“What are some good books about adoption for preschoolers?” has got to be one of the top five most frequently asked questions about adoption. Usually, the same four or five books are mentioned: Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born (Jamie Lee Curtis), A Mother for Choco (Keiko Kasza), Over the Moon (Karen Katz), and, sometimes, We Belong Together (Todd Parr). While all of these books have their strengths, they are not our favorites. (In fact, I actively do not recommend We Belong Together.) Today, I give you our five favorite adoption books.
Five Great Books About Adoption for Preschoolers
Here's some help in teaching your youngsters about adoption.
Robyn Chittister
February 12, 2015
1. "Waiting for May," by Janet Morgan Stoeke
We read Waiting for May to Jackson so many times while we were waiting to adopt again. Although the book is specifically about a young boy waiting for his family to adopt a little girl from China, the feelings involved in waiting are universal.
2. "How I Was Adopted," by Joanna Cole
Whenever people ask for books about adoption, I'm surprised when How I Was Adopted is not mentioned. In this book, the main character was adopted in a newborn domestic adoption, but the story covers more about the idea of adoption than specifics about domestic adoption. Unlike "Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born," the main focus isn't getting the child home. Instead, it's about how the child feels as a part of her family. Not only is this a great book for adopted children, it's an excellent introduction to adoption for children who are not adopted.
3. "Rosie's Family," by Lori Rosove
Rosie is a Beagle who is adopted by a Schnauzer family. Rosie's Family briefly addresses the existence of birth parents, a subject most adoption books totally ignore. It also touches on some of the hard parts about adoption: not looking like your parents and being sad that you don't live with your birth parents. Rosie's Family has sparked some great conversations about adoption in our household.
4. "Families Are Different," Nina Pellegrini
The narrator of this book is a young girl who was adopted from Korea by white parents. She talks about, and the book illustrates, how different her friends' families are as well. The book does not deal with same-sex couples, but it does include a single mom and grandparents raising their grandchild. This is another book I'd recommend for non-adopted children.
5. "The Best for You," by Kelsey Stewart
I had the privilege of interviewing Kelsey for the Open Adoption Bloggers Interview Project several years ago. Kelsey is a birth mother in two open adoptions. She placed her daughter and twin boys for adoption more than 20 years ago. The Best for You is her answer to "Why did you place your children for adoption?" It is, hands down, our favorite adoption book.
What are some of your favorite books about adoption?
Robyn Chittister
Robyn is a full-time writer and mom through private, domestic, open, transracial adoption. She resides in New Hampshire with her family of two adults, two children, and a fluctuating number of animals. She is seriously passionate about adoption and tries to use her words wisely--both here and at her personal blog, Holding to the Ground.
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