Adoption-Related Books for Children from Preschool to Age 8

Adoption-Related Books for Children from Preschool to Age 8

NAIC compiled this list by searching numerous sources, including subject-related searches of Amazon.com, book lists posted on various adoption-related Web sites, and recommendations posted online by individuals. The suggested age-level is a general guideline. The list is intended as an overview; it is not comprehensive, and NAIC has not reviewed the books. Other helpful sources for locating books related to adoption include public libraries and children's bookstores. Parent support groups also frequently compile lists of recommended reading--to locate a parent support group in your State, consult NAIC's National Adoption Directory. (Search the Directory online or call the Clearinghouse at (888) 251-0075 for assistance.)

Abby, by Jeanette Caines, illustrated by Steven Kellogg
1984 (reprint edition), paper, HarperTrophy; ISBN 0064430499

This is the story of Abby's interactions within her adopted family, especially with her brother Kevin who initially gives her a hard time. She is part of a warm and loving black family living in a city apartment.

Adoption Is for Always, by Linda Walvoord, photographs by Judith Friedman, edited by Abby Levine
1991 (reprint edition) paper, Albert Whitman & Co; ISBN: 0807501859

A 5-year-old girl, Celia, knows she is adopted. But she is confused and angry, and her parents must deal with her many questions in an honest and loving way.

The Adopted One: An Open Family Book for Parents and Children Together, by Sara Bonnett, illustrated by Erika Stone
1986, paper, Walker & Co; ISBN: 0802772242

This photo essay has a text for both adults and children.

Adoption Stories for Young Children, by Randall B. Hicks, photographs by William H. Rockey
1995, paper, Wordslinger Pr; ISBN 0963163825

This is a book to help parents discuss adoption with their children and how their family was created through adoption. Five-year-old Ryan learns that a woman who is having a baby may decide that the baby can be better taken care of by someone else.

Allison, by Allen Say
1997, hardcover, Houghton Mifflin Co.; ISBN 039585895X

When Allison realizes that she looks more like her favorite doll than like her parents, she comes to terms with this unwelcomed discovery through the help of a stray cat.

All About Me, by Lynn Burwash and Cie McMullin
1998, Lynn Burwash & Cie McMullin; ISBN 0966885805

All About Me, was written by two adoptive mothers as a tool for adoptive parents who wish to help their young children understand the meaning of being adopted.

All Together Now, by Anita Jeram
2000, hardcover, Candlewick Press; ISBN 0763608467

This story is about the Honeys--Mommy Rabbit, Bunny, Little Duckling, and Miss Mouse. This happy, cross-species crew plays "splashy-sploshy" and "itchy-twitchy, swirly-whirly" games.

A is for Adopted, by Eileen Tucker Cosby
2000, hardcover, SWAK Pak, LLC; ISBN 096763850X

This Christian-themed alphabet book takes you from A IS FOR ADOPTED to Z IS FOR ZEST FOR LIFE.

Beginnings: How Families Come to Be, by Virginia Kroll, illustrated by Stacey Schuett
1994, hardcover, Concept Books; ISBN 0807506028

Six vignettes discuss six different ways that children join families, including by adoption.

Being Adopted, by Stephanie Herbert
2000, hardcover, Child Welfare League of America; ISBN 0878684786

A seven-year-old girl tells her adoption story.

The Best Single Mom in the World: How I Was Adopted, by Mary Zisk
2001, hardcover, Albert Whitman and Co.; ISBN 0807506664

A little girl tells the story of her adoption as her mom has told it to her.

Carolyn's Story: A Book About an Adopted Girl by Perry Schwartz
1996, Lerner Publications Co., ISBN 0822525801

Carolyn's parents adopted her from Honduras when she was a baby. She has a little brother who was also adopted from Honduras. Includes information and resources about adoption.

A China Adoption Story: Mommy, Why Do We Look Different? by Frances M. Kob
2000, hardcover, EastWest Press, ISBN 0960609091

Four year old Laura Shu-Mei wonders why she and her parents don't look the same. Her mom explains about Laura's beginnings in China and tells her the story of how she was adopted.

Chinese Eyes by Marjorie Ann Waybill, illustrated by Pauline Cutrell
1974, hardcover, Herald Pr; ISBN: 0836117387

An adopted Korean girl gets a lesson on how unimportant it is that some people think she is different.

The Chosen Baby by Valentina Pavlovna Wasson, Glo Coalson
1977, J.B. Lippincott, ISBN 0397317387; 1977

This book explains to young children the joy and rapture adoptive parents feel when the baby arrives. The couple in the novel adopt one baby and then decide to adopt a second one.

