Books for Kids

Adopted Like Me

By Ann Angel; ages 8+

Let your child know that, through adoption, he or she joins the likes of George Washington Carver, Marilyn Monroe, John James Audubon, Aristotle, and others. The 19 short biographies of famous adoptees are accompanied by richly colored paintings.

Tell Me Again About the Night I was Born

By Jamie Lee Curtis

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.

Jamie Lee Curtis and illustrator Laura Cornellhave joined together again to create a fresh new picture book for every parent and every child. In asking her parents to tell her again about the night of her birth, a young girl shows that it is a cherished tale she knows by heart. Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born is a unique, exuberant story about adoption and about the importance of a loving family.

Can I Tell You About Adoption?: A Guide for Friends, Family and Professionals

By Anne Braff Brodzinsky; ages 7+

 Meet Chelsea - a young girl who is adopted. Chelsea invites readers to learn about adoption from her perspective, helping them to understand what being adopted means, what it feels like to be adopted, and the experiences and challenges that follow the adoption process. Questions faced by kids adopted trans racially are also explored by two of her friends, Kira and Adilu. This accessible guide is accompanied by illustrations for young people, aged 7 upwards, as well as parents, friends, teachers and professionals working with adopted children.

Born from the Heart

By Berta Serrano; ages 3-6

 Reactions to Born from the Heart have been mixed. Some think it takes the pregnancy metaphor of a heart that grows bigger and bigger, necessitating clothes from "a special store for special moms like her," too far. Others see the tale, which the author based on her own early talks with her son, as light fantasy and "a cute way to explain adoption to a child."

ABC, Adoption & Me — a Multi-cultural Picture Book for Adoptive Families

By Gayle Swift with Casey Swift; ages 5+

Although the "ABC" concept makes it seem that this would be a book for younger kids, this collaboration between an adoptive mother and her daughter tackles weighty topics. "What I love about this book is how it touches on many aspects of adoption that could be difficult to talk about, but not in a threatening or forceful way. It can be used over and over again as children grow—my 16-year-old even found it thought-provoking."

I Wished for You: An Adoption Story

By Marianne Richmond

"Mama," said Barley. "Tell me again how I'm your wish come true."

Thus begins this beautiful story for adoptive families. I Wished for You: An Adoption Story follows a conversation between a little bear named Barley and his Mama as they curl up in their favorite cuddle spot and talk about how they became a family. Barley asks Mama the kinds of questions many adopted children have, and Mama lovingly answers them all. With endearing prose and charming watercolor illustrations, I Wished for You is a cozy read that affirms how love is what truly makes a family. (Mom's Choice Award, Book of the Year Award, Creative Child Magazine.)