a plug in for my own book, A Ghost At Heart's
Edge, which is a literary anthology (fiction & poetry) about
adoption. It's not a ''how-to'' book, but presents a many faceted,
often beautiful, often wrenching insight into the world of
adoption, from a myriad of perspectives. To read the table of
contents and excerpts or to order, visit our website at
www.adoptionlit.com. (thanks, and my apologies for tooting our
own horn)
Susan
We're looking into international adoption and the following
books are ''required'' reading by our adoption agency, North Bay
Adoptions:
1. Are those Kids Yours? by Cheri Register
2. How it Feels to be Adopted by Jill Krementz
3. Real Parents, Real Children by Holly Van Gulden and Lisa
Bartels-Rabb
Also, to the extent applicable:
1. Adopting after Intertility by Patricia I. Johnston
2. Transracial Adoption - a collection of articles complied by
PACT, an adoption alliance.
North Bay Adoptions also has a video available for purchase:
Visible Differences - Transracial Parenting Through Adoption.
North Bay Adoptions has a website www.northbayadoptions.com.
Even if you already have an agency you're happy with, the
website has lots of helpful info.
Good luck!
Maybe another adoptive mom to be
I've read both books and adopted a toddler whose race is
different from mine. I'd recommend Steinberg and Hall's book,
but not the other. Steinberg and Hall's book is interesting and
useful, but I found the Best book disappointing. She described
the challenges of adopting a toddler but I think she accentuated
them, making it sound harder than it is for many people (even
though mine was more challenging than some) and didn't provide
information that would help people meet those challenges. Bottom
line, I'd buy Steinberg and Hall and borrow the other.
Robin
Several of the articles in Inside Transracial Adoption were
enlightening for me, the parent of two children adopted from
Guatemala. Connecting with other families has been a wonderful
experience as well. Yahoo has a group,
http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=bayareaguatadopt
where you can create some online community. For the past 3-4
years, there has been a picnic in the summer for families in
the process of adopting from Guatemala or with children already
home. I'm not organizing it this year because I'm in Guatemala
with my family for the summer. If you email me, I can get you
connected with families who live near you. Best wishes on your
adoption journey.
Dara
I have ''Toddler Adoption the Weaver's Craft'' and would highly
recommend it. Another similar book ''Attaching in Adoption'' by
Deborah Gray is also very good. However, some of the case
studies the authors' discuss could cause a lot of anxiety for a
prospective adoptive parent (like we need any more worries,
right?) Use these books as a resource, but don't let them scare
you. Another book I highly recommend is ''The Baby Book'' by Dr.
Sears. This is not an adoption book, but he emphasises
attachment parenting techniques which are especially important
for adoptive families. Best of luck to you!
Melissa (happy adoptive mom)
March 2003
I've been looking unsuccessfully for children's books that deal
with surrogate pregnancy/adoption, i.e., something that can be
used to start a discussion with a child who is the product of a
surrogate pregnancy. I'd ideally like something suitable for a
child in the 3-4 age range but I'd be happy for any
suggestions. Thanks!
Call Pact, an Adoption Alliance. They publish a booksource on
books on all aspects of adoption and families. They will be able
to give you recommendations and feed backs on books. Their phone
number: 510 243-9460
Try www.tapestrybooks.com
Adoptive Mom
Adoption Life Book
All this talk of adoptions, and then I saw this website on making an Adoption
Life Book for your adopted child...I think this is such a great idea, and a
great site to explain it and thought I'd pass it along.
http://home.interlynx.net/~ve3smf
International Adoption Beginning a Life Book...
-- Molly (6/99)
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