The Day We Met You by Phoebe Koehler
1997 (reprint edition) paper, Aladdin Paperbacks; ISBN 0689809646

Illustrated with pastel crayon drawings, this is the story of Mom and Dad telling about the exciting day they adopted their baby.

Did My First Mother Love Me?: A Story for an Adopted Child by Kathryn Ann Miller, illustrated by Jami Moffett
1994, paper, Morning Glory Pr; ISBN 0930934849

Morgan asks her adoptive mom if her first mother loved her. Her mother answers Morgan by reading her a letter that Morgan's birth mother wrote to her.

Do I Have a Daddy? A Story About a Single-Parent Child: With a Special Section for Single Mothers and Fathers by Jeanne Warren Lindsay, illustrated by Jami Moffett
2000 (revised edition), paper, Morning Glory Pr; ISBN: 1885356633
2000, (revised edition) hardcover, Morning Glory Pr; ISBN: 1885356625

Erik is teased about not having a father and asks his mother "Where is my Daddy?" His mother explains to him what happened. The second half of the book is a section for single parents.

Emma's Yucky Brother, by Jean Little, illustrated by Jennifer Plecas
2001, hardcover, Harpercollins Juvenile Books; ISBN: 0060283483

Emma finds out how hard it is to be a big sister when her family adopts a 4-year-old boy named Max.

Families, by Meredith Tax, illustrated by Marylin Hafner
1996, paper, Feminist Pr; ISBN: 1558611576
1998 (first Spanish edition), Paperback, Feminist Pr; ISBN: 1558611835

Six-year-old Angie explores the dizzying number of possible relationships created by marriages, divorces, adoptions and single parenting.

Families are Different by Nina Pellegrini
1991, hardcover, Holiday House; ISBN: 0823408876

Six-year-old Nico and 10-year-old Angelica were adopted from Korea as babies. Nico becomes troubled because her two girlfriends look just like their parents. Finally Nico talks to her mom who tells her all about the many different kinds of families.

A Family for Jamie: An Adoption Story, by Suzanne Bloom
1991, hardcover, Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., New York, NY, ISBN: 0517574926; 1991

Molly and Dan seek the help of an adoption counselor. After the adoption worker tells them about a baby needing a family like theirs, they invite grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends to welcome Jamie home.

Happy Adoption Day! by John McCutcheon, illustrated by Julie Paschkis
2001, paper, Little Brown & Co., ISBN 0316603236
1996, hardcover, Little Brown & Co, ISBN 0316554553

Happy Adoption Day! is a song for the day a long-awaited child joins an adoptive family and "a family was born," including musical notation so everybody can sing along.

Heart of Mine: A Story of Adoption, by Dan Hojer, Lotta Hojer, translated by Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard
2001, hardcover, R & S; ISBN: 9129653010

One day, the phone rang in the home of a couple who longed and waited for a child. Their little girl had been born on Valentine's Day in Vietnam. Heart Of Mine is the story of a journey for a new family.

Horace, by Holly Keller
1991, hardcover, Greenwillow Books, New York, NY; ISBN 0688098312

Horace becomes bothered that he has fur that is dotted while his relatives all have fur that is striped. He runs away to find a family that looks like him, but he misses his mom and dad and decides to return home.

How Babies and Families are Made (There is More Than One Way!), by Patricia Schafer, illustrated by Suzanne Corbett
1988, paperback, Tabor Sarah Books; ISBN 0935079173

This book surveys the different ways in which children are conceived, develop, are born, and become parts of families.

How I Was Adopted: Samantha's Story, by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Maxie Chambliss
1995, hardcover, William Morrow & Company; ISBN 0688119298
1999 (reprint edition) paper, Mulberry Books; ISBN: 0688170552

This is the story of Samantha's adoption told from a child's perspective.

I Love You Like Crazy Cakes, by Rose A. Lewis, illustrated by Jane Dyer
2000, hardcover, Little Brown & Co (Juv Trd); ISBN 0316525383

For Rose Lewis, the journey to motherhood begins with a letter to Chinese officials, asking if she can adopt from the "big room with lots of other babies." She travels to China to meet her new little girl and take her baby home.

I Miss My Foster Parents, by Stefon Herbert
Child Welfare League of America; ISBN: 087868476X

A young boy and his sister love their foster parents. When they learn they are going to be adopted they are upset and frightened. But after they move, they begin to like their new parents and home. They still miss their foster parents and hope they will be able to visit them someday.

I'd Rather Be With a Real Mom Who Loves Me, by Michael Gordon, Ph.D.
1995, GSI Publications, DeWitt, ISBN 0962770183; 1995

A boy is confused and angry about his placement in foster care, even though he knows his mother was not able to take proper care of him or protect him. He is tired of therapy, though one of his therapists is pretty nice, and he thinks his foster mother is okay. This book does not have a 'happy' ending. At the end, the boy is still in limbo.

