Reviews (9)

Unique, musically speaking!
This is a lovely story of one happy family with their little adopted child from another continent. The author was inspired to serenade the little child by putting the words in Happy Adoption Day to music. Now we can all sing to our adopted youngsters.

Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?

Wonderful Gift
We received this book (and the companion CD - Family Garden) as a gift for our daughters adoption day. In our family (three kids and counting - by adoption) we celebrate adoption days in much the same way as birthdays with cake, presents songs etc. That is where this book comes in. It is absolutely perfect. On each childs adoption day, they blow out the candles on the cake and we open this book, put in the CD and all sing together. The kids absolutely love it and you can see in their eyes whether it is their day or not, that there is a deep and loving meaning to the whole process which makes this so much more than just a book and a song. As I said to my sister who gave it to us, it is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Wishing you many happy adoption days.

Something to celebrate
I've given this book and/or a CD with the song on it to a bunch of kids.

The one caution I would give is that it's not be a good gift if you don't know how/when/if the parents intend to child the child their adoption story. If the child is growing up, as many in my life are, never NOT knowing the story, this book and this song can help carry the story.

A kind of birthday
Adoption day is a kind of birthday.

Some families (like ours) may choose after a while to celebrate only a child's actual birthday.

Nevertheless, this book is a helpful way to celebrate a child's acceptance into his or her adoptive family, especially for kids adopted at older ages or internationally.

There is nothing wrong with stating that the world is troubled. After all, it is.

But the overall message of this beautifully illustrated volume is one of acceptance and love. It is a keepsake that most adoptive families will cherish.

Hurrah, John McCutcheon! Alyssa A. Lappen

Our family's story
We received this book as a Christmas gift shortly after our 2nd child arrived from Korea. I read it to my daughter at nap time and found myself dissolving into tears. Here was OUR story. This is a delightful book for any adoptive family, especially those with children from Asia. The song is marvellous; we sing it regularly and of course on thoses "adoption day" celebrations. ... Read more

Book Description

Hollis Woods has been in so many foster homes she can hardly remember them all. She even runs away from the Regans, the one family who offers her a home.

When Hollis is sent to Josie, an elderly artist who is quirky and affectionate, she wants to stay. But Josie is growing more forgetful every day. If Social Services finds out, they’ll take Hollis away and move Josie into a home. Well, Hollis Woods won’t let anyone separate them. She’s escaped the system before; this time, she plans to take Josie with her.

Yet behind all her plans, Hollis longs for her life with the Regans, fixing each moment of her time with them in pictures she’ll never forget. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Review of "Pictures of Hollis Woods"
This book is a pretty good book. The two main characters are Hollis Woods, a twelve-year-old foster girl who was abandoned at the age of one hour, and Josie, a retired art teacher. It begins with a description with a picture entitled "X" and there are descriptions of other pictures every one or two chapters. In the story Hollis runs away from Josie to her last family that almost adopted her. Then she realizes she needs Josie and Josie needs her.
This book was pretty good, but had some rough spots, so I took one star away. I read this books first when I was ten, and it got me interested.
The book is for ages 9-12.

Wonderful Story of a Wonderful Character
Pictures of Hollis Woods is the very moving story of an abandoned girl who has difficulty fitting into foster homes and is constantly getting in trouble for running away. What we get in this novel are two narratives: one in the present as Hollis tries to fit in with Josie, an older woman slowing succumbing to dementia; and one in the form of flashbacks told through description of pictures Hollis has drawn which tells the story of the previous summer when Hollis thought she had finally found a home. Slowly, these two stories are drawn together as Hollis tries to protect herself and Josie as well as come to terms with the events of the previous summer.

All in all, Ms. Giff has written a wonderful novel. The switching between the two plots in handled well and Hollis is a beautifully drawn character. She is difficult and introverted, but she is an artist and is ultimately able to overcome her defensiveness and become part of a family--even an extended family. I would highly recommend this novel to young and old alike.

BESTBOOKINTHEWORLD!!
O my gosh. When I first read this I thought-just another BORING LAME book to read. BUT WAS I WRONG. I HATE reading, then when I had to read this book for a report~I feel in luv wit it!! All of my friends are reading it and the school ordered 3 more because so many people want it!! Man, I am such a trend setter!! Thanks for making such a good book- I recommend u read it!!

Pictures of Hollis Woods
Reading this book about an orphan who longed for a home and a family to love her was a treat. Hollis Woods was brought up in unloving foster homes that didn't understand her and were always tearing her down, always thinking the worst of her. Out of her deeply rooted hurts, she pushed people away until the Regan family took her for a summer. By their looking for the good in her, they found it. But because of misunderstanding and a tragic accident, Hollis runs away from the only family she ever felt loved by, a family she wanted to belong to. Moving in with Josie, an old artist with signs of Alzheimer's, Hollis feels accepted and needed, but their relationship is doomed, too. Every other chapter features Hollis's flashbacks to explain the accident with the Regans in the unique form of pictures Hollis had drawn. Hollis is a believable and lovable character the reader can fully empathize with. She can help us see others who might have a reputation for being 'trouble' as merely hurting.

Good but not great
Pictures of Hollis Woods was written by Patricia Reilly Giff. This novel is about a young girl trying to find a foster home that she likes. So far all the families she has been with she's ran away from because she says that she doesn't fit in. Then one day, her social worker brought her to a lady named Josie. At first Hollis was nervous like she always is, but Josie made her feel right at home. Hollis felt comfortable with Josie because they shared something in common with each other...they both are artists. Hollis loves to draw and Josie is a sculptor. Eventually Hollis realizes something that could take her away from Josie. To keep this secret to herself, throughout the story she is trying to keep Josie away from her social worker.

