When we became a family through adoption, we realized this new and exciting world did not contain many books that represented our new family. So we started an interesting search for children’s books that spoke about adoption, or represented what our new family looked like. To help with the search, I consulted my fellow adoptive moms for some suggestions.
Here is our list of most loved children’s books for families formed through adoption:
Milk
By Sarah S. Kim
This is a story of a little boy waiting to be adopted in Korea. The book details how the foster mother cared for the young boy and how his family in America loved him during the wait. The author’s purpose is to help children understand the process of adoption.
A Mother for Choco
By Keiko Kasza
Choco wants a mother and begins searching the animal kingdom for her. He doesn’t specifically ask Mrs. Bear, but she begins to care of him in a motherly way. She brings Choco home, and he discovers Mrs. Bear is a mom to a pig, a hippo and an alligator. The book’s central message is that family is about love no matter who makes up the family.
Little Miss Spider
By David Kirk
Miss Spider hatches into the world with lots of brothers and sisters, but her mother is nowhere to be found. Betty the Beetle fills the void. The most powerful line in the book is this: “For finding your mother, there’s one certain test. You must look for the creature who loves you the best.”
How I Was Adopted
By Joanna Cole
This book is told through Samantha’s eyes, the perspective of the adopted child. It is the story of how her family was formed. This book promotes discussion as “Sam” asks the readers to interact through questions and encourages children to articulate their own adoption stories.
Motherbridge of Love
By Xinran
This rhyming book focuses on a young girl adopted from China. The story highlights the child’s connection to her birth and adoptive mother. While the story focuses on her happy life in her adoptive family, it also reaffirms the important influence of her birth mother.
Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born
By Jamie Lee Curtis
This book addresses the logistics of adoption through a family tale. It normalizes the questions that adopted children may have, and shows the importance of allowing them to hear their story multiple times.
Ten Days and Nine Nights: An Adoption Story
By Yumi Heo
This story is told from the perspective of an older sibling waiting for her new adopted sibling to arrive from South Korea. The young child is thrilled as she makes a heart for the baby’s crib and tells her best friend about the family’s new addition.