Is That Your Sister? A True Story of Adoption, by Catherine Bunin, Sherry Bunin, illustrated by Sheila Kelly Welch
1992 (reissue edition), hardcover, Our Child Press; ISBN 0961187263

This book is told from the perspective of a 6-year-old girl who is a member of an interracial family. She expresses feelings about being adopted and not looking like her parents and siblings and reminds the reader that adoption is only one facet of her family's life.

A Koala for Katie, by Jonathan London, illustrated by Cynthia Jabar
1997 (reprint edition) paperback, Albert Whitman & Co; ISBN 0807542105

An adopted child re-examines her relationship to her two sets of parents and then adopts a stuffed animal.

Let's Talk About it: Adoption, by Fred Rogers, photographs by Jim Judkis
1998, (reissue edition) paperback, Paper Star; ISBN 0698116259

Fred Rogers reassures children that being in a family means belonging. He encourages children to talk with their parents about their happy and sad feelings concerning being adopted.

Little Flower: A Journey of Caring by Laura McAndrew, illustrated by Nancy Conrad
1999, paper, Child and Family Enterprises; ISBN 0878687149; 1999

Little Flower, a potted daisy who is neglected by her family, finds help and a new place to stay until the people she was living with can learn how to take better care of her. Includes projects to help the healing process of those in a similar situation.

The Little Green Goose, by Adele Sansone, illustrated by Alan Marks, translated by J. Alison James
2001 (reprint edition), paper, North South Books; ISBN 0735814090
1999, hardcover, North South Books, ISBN 0735810710
El Pequeno Ganso Verde (Spanish edition), 2001, hardcover, North South Books; ISBN: 0735814287

Mr. Goose finds an abandoned egg, hatches it, and raises a peculiar green-skinned long-tailed chick, who worries about his identity but comes to recognize that he has a loving parent.

Little Miss Spider, by David Kirk
1999, paper, Scholastic Trade; ISBN: 0439083893

After Miss Spider hatches, her mother is nowhere to be found. When a maternal beetle offers to take her in, Miss Spider knows her search for Mom is over.

Look Who's Adopted, by Michael S. Taheri and James F. Or, illustrated by Jenny Wegrzyn
1997, Western New York Wares Inc; ISBN: 1879201216

The book explores the different careers and activities that adopted people have undertaken. The book is narrated by Wendel, a turtle adopted by a family of rabbits. It also includes a place for children to list adopted people that they personally know.

A Mother for Choco, by Keiko Kasza
1996 (reprint edition), paper, Scott Foresman, ISBN 0698113640

A lonely, motherless little bird, Choco, sets out to find his mother. Mrs. Bear finds him crying and asks what a mommy would do for him. As he answers, she holds him, kisses him, sings to him and dances with him. Eventually, Choco accepts Mrs. Bear as his new mommy.

The Mulberry Bird: Story of an Adoption, by Anne Braff Brodinsky, illustrated by Diana L. Stanley
1996 (revised edition), hardcover, Perspectives Press; ISBN 0944934153

This story is about a mother who is not able to come for her baby bird. Although, it includes some real facts about the natural habits of birds, it is a fantasy about adoption. Once the mother decides to let her baby be adopted, the story shifts to the baby's adjustment process in his new family.

My Foster Family: A Story for Children Entering Foster Care, by Jennifer Levine
1994, Child Welfare League of America, ISBN 0878685375

Using a coloring book format, the booklet explains foster care to children using words they can understand. It can be used at any stage of the foster care placement process to help children explore their feelings, fears, and concerns about foster care.

My Special Family: A Children's Book About Open Adoption, by Kathleen Silber and Debra Marks Parelskin
1995, paper, Taylor Publishing, ISBN 0964000911

A workbook for children of open adoption to help them understand their relationships with their adoptive parents and birth parents.

Never, Never, Never Will She Stop Loving You, by Jolene Durrent, photographs by Steve Allred
1999, JoBiz, Inc.; ISBN 0966356799

The story of a birth mother, Annie, and the baby she placed for adoption.

Oliver, by Lois Wickstrom, illustrated by Priscilla Marden
1991, hardcover, Our Child Press, ISBN 0961187255

Oliver, a lizard-like animal who has been adopted, is scolded by his father and sent to his room, where he sulks and wonders what his birth parents are like.

Our Baby From China, by Nancy D'Antonio
1997, Albert Whitman & Co., ISBN 0807561622

Our Baby From China tells the true adoption story of Ariela Ziangwei. The book starts by showing Ariela's new parents coming to China to meet her and to visit her wonderful homeland. Finally, they get to come back home and show off Ariela to all their relatives.