One of the reasons that I didn't like this book was because it moved at a very slow pace. I couldn't really get into it because it's nothing that I can relate to. It also didn't have a lot of interesting chapters. They were mainly all about Josie and Hollis and what they do and where they go which, in my opinion, isn't that great of a book.

Another reason that I didn't like this novel was that it had very good details, but too many. One of the only things I did like about the book was the ending. In the end something great happens and it makes you feel excited and happy for Hollis and Josie. But leading up to that moment in the story isn't that good or as exciting. ... Read more

Book Description

Family connections are vitally important to children as they begin to find their place in the world. For transracial and transcultural adoptees, domestic adoptees, and for children in foster care or kinship placements, celebrating the differences within their families as well as the similarities that connect them, is the foundation for belonging. As parents or caregivers, we can strengthen our children’s tie to family and embrace the differences that make them unique. Each child will have their own story and their own special place to belong.

This beautifully illustrated and uplifting book, for the 2-5 set, will help to create the intimate parent/caregiver and child bond that is so important. While others may notice the physical differences between us on the outside, inside we are the same. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Seeking Similarities
My 8-year-old loved this book. She was fascinated by the illustrations and the idea that despite our physical differences as a racially blended family, we are very much the same inside, where it makes all the difference. Excellent source for starting a dialogue with any child.

Excellent balance
I have found this book to be an excellent connecting point with our children who were adopted. The way that Kitze acknowledges physical differences and yet affirms the similarities that truly matter is reassuring for children who have concerns about not resembling their adoptive or foster parents. Multicultural illustrations add to the thoughtful writing.

An Excellent Book for All Families
Carrie Kitz has written a wonderful story for all families to enjoy together. My girls, ages 5 and 2, ask me to read it over and over. As a mom to one daughter from China and one from Cambodia, I especially enjoy the message the book sends- we may look different on the outside, but on the inside, we are the same.

A New Adoption Classic !
Don't be fooled by the cover. Carrie's newest creation speaks to the entire adoption and foster community. " I Don't Have Your Eyes" is the novel, one-of-a kind kids' adoption book we have needed.

Although a " feel good" book, there is nothing sterotypical about how adoption is discussed. The illustrations include and normalize all different type of families.

"I Don't Have Your Eyes" helps kids go beyond " blood" and "genes" as the only important ties between family members. Instead, Carrie gently points out, even more important, shared strengths and similarities. The book's concrete examples ( with a little dab of houmor) are delightful.

Congratulations to Ms. Kitze for carefully considering the needs of the adoption community as she publishes her 'adoption and empowerment- themed' books.

Beth O'Malley M.Ed adoptee and newly adoptive Mom .... ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Wonderful book for adoptive families!
We purchased this book along with several other adoption-themed books for children. This one by far best explains adoption in a way our children can understand. As a family that has both biological and adopted children, it was important to us to find a book that presents ALL children- adopted or not- as special. Mr. Rogers does a fantastic job, as always, putting it into terms that all children can understand. This book is appropriate for children of all types of adoptions. It seems that too many other adoption books focus on children adopted from overseas or those adopted as infants. This one is flexible enough that it can be used in many different situations.

Thank you, Mr. Rogers!

As wonderful as his show
What can I say! Mr. Rogers couldn't fail at anything he did, even if he tried. This is a lovely book about adoption, beautifully telling in words and pictures what being a family is all about, adoptive or not. It tells just enough about adoption not to confuse the young child but to focus on feelings every child has and how to cope with them. Five stars for Mr. Rogers whom we sorely miss every day. Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?

Wonderful book for young children
We have several children's books about adoption and this is by far my favorite. It focuses on what it means to be a family and how families formed by adoption are just like other families. It emphasizes the importance of talking about our feelings with one another. It discusses how the adopted child may have questions about his or her adoption and that questions are okay to ask. This book is filled with photographs of adoptive families interacting in every day ways. It is much easier for my son to relate to these photos than the cute animals in some of our other adoption books. I definitely recommend this book for adoptive families with young children.

Reality for kids
This terrific 27-page book features many photographs of adoptive families and their children, and discusses the feelings that kids have about being in their families.

"When you were born," it begins, "you were ready to live and be loved, just like every other child in the world.

"And you needed to be in a family, just like every other child in the world."

Being in a family, the book tells children, means feeling like you belong. And belonging can happen whether you are born to a family or adopted.

Photographs of several adoptive families show children who are happy, angry and sad. Their families comfort them, and love them, even when they are not at their best. "Your family is special," the reassuring message concludes, "because of all the ways you belong together."

This is a great book for even for very small children who were adopted. Alyssa A. Lappen

A Must Have
As an adoptive parent, I found this simple little book to provide very clear and positive explainations about adoption that are readable to a child of any age. It is a great book to begin introducing the concept of adoption to very young children. It is not very long and it is filled with photographs of many types of families. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Mother-love is profound, however a baby comes into a woman's life. ForRose 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." Theinfants in that room in China are each missing a mother, but Lewis is missingsomething, too--a baby. She travels to China to meet her new little girl andfalls head over heels in love. Taking her baby home to America, Lewis introducesher to all her family and friends, and they begin their life together.

A touching love story, I Love You Like Crazy Cakes will warm the cocklesof any new parent's heart, especially those who have recently adopted a child.It's an ideal story for lap-time reading, and will inspire parents and kids totalk about their own first "meetings," whether at birth or in an adoptionagency. Jane Dyer, illustrator of the bestselling Time for Bed by Mem Fox, Oh My Baby, Little One by KathiAppelt, and many other marvelous picture books, uses a pastel palette ofwatercolors to capture the tender moments between the American mom and herrosy-cheeked Chinese baby. (Ages 3 to 6) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (36)

Heart Warming, Beautifully Illustrated
I am just now beginning the long process of adopting a child from abroad. It will most likely take 1-2 years, and this book will help keep me going when I lose faith.

