Adoption Stories

When I was working on my master's degree, I completed many bibliographies - some annotated, some not. And if you are keeping with the APA format of such publications, they are tedious. Very, very tedious. But what is a bibliography, really? Nothing more than a glorified book list! So today I offer you an unofficial bibliography of sorts. An annotated list of titles that are in Noah's collection of children's books that he can't really touch yet because they aren't made of cardboard. :) This book list comes from the topical subset of adoption and will really facilitate conversations about his adoption story if/when he is ready to talk about it (aside from his LifeBook of course, which was a labor of love).

Now, the books in this list I really had to hunt for: adoption stories similar to Noah's in that they did not involve international adoption. And for your information, there are many, many more titles out there on the subject of international adoption. I really had to sift through a lot. And I am sure when we reach the moment of meeting out other children, I will have to hunt for some more books about adoption that aren't about babies or coming from other countries. I better start looking now, I think! It could take awhile.

Noah's Adoption Literature: (updated notes to come as we read these books together in the future)

THE DAY WE MET YOU by Phoebe Koehler: very brief, perfect for toddlers/preschool

ROSIE'S FAMILY An Adoption Story by Lori Rosgrove: characters are canines of different breeds which makes it more relatable to children whose adoptive family is a different race or adoptive families that just simply look nothing alike

ADOPTION IS FOR ALWAYS by Linda Girard: speaks more to the questions and emotions an adopted child struggles with

HOW I WAS ADOPTED by Joanna Cole: excellent perspective and framing of adoption, recognizes there are different adoption stories for different people

MY ADOPTED CHILD, THERE'S NO ONE LIKE YOU by Dr. Kevin Leman and son: celebrates a young panda's adoption as he learns his story for a family tree project

A IS FOR ADOPTED by Eileen Tucker Crosby: every letter of the alphabet is used to describe or relate to adoption, includes a poem for each description

TELL ME AGAIN ABOUT THE NIGHT I WAS BORN by Jamie Lee Curtis: adorable, structured as goes a child's request to hear her adoption story

WE BELONG TOGETHER A book about Adoption and Families by Todd Parr: I love this book because it can refer to older children's as well as interracial adoptions. This is one of my three favorites of our adoption books.

THE TUMMY MUMMY by Michelle Madrid-Branch: tender story told from a birth mother's perspective, helpful for explaining a birthmother's love (not rejection)

HAPPY ADOPTION DAY by John McCutcheon: thankfully includes references to older children's adoptions as well as interracial and international adoption, told in poem form

THE WONDERFUL HAPPENS by Cynthia Rylant: Does not specifically refer to adoption, but it completely does if you have that in mind....such a beautiful, beautiful children's story for speaking love over and teaching self-worth to a child that may be questioning theirs (as some do when they ponder their being adopted), this is my other favorite of our adoption book collection, btw- this author is a well known and widely published children's book author

MAYBE DAYS: A Book for Children in Foster Care by Jennifer Wilgocki and Marcia Kahn Wright : Not just helpful for children in foster care but also for the adults in their lives - case workers, foster parents, prospective adoptive parents, etc.

I WISHED FOR YOU - An adoption story by Marianne Richmond: Covers so many pieces and emotions and realities of an adoption. This one rounds off my Top 3 favorites.

GOD FOUND US YOU by Lisa Tawn Bergren - Characters are foxes. Explanation is simple and affectionate. For me, this one is just ok.