Hello, Crochet Friends!, by Jonah and Jennifer Larson and photographed by Erin Harris

 

BUY HERE (or, even better, request at your local library!)

Wild About You, by Judy Sierra

Another cautious recommendation for a book that touches on adoption.  Cautious because there are many problematic elements (as there nearly always are), but a recommendation nonetheless because there are also some wonderful lessons that I haven't seen elsewhere.

In Wild About You, all the animals are having babies!  Except for the tree kangaroo and the pandas - who desperately want babies and even attempt asking the crocodiles if they can have theirs.  A zookeeper offers up an abandoned egg and while all of the birds refuse to adopt it (saying it's too small or they don't have space), the tree kangaroo steps forward.  Eventually, out hatches a penguin.  The tree kangaroo is surprised but loves him completely, while acknowledging that she needs help from other animals to raise her penguin "because penguins eat fishes."  And the community steps up!  The penguins bring fish, the flamingos invite the penguin over for a playdate, but the bond remains between the penguin and her adoptive mother.  Meanwhile, the pandas adopt a kitten they find and similarly, the tigers bring fresh milk and the meerkats set up playdates.  The lesson of the book is summed up at the end: "To bring up a baby . . . IT TAKES THE WHOLE ZOO."

Obviously, there are problems with this narrative - the big two being focusing entirely on the deep desire of the parents for a child (and ignoring the child's loss and point of view) and the refusal of the other animals to adopt the egg.  However, as a adoptive parent, and in particular a parent with a transracially adopted child, I really appreciated that the book celebrated adoptive animals reaching out to other animals who were better suited to help their child when it was necessary.  There is a nice parallel to best practices for adoptive families, as they reach out to people of the same race of their child, as well as finding a community of other adoptive families and adopted individuals for their child to relate to.

BUY HERE (or request at your local library!)

Saturday is Swimming Day, by Hyewon Yum

This simple story is extraordinarily appealing to children.  A little girl wakes up on the morning of her first swimming class and finds that her stomach hurts.  She still attends class, but the teacher lets her sit on the side of the pool and observe.  Miraculously, the little girl has another stomach ache the next Saturday but the teacher coaxes her into the pool.  Finally, the third Saturday the girl's stomach ache has disappeared and she finds out she loves swimming after all!  My son was entranced by the fact that the girl was attempting to get out of class by falsely claiming her stomach hurt, and has requested this book over and over to delve into her 'deception'.  He is also interested (albeit less so) in the fact that she gradually overcomes her fears.

The Asian author/illustrator has sketched a cast including an Asian protagonist, a black swim instructor, and a diverse swim class.  The daughter's mom is white, and if you choose she can be read as an adoptive mother and/or a single mother (a father is not referenced).  The mother and swim coach are gently supportive and while they don't force the girl in the water, they nudge her along.

BUY HERE (or request at your local library!)

My Pet Wants a Pet, by Elise Broach

A black boy asks his white mother for a dog.  She (finally) agrees, but then his dog wants a pet.  And then the dog's cat wants a pet!  The boy's mother gets increasingly frustrated until he realizes that she is "a special and important someone, who wasn't happy."  As a solution, he gifts her himself in a box because "whenever you take care of something, that something takes care of you" - a theme that is repeated throughout the story.

There are countless wonderful things about this book that both my son and I adore.  The writing is simple but catchy - the repetitive story leads to us both gleefully yelling out variations on "That worm is the pet of the pet of the pet of your pet!  He does NOT NEED A PET" over and over.  Both the illustrations and the story recognize the boy's mother as an important character with her own interests and needs - she is shown reading, doing yoga, washing dishes (with the boy's assistance), working at a desk, and gardening.  There is no father pictured, and they boy can be read as either her biological child or transracially adopted.

BUY HERE (or request at your local library!)

Teddy's Favorite Toy, by Christian Trimmer

I was so skeptical of this book - we once read a book about a boy who preferred to wear dresses and I think it had the opposite of its intended effect.  My son went from thinking that there was absolutely nothing unusual about a boy wearing a dress, to being a bit suspicious based on the reactions of all the children in the book.

This book is at the same time subtle and straightforward in addressing the fact that Teddy's favorite toy is a doll.  It starts by noting that Teddy has lots of cool toys such as a fire engine he can ride on (my son was blown away by this), a rocket ship, puzzles, a hula hoop . . . but his favorite one is a doll named Bren-Da, Warrior Queen of the Pacific.  Bren-Da enjoys a tea party and dressing up but also has the "sickest fighting skills."  When Teddy's mom accidentally throws away Bren-Da while cleaning his room, his mom uses all of Bren-Da's various talents (manners, cool moves!) to rescue Bren-Da from the garbage truck.  All in all, a pretty perfect introduction to a boy who just happens to love his doll.

In addition to all of the wonderfulness above, Teddy is a child of color and, if you choose, can be read as either adopted or biracial (his mom is the only parent pictured and appears to be white).

BUY HERE (or request at your local library!)

We Are Family, by Patricia Hegarty

I typically don't like books without a plot, but this one is an exception.  It follows ten different types of families - two moms, two dads, parents with four children, a single mother and child, a child raised by his grandparents, and so on.  In addition, these families are made up of various races.  Our son was beyond delighted to find a family exactly the same as ours (a transracial adoption) and follow it through various activities and note the similarities - we also eat croissants! we all ride bikes! we like to cuddle on the sofa too, how did they know?!  If by chance your family is one of those pictured, I highly recommend this book.

BUY HERE (or request at your local library!)