It is a treasure of a book both for people considering international adoption, and also for those looking at domestic adoption as well. A simple and touching story that tells about the joy all parents feel when meeting their children for the first time...be it through birth or adoption.

This was a truly heartwarming story. Short and easy to read, it's destined to become a bedtime classic.

The illustrations are lovely and dreamy...as a storybook should be.

All in all, a excellent excellent book.

I Love This Book Like Crazy Cakes
Rose Lewis opens a window to her heart that makes this book a universal story for anyone who has known a special love. She has accomplished what might seem impossible. It is not only a children's story, but an intensely personal journey that will resonate for anyone of any age who has experienced the magic of falling in love. As you read this to your children, you will think back to the moment when you first held them in your arms, looked into their eyes and forged a life-long bond. At its end you will understand the pure simplicity of true love. The book's illustrations, by Jane Dyer, alone make it worth buying. Its text will bring tears to your eye and warmth to your heart.

Essential for every adopted child's library
A beautiful book; strong loving feelings are projected from the mother to her daughter. The positives of adoption are explained with empathy for the child's situation. Children reading this will feel proud of their origins, whilst feeling safe and secure in the care and love of their parents. Beautiful illustrations reflect the texts message of love and bonding between mother and daughter.

Good For Single Adoptive Mothers
I enjoyed this book, but think that it is especially appropriate for single adoptive women. The adoptive mother is mentioned, but not an adoptive father or adoptive partner. The book is adorable, no matter what the adoptive parental situation is, but if you are a single adoptive mom, you MUST get this book.

An Excellent Addition to Any Family's Library
One of my favorite roles as a parent is introducing my children to families of many types. In "I Love You Like Crazy Cakes", my children can understand that sometimes Mommys and Babies become a family by being united via airplanes and adoption officials and guess what? The amazing love is the same.

I especially loved that the author shared the gratitude and love for the "other" mother who provided the gift of this baby into her life. Beautifully stated and at times, overlooked.

The illustrations must be mentioned also: they are stunningly beautiful with the emotions of the subjects literally entering my heart from the page. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (10)

Beautiful, heart-warming book
This is a lovely adoption story, particularly for young children adopted from Central America or South America. The illustrations are beautiful, dynamic and colorful, and the story is gentle and joyous. The story captures the excitement and joy of traveling to bring home an adopted child without dwelling on details, so it is easy to add the specifics of your child's adoption as you read. The book emphasizes the permanence of adoption, and that the child was meant to be the child of the adoptive parents. My 2 year-old daughter, adopted from South America, loves the story, and requests it before nap-time and bed-time.

I love this book!
As the mother of a 3-year old adopted from China, I've bought quite a few adoption-related children's books, and I like many of them. But this one I love! Although it's not directly tied to Chinese adoptions, the story is similar to ours (we're a 2-parent family; we adopted a baby; we traveled to get her). The illustrations are lovely and the story captures the happy anticipation we felt as we waited for our child. Most importantly, the author gave me words to use in explaining my daughter's birth to her: "You grew like a flower in another lady's tummy until you were born. The lady couldn't take care of you so Mommy and Daddy came to adopt you and bring you home." I just love those 2 sentences and feel grateful to have them. And my daughter asks me to read this book just about every day!

A fun adoption book just right for youngsters
I like the magical urgency expressed in the words of one adoptive family flying 'over the moon and through the night' to pick up their baby and love her 'forever and always.'It is a simple story that can be understood by small children. The illustrations are charming and stress the importance of the family unit.
Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?

Love this Book
This is about the best book we have that deals with how we became a family - hands down! Our daughter was born in China as is our Number #2 daughter who we are expecting any day now. I found alot of the "classics" in the "how we became a family" to be not my cup of tea or piece of crazy cake, as it were."Over the Moon" approaches the "how you were born" subject so beautifully that we felt comfortable reading it to our 3 year old (over and over and over........) and would have felt comfortable reading it to her 2 years ago! A very gentle, happy, gorgeous book!

A Beautiful Story...It could be mine!
As we await the finalization of the adoption of our daughter from Guatemala, I read this book over and over again! I feel as though it tells our story. The illustrations are bright and appealing. I cannot wait to share it with my daughter. A must have for any adoptive family. ... Read more

Book Description

Tell me again about the night I was born . . Tell me again how you would adopt me and be my parents... Tell me again about the first time you held me in your arms . .

In asking her mother and father to tell her again about the night of her birth, a young girl shows that it is a cherished tale she knows by heart.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell come together once again to create a unique celebration of the love and joy a baby brings into the world. Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born is a heartwarming story, not only of how one child is born but of how a family is born. ... Read more

Reviews (47)

This is a heartwarming book for adopted children.
This book is about a young girl, who is asking her mother and father to tell her again about the night she was born. This little girl is adopted. She knows the story by heart. So, she ends up telling the story herself. This is a very heartwarming book. It begins with the phone ringing to tell them that she has been born. I cannot begin to express how touching this book is to me. The illustrations are adorable. They are so enticing to observe. The pictures capture Curtis's writing perfectly. Laura Cornell is a gifted illustrator who brings books to life in her drawings. I would definetly recommend this book. It makes me feel all warm inside when I read it. This book really brings out the true meaning of family and what it means to be loved.

Another hit by Jamie!
This is a nice adoption story which little adopted kids will find easy to understand. The questions asked by the little child will stimulate the young readers into asking questions about their own birth and drawing comparisons. The pictures are delightful and whimsical. I like Curtis' simple explanation that the birthmother was too young to take care of the child and needed to find parents for her baby. She avoided confusing the young reader with the "chosen baby" story and that the birthmother gave the baby up because she loved the child. I am an adoptive mother of a four-day-old girl and I too kept my explanations to the fact that our birthmother was not able to take care of the baby. It would have been fun to have had this book when our little girl was young.

Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?

Better Adoption Book
I debated 4 or 5 stars. This book is not perfect but it is one of the better adoption tale books out there. Jamie Lee Curtis writes very nice childrens books!

This story doesn't quite follow how our adoption went but our children love it just the same. It follows how the parents get the call and bring the baby home.

The book is written the way young childrens book should be written so the parents can read the book with a nice pace, etc.

The book that I couldn't forget
I read this book in a bookstore, before my husband and I were even considering adoption. It brought tears to my eyes, and I thought the story was beautifully, touchingly told. Several people in my family have been adopted, in different ways and at different times, and yet they all consider their adopted families their "real" families,and they all loved this book. It makes me cringe to hear adoptees talking about "completing their family trees" in such a way that they acknowledge the people who raised them as if it was a simple favor. Now, as we complete our own adoption, I can't wait to read our children this book. It's not exactly the same as our story, but the message is perfect.

great for introducing kids to adoption
I bought this for a friend who had just adopted a toddler. It is such a sweet book about the emotions the adoptive parents go through, and how special adoption is. What a good way to introduce a small child to adoption. ... Read more

Book Description

"I am nine years old and someone a lot like you. Part of my life has been like a puzzle needing pieces, but I am understanding more about myself and my life everyday. This is my story..."
So begins the honest, lyrical reflection of a pre-adolescent girl on what she knows of her adoption from China, and the strength she gains from her acceptance of her bittersweet experience.
The book addresses the underlying feelings and emotions that color the world of the China adoptee. At Home in This World effectively describes and empowers a young girl looking for acknowledgement, empathy and emotional validation. It also enables pre-teen readers to put their early lives into perspective, while emphasizing the supportive love that encircles them within their own families.
What is your life story? Everyone has a one, and with a little detective work you will be certain that no one has a life story as extraordinary as your own... ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Takes the child's feelings into account
There are at least two things that make this book stand out from the growing field of literature about adoption from China: it is told from the perspective of a child, rather than an adult, and it takes into account the sad feelings, as well as the happy ones that we parents remember so well.

In her introduction, the author (a mother of two girls from China) describes how she first put together an adoption story that emphasized all the wonderful things about adoption including a "...baby-book heavy on adoption-day photographs." Then she realized that "The relentlessly positive spin I chose to put on my girls' pre-adoption birth story was confusing to my daughters, who recognized buried feelings that didn't always parallel mine." She found that she needed to address and legitimize these feelings.

This is not to say that the book is sad. The young narrator tries to make sense of why her birthparents would leave her, she wonders what they look like, she notes that she looks like a "confused little baby" in her adoption video, and she talks about early dreams she had of being lost after she went to sleep at night. She says "I understand all of these things in my head, but it is so much harder to understand in my heart." She concludes her story by saying that she is bringing her sides together ..."One girl from two places who is growing up to be at home in this big, wide world."

After the story, the author includes some information at questions that parents and children can discuss after they read the book.

The book is illustrated with charming watercolors by Qin Su, a native of China. They have a fresh, direct quality to them.

This belongs on adoptive parents' bookshelf along with Mommy Far, Mommy Near by Carol Antoinette Peacock and Kids Like Me in China by Yin Ying Fry.

At Home in the World
I highly recommend this book, especially for pre-teen children who are just beginning to think more deeply about issues raised by international adoption. The watercolors are beautiful, the concept is excellent and the narrative well written and very strong. At Home in This World will help older children think about the issues surrounding their abandonment and adoption and may help many of them articulate their own ideas and feelings. I especially like that this story is told through the voice of an older child rather than an omniscient narrator or parent. It invites the reading child to identify with the narrator and leaves room for the child to spin the story as she wishes. An important contribution to the emerging literature written for internationally-adopted children.

FABULOUS!
I think the best way to share the impact of this book is to relate the following--after I read the book to my daughter, Jaclyn, who was adopted at the age of 4 from China, she silently cluctched the book to her chest and then placed it in the pile of "treasures" she has. Needless to say the book had a powerful impact. This book was very needed as there was truly a void in books that help the slightly older girls express "their" story. Jean did a fabulous job in doing this and in conveying, as part of the education guide, the importance of helping our kids relate and understand their stories. The book also has captivating photos and is truly a treasure!!! I can't recommend it highly enough.

An essential book for children adopted internationally
From the moment my own adopted daughter said, "I don't look like anyone in my family", I realized again the importance of explaining her story in words that she could understand and take to heart. "At Home in this World" is the book that so many adoptive parents have been waiting for.....a story told in words that children can truly understand. The main character writes: "Part of my life has been like a puzzle needing pieces, but I am understanding more about myself and my life everyday." Our adopted children want this more than anything....to understand their stories and how their lives began. "At Home in this World" is the perfect book to help an adopted child know that there are others feeling the same way they are. It doesn't downplay the very real feelings that adoptees often have about not being able to know their birthparents or wishing they looked like their new family. It is honest and genuine. I found it to be a very empowering book for my daughter, showing her that it is okay to speak openly about the truth that she did indeed have a life before adoption.

After reading this book, my almost five year old daughter and I were in the car with a whole vanful of teens. My daughter turned to my son's friend and said, "see my brown eyes? My birthparents gave them to me." "At Home in this World" was an important book that helped show my daughter that she has her own story to tell, one that has both loss and joy, and one that she can indeed be proud to call her own. I can't recommend it more highly.

