When we first decided to adopt, I filled my Pinterest boards with all things adoption. From ways to announce our plans, to articles and books on attachment, to children’s books we could read to our adopted kids about the incredible way they came into our family.
As a family we want to celebrate adoption, normalize it, and have an open conversation about it with our kids. It’s important to us that it’s a continual conversation in our our family and that we be honest with them, allow them to work through their feelings as adoptees, and to just be there to walk along side them through those times.
So in preparation of having an ongoing conversation with them about adoption, we started a collection of two types of books – {1} adoptive parenting/attachment books for us and {2} children’s books that talk about adoption for us to share with our kids. We wanted to start early, so we found some great kids books that explore the concept of adoption and how wonderful and beautiful it is. It even warmed my heart when my sister-in-law told me a while back that she was interested in reading books like this to my niece so my kids’ cousin could also understand about adoption! So these are a great way to introduce adoption to your kids, whether or not they are adopted themselves.
So today, I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you. And I’m going to go ahead and file this disclaimer because I will mention it in every description…every single one of these books makes me cry! They’re so beautiful!
{1} Motherbridge of Love
Text by The Mothers’ Bridge of Love | Illustrated by Josee Masse
Reasons I love it :: Oh, how I love this book because it focuses on the beauty and importance of a birth mother. It’s an adoptive mom talking to her child about her birth place with such love and esteem. It warms my heart to read this to the kids so they understand the importance of the woman who carried them and gave them life. No matter what circumstances brought them into our family, we teach them to respect their birth parents and the roots from where they came.
Favorite quote :: “And now you ask, of course you do, the question others ask me too: This place or your birth place – which are you a daughter of? Both of them, my darling – and two different kinds of love.”
{2} A Blessing from Above
By Patti Henderson | Illustrated by Liz Edge
Reasons I love it :: First, I’m a sucker for any parent/child relationship that looks different because my daughter and I look different. So I love that the kangaroo mama and bluebird baby in this book are so different. But this is obviously the case for any book about adoption…which is why I blubber at all of these books!
This book is from the perspective of the longing mama {Momma-Roo}, and I so identify with it. She watched all the other mamas teach their babies to do things and she couldn’t wait for the day her pouch would be filled with a baby. And then a baby bird tumbled from its nest into her pouch and became her baby. Now Mama-Roo can teach her baby bird all the things she dreamed about teaching baby some day. So precious!
Favorite quote :: “Now, every night before they fall asleep, Momma-Roo and Little One thank God for all their blessings…but especially for each other.”
{3} The Rainbabies
By Laura Krauss Melmed | Illustrated by Jim LaMarche
Reasons I love it :: After the kids came home, I received this book in the mail from a sweet friend. This is more of a longer story book. I say that as a mom of 18-month olds who have a hard time sitting through a whole story at this point. But I’m excited about when they can really hang in there with me and appreciate this story.
This story has a mystical, folktale tone to it. An older couple, though comfortable and happy, wished that they had children. Then they discover twelve “rainbabies” and take them into their care. There are several obstacles that try to take the rain babies away from them, but they fight to protect the little ones they claimed as their children. In the end, the obstacles were a test by “Mother Moonshower” who honored their devotion by giving them a baby to adopt and their daughter grows into a beautiful girl.
Apart from the other adoption books I like, I love the fairy tale tone of this book. It’s unique and imaginative while still expressing the desire and devotion to children, no matter from where they come.
Favorite quote :: “They watched their daughter, arms outstretched and hair floating in the soft breeze, whirling gracefully across the moonlit meadow. And the couple felt themselves truly fortunate…”
{4} A Mother for Choco
By Keiko Kasza
Reasons I love it :: What a CUTE book! Poor little Choco doesn’t have a mama, and that’s all he wants. I love that this story is from the perspective of the adoptee, just longing to be loved and accepted. So Choco goes around to all of these animals and asks if each one is his mother. And each animal gives a reason why they can’t be Choco’s mom because they don’t look the same. And I love, LOVE that when Choco finally finds a mother in Mother Bear, she brings him home to meet all of her other babies…an alligator, a pig, and a hippo. It’s one big adoptive family that all looks different. Be still my heart! I LOVE the message saying that moms and kids don’t look the same. They don’t have to look alike, because physical similarities aren’t what make a family. All that makes a family is love and acceptance. I’ll definitely be pulling out this book when conversations come up about how we don’t look like C&G. I think it will be a great story tool for reference!
Favorite quote :: “And Choco was very happy that his new mommy looked just the way she did.”
{5} Tell Me Again about the Night I Was Born
By Jamie Lee Curtis | Illustrated by Laura Cornell
Reasons I love it :: First, the illustrations in this book are my favorite! They are so colorful and tell such a beautiful story all on their own.
The whole book centers on a child being proud of the way they became a part of their family, wanting to hear the story over and over again. It makes adoption a celebration! And it is just plain cute the whole way through – full of nuances and details in how these parents brought their baby home, offering reassurance that the child’s story is full of value and importance. I hope that my kids someday ask me over and over again to tell them all the tiny details about the time they were born! Just like the adorable little girl in this book!
Favorite quote :: “Tell me again how you carried me like a china doll all the way home and how you glared at anyone who sneezed.”
What do you think of the new Usborne book entitled “Babies come from airports” ? By Erin Dealey