Pinky and Rex and the New Baby, by James Howe, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
1999, paper, Aladdin Paperbacks; ISBN 068982548X

Rex finds out from her mother and father that they are going to adopt a baby boy. Rex decides to spend all her free time helping with the baby, so that her parents will continue to notice and value her. Rex finally figures out that there is enough love in the family for everyone.

Stellaluna, by Janell Cannon
1993, hardcover, Harcourt Brace and Company; ISBN 0152802177

After falling headfirst into a bird's nest, a baby bat named Stellaluna is raised like a bird until she is reunited with her mother.

Tall Boy's Journey, by Joanna Halpert Kraus, illustrated by Karen Ritz
1993 (reprint edition), First Avenue Editions, ISBN 0876146167

The grandmother of Kim Moo Young, an 8-year-old Korean boy, dies, and Kim's uncle, a soldier, is not able to care for him. The uncle tells Kim Moo Young that he must be a brave boy, and go on a mission across the sea to live with an American family.

Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born, by Jamie Lee Curtis, illustrated by Laura Cornell
2000 (reprint edition), paper, HarperCollins Children's Books, ISBN 0064435814
1996, hardcover, HarperCollins Juvenile Books, ISBN 006024528X

A young girl asks her parents to tell her again the cherished family story of her birth and adoption.

This is How We Became a Family: An Adoption Story by Wayne Willis
1999, American Psychological Association; ISBN 1557986665
2000, hardcover, Magination; ISBN: 1557986665
2000, paper, Magination; ISBN 1557987009

This is the story of a couple who long for a child, of a pregnant woman who is not ready to be a mother, and of the events that bring them together for a happy ending.

Through Moon and Stars and Night Skies, by Ann Warren Turner, illustrated by James Graham Hale
1992 (reprint edition), paper, HarperTrophy; ISBN 0064433080

A small Asian boy tells the reader his story of how he needed a bed, poppa, and momma of his own.

Twice Upon-A-Time: Born and Adopted, by Eleanor Patterson
1988, paper, EP Press; ISBN 0960743219

This book describes, in simple terms for children, both the biological and social origins of adopted children.

Two Birthdays for Beth by Gay Lynn Cronin, illustrated by Joanne Bowring
1995, Perspectives Press, ISBN 0944934137

Beth's mother explains that adoption is a great way to join a family, but there is only one special day for presents. Beth shows her mother that she understands the most important thing about adoption is love.

Visit, by S. Latisha Herbert
1991, hardcover, Child Welfare League of America; ISBN 0878684778

A small girl and her brother who live in a foster home are taken by their social worker to visit their sister and brothers who live with another foster family. They talk, play with toys, and have a treat. At the end of the visit they are sad because they will not see one another again very soon. But these visits make them all very happy.

What's a Foster Family Anyway? by Martine Golden Inlay
2001, paper, Diamond Cut Publishing, ISBN 0970751001

This book provides a resource in helping children cope with the potentially traumatic experience of placement into foster care.

When You Were Born in China: A Memory Book for Children Adopted from China, by Sara Dorow, photographs by Stephen Wunrow
1997, hardcover, Yeong and Yeong Book Company, ISBN 096384721X

This book about adopting from China is a photo-essay that provides a child's-eye look, helping to explain some of the whys and hows that have brought these children to their new families.

When You Were Born in Korea: A Memory Book for Children Adopted from Korea, by Brian Boyd
1993, Yeong and Yeong Book Company, ISBN 0963847201

This book for Korean children adopted by families in the United States tells the story of what their early days in Korea were probably like.

When You Were Born in Vietnam: A Memory Book for Children Adopted from Vietnam by Therese Bartlett, photographs by William Bartlett
2001, Yeong and Yeong Book Company, ISBN 0963847252

Speaking directly to adopted children, this book offers a clear and straightforward explanation of how children in Vietnam are placed for adoption.

Why Was I Adopted? by Carole Livingston, illustrated by Arthur Robins
1997, Carol Publishing Group; ISBN 0818405880

This is a picture book dealing with some of the most frequent questions children ask about adoption. The answers are designed to reinforce feelings of love and self-esteem.

Zachary's New Home: A Story for Foster and Adopted Children by Geraldine Molettiere Blomquist, Paul B. Blomquist, illustrated by Margo Lemieux
1991, paper, American Psychological Association, ISBN 0945354274

Zachary, a sad kitten, is adopted by geese and finds the adjustment difficult.

This material has been taken from the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse Web site as reviewed and approved for addition to this site on January 14, 2004.

The National Adoption Information Clearinghouse http://naic.acf.hhs.gov, can be reached toll free at 1-888-251-0075,or by e-mail at: naic@calib.com.

Credits: Child Welfare Information Gateway (http://www.childwelfare.gov)