At Home In This World
This is the book I've been waiting for. Jean MacLeod has so eloguently put to words the thoughts and feelings of my own daughters who were adopted from China. There has been a large void in the adoption book industry, but this book now fills it! Written in the first person, At Home In This World, is the narrative of a 9 year old girl who was adopted from China as an infant, trying now to make sense of her past, and to understand her feelings of the present. Just as my own daughters struggle to make sense of their lives from long ago in China, and now as part of our family, so does the child in this book. The author has normalized those feelings and thus helps the adopted girls of China to see that ALL their feelings about their journey are normal and perfectly fine to have. I love this book, and will buy a copy for both of my daughters. This is a book for them to treasure, and to someday share with their own children, as they describe the journey they have lived. ... Read more

Book Description

An elegant and evocative book for adopted children to open the birthparent and adoption dialog between parent and child.

Many adult adoptees have gone through life wanting to ask questions about their birthparents, but felt the thoughts they have might make their parents uncomfortable. Then, these questions have remained unasked and unanswered. "We See the Moon" opens the adoption dialog at an early age by allowing the questions in your child's heart to be asked and discussed, creating the foundation for conversations to come.

This is a story written from the child's perspective, asking the questions that dwell in their hearts about their birthparents...What do you look like? Where are you now? Do you think of me? It will help children use the moon as a private tool to connect with a family that is always with them in their hearts. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Adoptive Family Magazine Review (May/June 2003)
Carrie Kitze's story for children is written from an adopted child's perspective. We See the Moon asks the questions about birthparents that are often unspoken: What do you look like? Where are you now? Do you think of me? In a sea of titles that explain the adoption process rather than how it feels to be adopted, We See the Moon-simple, hopeful, and beautiful-stands alone.

We See the Moon's central theme comes from a song: "I see the moon, the moon sees me...Please let the moon that comforts me, comfort the one I love." The heroine of the story uses the moon to connect with the birth family that is always present in her imagination. Brightly colored folk art paintings complement the text.

The message that all lives are lived under the same moon is deeply moving. We See the Moon transforms the sadness of separation into a healing experience, finding universes of belonging that soften the void of absent birthparents. Every adoption triad member, child or adult, needs a copy of this timeless story that takes hold of you gently and won't let go.

Reviewed by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg, directors of Pact, An Adoption Alliance.

Profound
Your adopted child can be from anywhere ... and you and your family will be able to relate deeply to this book's messages. The author uses simple language to elegantly express tender feelings of enduring curiosity and loss in adoption, even as it acknowledges the security of the adopted home. My 6-year-old was relieved to hear words describing how she felt. She seemed even more gratified as we read it together to know I was hearing how she feels and it is safe for us to talk about these topics. This book is amazing in the way it communicates the naturalness of feeling sadness, and offers a way to find comfort by connecting to birthparents through the moon, in words children can easily understand. Best of all, it reinforces an ability to love both sets of parents.

Korean Quarterly Review by an adult Korean Adoptee
Even as a child, memories of my past from long ago and thousands of miles away would catch me off guard. I might have been playing with Barbie dolls with my friends, and suddenly, I would remember, walking along in a dusty, yellow marketplace with my father, along the busy streets of Seoul. But it was mostly at nighttime, when the world was asleep, that my mind reverted to my childhood, a different childhood, a life that seemed to belong to someone else.

Whether we travel in our own quiet spaces of our mind to a place that was once our home or physically trace our paths back to where our lives began, for adoptees, the journey is one that many of us make. Such journeys are the subject of We See the Moon.

Author Carrie Kitze beautifully captures the simple, yet haunting thoughts that many adoptees may share. Her writing is fleeting and poetic, like clouds, that float across our minds with questions of one's past:

I was born
In a faraway land,
of parents
With faces in the shadows.
Where are you now?

For many adoptees, the person who gave birth to us seems like a complete stranger, so different from us in every way. But all the differences in the world are bridged by the metaphor of the moon, which as the title of the book evokes, is constant and comforting. The moon connects us to our past and present, and no matter where we are, we see the same moon.

All I need is to look
at the moon in the night sky
and think of you.

The simple text leaves wide spaces for thought on each page, and each phrase or question is echoed beautifully by the colorful and mesmerizing Jinshan Peasant Paintings. As described in the book, these paintings were first painted by older women skilled in various folk arts that had been passed down through generations in Jinshan County near Shanghai, China. The primitive looking paintings, in which tempera paint is mixed with chalk, are simple, bright and childlike, each depiction carefully telling its own story.

We See the Moon is a book to be shared, to open conversations, and to delicately unfold the questions that many adoptees secretly hold. By creating this beautiful book, Kitze has confirmed for all of us that although the journey to our past feels lonely, it can be shared with loved ones. Her carefully chosen questions and phrases may evoke memories or for others, lead to more unanswered questions.

This review first appeared in Korean Quarterly, Winter 2003/2004 www.koreanquarterly.org

The moon is always there, even when it can't be seen...
This powerful book designed for pre-teen children (adopted from China, other countries or domestically) begins with a poem about the Moon, the refrain of which is "please let the light that shines on me/shine on the one I love.

The author uses the Chinese family festival of the Moon to anchor the illustrations to her text and subtext. This is to enable and empower the adopted child in building a link between her two worlds and families, with the Moon high above becoming the spiritual as well as physical "light that shines on me and the one I love".

Many adoptive families find it hard to choose the right minute for showing their child that it is OK both to feel hurt by and yet still love their birth-family. The book achieves this both by the quality of the illustrations (showing how life IS in China at Moon time) and the easy richness of child-suited sparse but elastic text). Each one-liner of text carries with it questions - and a whole subset of questions which are ready to escape from the initial questions- that the child can ask. Parents and child can read together, read separately, it's of no matter. What matters is that the issue of love and honour of the past is brought into the safety of the adoptive family. For children the word "love" is means connection. The book allows this; and with this foundation the child can later go on to deal with ALL the other powerful emotions that come with losing birthfamily but gaining an adoptive one.

In addition to the text of the book, if that were not enough richness, EMK press presents a free Parent Guide to download from their website. This guide is written by the formidable social worker and writer/presenter of children's therapeutic activities, Jane Brown. Here, Jane underscores from her professional experience the NEED for children to be permitted connections to their past while IN their present family: fail them in this, and the child doesn't grow "whole".

I was personally overwhelmed by the wistful childishness of some of the text .... The child affirms the magic of the moon and wonders if her mother is "looking now?" I loved the positive that the child affirms her happiness in her new family and hopes her first family can sense that.

I loved the Jinshan illustrations. This painting academy specialises in naïve art, so the illustrations are both friendly-foreign, and entirely apt in their childlike perspective, a myopically child-centric view of the world. Here I use myopic, or short-sighted, in the sense that the child is ultra-focused on the aspects of living that matter.

I questioned whether the book would work for all kids, because some children, and I am adoptive mother to two such kids, don't have easy reactions to easy solutions for connections to loss. Was the book appealing to MY need for my children to be happy here, was I ignoring their need to know the harder facts of how they came to be abandoned? Was looking at the connection of love far too simplistic?

So I handed it to "the experts". The book's been tugged-of-war over, it's begged for and they are up looking for the Moon when they should be asleep. My children (aged 3 and 7) took it to their hearts... I am not sure exactly why, but I suspect that my children KNOW books are special. So ,for them, to hear things in a book that make OK hard feelings is "Double Happiness".

This is just one of those books that resounds and displays those essentials for children: symbols which elicit trust and peace in their quest for answers.

And I love it too. The moon is always there, even when it can't be seen. As are my children's connection to their first families.

Essential
This important and long-needed book supports and facilitates the telling of the child's adoption story with the young child's participation. Every adoption involves loss. The most profound loss for the child is the loss of the birth mother. The book guides the adoptive parent and the child to her presence, illuminating the birth mother in images, realizing her in words, bringing her into the light of their world. An essential gift to aid the life-long journey of understanding for both parent and child.

Becky M.
Mom to two daughters from China ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Loving shower gift for adoptive parents
This is my favorite book about adoption. I found myself in tears when I finished the book. The text is simple but speaks directly to the heart. The parents narrate all the concrete steps they took the day they receive the call to pick up their new baby. The crayon illustrations convey a beautiful sense of warmth and love. Both children and adults will find themselves drawn to the purity of expression in both writing and illustrations.

Carol E. Watkins, M.D.

The Day We Met You
This book closely mirrored our own adoption experience. Family and friends were a big part and the book includes it in a very simple and friendly way. I love it and my daughter loves it.

Very Touching Book
Very touching book. Short, sweet and full of warm fuzzies.

Okay, but one-dimensional
This book is an okay book for those just beginning to talk with their kids about their adoption stories. In simple language it tells about the day they met. In my experience as an adoption professional, though, most adoption stories--at least domestic--include some contact with the birth mom and/or dad and perhaps their families. This book would be richer if it were revised to include that contact.

I CAN'T BELIEVE SOMEONE ACTUALLY CHARGES $$ FOR THIS BOOK
I RECEIVED THIS BOOK, READ IT IN 30 SECONDS, THEN DECIDED TO RETURN IT IMMEDIATELY! THIS IS THE WORST BOOK EVER WRITTEN, IF YOU COULD CALL IT THAT. I CAN'T BELIEVE SOMEONE ACTUALLY PUBLISHED THIS. PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY OR YOUR TIME! DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WORN YOU!! ... Read more

Book Description

Things are just about perfect for Guji Guji and his somewhat unconventional family until the day three bad crocodiles appear. They don't see a family; they see "fat, delicious ducks." They don't see Guji Guji, the biggest and strongest duck in Mother Duck's family, either. "Look at yourself! No feathers, no beak, no big webbed feet! What you have is blue-gray skin, sharp claws, pointed teeth and the smell of bad crocodile. You're just like us."

Poor Guji Guji. What's a crocoduck to do?

An original in his own family, Guji Guji proves to himself and others that family, no matter where or what that family may be, is worth protecting and cherishing. ... Read more

Book Description

Dan is a shy, quiet foster child who has been moved from home to home for as long as he can remember, so when the Knox family decides to adopt him, Dan doesn't dare believe that this new, almost perfect home is permanent. Mary Kate is the Knoxes' only daughter, a bright, outspoken girl who is determined to prove to her parents that they only need her, and the new baby that is on the way.

Like a vivid assortment of snapshots that tell a story, the short chapters of this highly engrossing novel shift back and forth between the perspectives of Dan and Mary Kate. Eventually both children adjust as they deal with the many complex reactions brought on by this adoption, and Dan finally becomes-in a very real and moving way-a member of the family. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A moving, involving story
Quiet Dan has been adopted into a family which has experienced a series of foster children over the years - and his new 'sister' Mary can't understand why. For Dan, it's an uncertain miracle which can change at any moment, and his past survival skills kick in to keep him at bay from his new family. For Mary Kate, a determination to reject the new brother almost becomes reality. A moving, involving story which gives plenty of psychological insights. ... Read more

Book Description

Rosie's Family is a story about belonging in a family regardless of differences.Rosie is a beagle who was adopted by schnauzers.She feels different from the rest of her family and sets forth many questions that children who were adopted may have. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great adoption introduction book for preschoolers
As the nanny to two wonderful adopted children I have searched far & wide for books that introduce the subject of adoption to them appropriately. This book has been well received by both children (2.5 & 7 years old). They both routinely request it at bedtime & it has inspired many open conversations on how they came to be a part of their family.

Wonderful and Insightful
I read this book to my class, and received a tremendous response from my 4th grade students. The book illustrates easy-to-understand principles of adoption, and highlights how it is important to tolerate the differences among each of us.

Rosie's Family: An Adoption Story
I am so happy this book was written! I have a 5 year old daughter and I was having a hard time finding a book about adoption which she could relate to. My daughter loved the book and colourful drawings of the animals. The text was easy for my daughter to understand. After reading the book my daughter and I had an open discussion about adoption and the "notes for parents" at the end of the book helped me tremendously. My daughter now has a better understanding about adoption and feels comfortable talking about it. This book should be part of every childs library!

Rosie's Family: An Adoption Story
Rosie's family is a wonderful, creative adoption story for kids. I think this story contains amazing art work that every kid would love. It definitely helped me to understand adoption better!!

Rosie's Family; An Adoption Story
I really like this book because it encouraged me to ask my parents questions about my adoption. I had some of the same worries that Rosie had, which made me realize that a lot of kids probably do too. I love the drawings and that the characters are dogs! ... Read more

Book Description

Choco wishes he had a mother, but who could she be? He sets off to find her, asking all kinds of animals, but he doesn't meet anyone who looks just like him. He doesn't even think of asking Mrs. Bear if she's his mother-but then she starts to do just the things a mommy might do. And when she brings him home, he meets her other children-a piglet, a hippo, and an alligator-and learns that families can come in all shapes and sizes and still fit together.

Keiko Kasza's twist on the "Are you my mother?" theme has become one of the most highly recommended stories about adoption for children. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Great Discussion Piece
A Mother for Choco is a story about a lonely, little bird who goes in search of a mother. He asked all kinds of animals about his mother, but unfortunately, nobody looked just like him. Eventually, he finds someone who is just like a mother to him, even though she doesn't look like Choco, and his is very happy. This book does an excellent job of explaining the touchy subject of foster/adopted children. Since the book uses animals to describe this relationship, children may have a better understanding of this type of situation and be more accepting of it. It may also help foster/adopted children to accept their own situations as well as explain it to others. It is a very easy book to read and it creates a warm, satisfying feeling with its readers. The illustrations adequately depict the story and keep the reader's attention. Younger students especially seem to relate to Choco, whether they are in the same situation or not. They even seem to have a more accepting attitude about this subject and understand that this is something that actually happens. It's an excellent book to use at home or in the classroom; a great discussion piece.

Thumbs up from an adoptive mom!
Who couldn't love Choco?! We have five children in our family from four different racial backgrounds and we love this book - not many books address such diversity! But enough of the academic, Choco is just a plain old fun story - great reading for anyone. You'll have to find a different book to explain birthparents and the whole adoption process, though. Choco just sort of pops out of nowhere and wanders into just the right home for him.

Great for all adopted children
This book is especially recommended to families we know who adopted children of a different ethnic background (look different). Our two children are the same race (by chance) and I think they get lots out of the book as well.

As toddlers they LOVE this book. My daughter is only two but seems to understand that Choco is adopted like her. She turns and gives me kisses as I read the story so now we both think of it as our favorite book to read before bedtime.
I think all adoptive parents should have this book to read to their young child! It is wonderful!!!

A Mother for Choco
My daughter was adopted from Vietnam as an infant. She is just two now, and we are beginning to read some of the adoption storybooks I have collected for her. This is by far and away her favorite right now. Most of the other books focus on *the events* surrounding adoption. I think this one speaks to issues that she is aware of but not yet able to articulate: "I look different from Mommy--what does this mean?" She has been asking to read Choco every night.

a mother for choco
This book is about a little bird who lives all alone.
his name is chocko, he wants to know who his mother is
so one day he sets off to find his mother. Choco met mrs.
giraffe but she's not his mother. Next choco met mrs. penguin, but she wasn't his mother. Then he meets mrs.
walrus she was sure grumpy, but she wasn't his mother.
Choco saw mrs.bear picking apples but choco knew she wasn't his mother.Then choco bursted into tears and wanted to find his mother. ... Read more

Book Description

A family's particular origin is only the start of what being "a family" means. In this heartwarming tale of family love and beginnings, Rain meets Bo and her new "forever" Mom and they become a brand new family. There are many kinds of families, but all families are forever. It's as Simple as That. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Heartwarming, Helpful, Delightful, Entertaining
This delightful children's book helps other children learn how to understand, respect and celebrate other cultures (as well as their own). The chief character is Rain, a soon to be 6 year old Asian child who tells the story of how she was adopted by an Italian NY single who came to China to get her, along with her first stuffed animal.. a hippo named Bo. It's a heartwarming tale of family love and beginnings. Great illustrations!
Raleigh Pinskey, author of 101 Ways to Promote Yourself.

My daughters love this story - and feel it is their own.
Both of my girls, elder aged 6 and younger shortly will be 3, love this book. As they are from China, and I am a single Mom, they often have to be reminded it is NOT their story, but it is LIKE their story. They don't really seem to care - - they love Bo and her Hippo, and the straight-forward way the adoption story unfolds. It is clear and simple, and filled with love .... and that makes it 100% ok for us!

If you are looking for a way to introduce the concept of adoption to a young child, this book is a very nice way to do that. If you are looking for a way to broach the subject of your child's adoption with her/him, this is a great way to open the door.

Families are Forever .. .it's as simple as that .... straight-forward concept, presented in a way children can accept, understand and work into their perceptions in an easy way.

Exceptional !
Masterfully written, this book immediately touches one's heart. Rain, the central character, takes us through her long journey to her new adopted family, crossing continents and cultural boundaries, and teaches us, in a way that only a child can, the power and poignancy of a family's love.

Through this book, we are reminded that a family's love really is forever.

Brought a tear to my eye...great for all ages!
I loved this book...I am considering adopting a child and found this book really heartwarming...I bought a copy for my nieces because I think it's good to expose them to the idea that there are all kinds of families in the world, and adoption, single mothers, and interracial families are all gently discussed.

My seven year old niece was able to read the book to her 4 year old sister, and both of them loved the story! The younger one was really excited about the pictures and Annie is her favorite movie, so this was a natural. The elder has a Chinese adoptee in her class this year, so this book addressed some really germain topics.

Someday maybe I can read this book to MY daughter!

wonderful story about love and family
This book is a great find and a wonderful story about love and family formation. This book follows one girl's heartwarming, fascinating journey from China to America into the arms and life of her loving mom and extended family. Lighthearted and touching, the story is narrated by Rain, a six year old Chinese-American adopted girl. I'm looking forward to reading what is in store for Rain and her friends next!
J. Benatar, mother of three. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Thanks to this book, we now have a place to start.
As prospective parents of a Chinese daughter, we have little experience with the "explanation" of our baby's birth conditions to her. This book has given us the beginnings of that future conversation. We appreciated the photos, and look forward to sharing it with our daughter when she expresses that curiousity. (We also have purchased and enjoyed "Our Baby From China: An Adoption Story," by Nancy D'Antonio.)

Positive presentation with a bit of fairy tale mixed in.
I found this book to be a positive story with many truths. I take exception to the presentation of the parents "loving" their daughter so much that they want the best for her.

As an adoptive parent of a beautiful Chinese daughter, I don't want her to think that her birthmother was a fairy godmother, or a movie star who will come get her some day.

The truth that China is a male dominated society and the mothers are sometimes forced to abandon the girls due to political & family presure is not presented.

I much prefer the book, "Why Was I Adopted".

Good Book For Parents To Read To Their Children
This book gives a general view on the 'whys' of your child's adoption, from the culture, rules in China to why you are her parents and what that means to her. It tackles some issues that well certainly spawn endless amount of questions. Be prepared to answer them honestly in a heart to heart conversation.

The book is simple, averaging one or two paragraphs per page, with many black and white pictures of China and the children. It's a nice book for children four or older as it takes comprehension of what is being said. You'll be able to tell when the right time to read this book is.

Aesthetically the book is beautiful and artistic, despite the fact that it's slender, it's not the best for small hands.

When You Were Born In China
We adopted our daughter from China in 2003 and this book is an excellent resource for us, our daughter as well as for family and friends who do not exactly understand the whole China Adoption process. We are thrilled with the content as it is factual but presented in a sensitive/caring manner. I cried from the first page on. This will be an excellent tool as we get ready for our second China adoption.

A risky approach to explaining adoption to a Chinese child
I am not Chinese but I felt, throughout reading this book, that the author may be treading on thin ice with some of her descriptions of China ("...houses and apartments are small and usually don't have hot running water. In the countryside, people often have no indoor plumbing at all...") and her in-depth explanation of the Chinese government's rule that only one child is allowed per couple, preferably a son. The author spends a great deal of time explaining to the young adoptee why it is a costly catastrophe for a Chinese couple to have a girl when they really wanted a son. . . and so "your birthparents couldn't find a way to keep a daughter in their family and still have a son to take care of them later in life..." I cannot imagine that a girl child (no matter what age) reading these pages will feel good about her adoption, or, indeed, feel good about being a girl even though, toward the end of the book, the caring adoptive parents arrived. There is also too much explaining of other reasons why the baby girl was given up, such as medical problems, unmarried birthmother...all this added to the reality that girls are not wanted. "They then carried you to a public place, like a park, or a busy street corner, or a police station- a place where they knew you would be found..." Frankly, I cannot imagine reading this book to an adoptee. These truths will be bitter enough when the adoptee is an adult and learns about Chinese history and culture, but are too brutal to be told at an early age. Just love the child, please, and reserve the unhappy details for much later. An enchanting book like that written by Rose Lewis, I love you like Crazy Cakes is all that is needed to soothe the little girl's soul and let her understand that she came from China.
Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice? ... Read more

School Library Journal

One of the best titles available about adoption for young children. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A great book for fostering love for the birthmother
This charming adoption book shows us loving and caring adoptive parents who know how to handle the difficult moment Cecilia first hears about her adoption and says "I want you and Mommy to be my ONLY mommy and daddy!" We had the same experience with our daughter whom we adopted at four days of age. She didn't want to hear about another mommy and throughout the years wished we had not brought up the subject. The author is sensitive about having a teacher understand Cecilia's questions about her birthmother and assure Cecilia that her birthmother loved her. This is a good book for adoptive parents whose children need to be reassured of their permanent place in the adoptive family and who should be encouraged to love their absent birthparents.

Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?

md
I am currently in the process of adopting two four year olds and thought the book would be helpful. Although it may be helpful to older children, I found it a bit depressing. I would worry after reading it my younger children they would start having some of the thoughts or symptoms described in the book just from hearing them.

Wonderful book
I read this book with my 9 year old adopted son. Even though he didn't comment, I felt it helped him feel alone in his feelings and questions about his adoption. The story is very realistic and discusses many of the questions he has had recently. I highly recommend this book for any adopted family, especially for those children adopted at birth. I think it would be a bit above the heads of some younger children.

An outstanding book
We found this book a great way to introduce the idea of what being adopted really means to our almost-4-year-old daughter. Although some of the story line is above her level of understanding, she loves the book (as evidenced by its' dog-eared appearance). This is definitely her favorite for bedtime reading, and she will repeat phrases or concepts from the book at other times. We know she will have questions in the future that aren't addressed here, but this was a great place to start.

A great tool for helping a child understand adoption
This book is ideal for children who are trying to understand what it means to be adopted, with text geared toward those around four years of age or older. It doesn't avoid the tough issues of adoption: the child in this book voices the fear that her adoptive parents will "give her back", and in a fit of anger she tells her adoptive mother she wants her "real mommy" (birthmother). These are real emotions that adopted children experience, and as my daughter and I read the book together, we can talk about her similar feelings. ... Read more