Author Spotlight:: William Steig

William Steig is one of those classic names in children's literature, one that you know, but may overlook in the face of newer, splashier books. Which, let me tell you, would be a huge mistake. The man is sheer genius. Like several children's book authors and illustrators, he was a New Yorker illustrator, and was once dubbed "The King of Cartoons" by Newsweek. He has, alternately, won the Caldecott medal and Newbery honours for his children's books. And, the guy's got range. He has silly books (Pete's a Pizza is a favourite in heavy rotation at our house right now), books of alphabetical puns (CDB?), books of cartoons for adults (and a hilarious one for kids, Grownups Get To Do All The Driving), a whole host of lesser-known books (Shrek, anyone?), but best of all are his story books.

This master storyteller employs just the right mix of the magical, of dry wit, of unusual vocabulary used to perfect effect, of quick thinking and good character, and of good winning out in the end, yet without making a heavy point of it. Through it all, it's adventurous, it moves along and keeps you guessing, just as a story should, and his wonderful small-scale drawings add charm to the whole. His picture book stories were favourites of mine, but I have also just discovered the pure delight of his longer fiction novels, which are episodic in the way that makes them a nice read to share with an slightly older child, perhaps 4 or 5 years and up. This handful of titles are those of the wonderful story variety, the better-known classics, but I am finding (to my great joy) that he was incredibly prolific, so if you enjoy these, there is a great treasure awaiting you.

Brave Irene

Young Irene's mother has fashioned the most gorgeous gown to be worn at a fine ball, but she falls ill the night it is to be delivered, and gives up hope. Irene, knowing that this gown is her mother's last chance, is determined to get it there. She tucks her mother in, leaves a note, and goes out into a blizzard, arriving as the ball is beginning. This story is about bravery, love, and being rewarded for your good character and hard work, though it does not feel preachy in the least (nothing will turn me off faster!). Instead, it is a cozy tale with a feel-good ending that could be shared with any child.

The Amazing Bone

Young Pearl is on the way home, reveling in a perfect spring day, when she happens upon a talking bone. As they wander through the woods chatting, she is accosted by robbers, and the bone scares them off, but when a fox finds the pair, he is not so easily fooled and Pearl and her bone must come up with a plan for her escape. I love this, like many of Steig's stories, for the appreciation of nature, for its fairy tale quality and inclusion of some magical elements, and for the likeable characters who outwit bad guys. (Zeke Pippin, about a pig and his magic harmonica treads much the same territory, with similarly excellent results.) Steig's language, too, makes my heart sing. This wonderful tale was awarded a Caldecott honour, so it seems I'm not alone.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Sylvester loves collecting rocks and, finding a most unusual one, discovers it is magic. He accidentally turns himself into a rock, and despairs as he loses hope of someone finding him. Meanwhile, his parents search and mourn, until one day, by happy coincidence, they reverse his spell and are thrilled to have their son back in their arms. This lovely tale of magic, of loss and reunion, of love and family, has all the makings of a classic, including the illustrious Caldecott medal.

Doctor De Soto

What is a dentist mouse to do when a fox with a toothache begs for treatment? Kind-hearted Dr. De Soto decides to take him in and quickly finds that the fox is likely up to no good. The fox must return for the fitting of his false tooth, giving Dr. De Soto and his wife time to hatch a plan to save their tiny hides. This story has the perfect degree of suspense for kids, and is a great modern fairy tale, with its ingredients of good vs. bad, its clever hero, and its use of that archetypal bad guy, the fox. This Newbery honour book has a sequel, too, in Dr. De Soto Goes to Africa.

Dominic

One of his few longer chapter books, along with the Newbery honouree Abel's Island, this book contains many of the same elements that make his picture books so magical, but allows for a number of episodes in Dominic the dog's adventures, making it perfect for a read-aloud with a child ready to move into longer stories with fewer illustrations. As Dominic goes into the world seeking his fortune, he takes great pleasure in the smells and semsations of the natural world around him, enjoys expressing himself by playing the piccolo, and gets into interesting situations one after another. Some of these are the makings of great friendships, while others are run-ins with the notorious Doomsday Gang, over whom he triumphs time and again. Dominic helps others along the way and is at hart a good guy, though he is not without self-interest, making him a very likable fellow. Steig claims to be influenced greatly by Pinnocchio, and here you can see that resemblance in the story's structure. This Christopher Award winner is also packed with wonderful and rich vocabulary, making the sharing of it a bit of an exercise in explanation (but a great way to do it!) as well as a true pleasure for anyone who really appreciates the use of language.

These and other fantastic tales can be found at your local library!

Originally posted on MommyBlogsToronto/Better Than a Playdate.

Hot in the City

We felt it just last week. The thick, oppressive heat of summer weighing on us, the sun beating down on us, the wondering if we were in for months of this, wondering when we might have a little relief. We found some ways to get that, which was good. But even better, then came the glory of a hard summer rain washing the haze of out the air, a cooler wind whipping the hanging clouds of heat away. It's a cycle that repeats through summer, that defines those months as surely as skipping feet and sprinklers and popsicles. And it's a feature of lots of great books about weathering the warm months in the heart of the urban jungle (although one or two end with some other cooling). Here are a few hot picks to remind you: a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse, ill. Jon J. Muth

A drought has everyone drooping, even the garden, when little Tess starts to feel rain coming. She and her friends don their swimsuits, get permission to go out under the "swollen sky," and run, "squealing and whooping" up the block with such glee that even the mamas join in, shedding hose and shoes and lifting their skirts. Wonderful.

Hot Day on Abbott Avenue, by Karen English, ill. Javaka Steptoe

A good story for older children, this hot day is made even worse by the fact that friends Renee and Kishi have had a falling out over the last blue popsicle. Eventually, though, they are both drawn into skipping games, and when the ice cream truck comes by, they split the last blue treat and forget all about the fight and the heat.

Silver Rain Brown, by M.C. Helldorfer, ill. Teresa Flavin

This book features a child and his very pregnant mother trying to get through the hot days and nights. A rain brings welcome relief, and all the children in the neighbourhood run in it, drinking it from the sky, and even the boy's mother joins in. In that rainfall, later that night, the boy and his mother take a taxi to the hospital, where the baby is born and named Silver Rain Brown for her coming with the change in weather.

Hot City, by Barbara Joosse, ill. R. Gregory Christie

A quirkily-painted-but-fun pair of children inhabit an urban landcape rendered in the kind of cornea-searing yellows, oranges, and fuschias that scream HOT! in this simple story of seeking cool. After enjoying snow cones, they find cool and a pleasant way to pass the time getting lost in the land of imagination to be found in the library. (Yes, I know. But I love this one.)

One Hot Summer Day, by Nina Crews

One of the simpler books, this one shows a cute young girl in Crews's funky photo collage trying to find cool activities, and then, at last, singing and dancing in the cooling rain.

How Hot Was It? by Jane Barclay, ill. Janice Donato

This book is full of fun, bouncy rhymes that play with the sounds of language. Want a sample?

It was a sizzling, fizzling, record-breaking, belly-aching, faces-red-as-beets, shorts-stuck-to-our-seats kind of hot.

The illustrations, too, capture perfectly the postures and actions of children slouching around on a hot day. In this book, it's a hose that beats the heat in the end, though I'm not sure spraying his suit-clad dad was necessarily a prudent move... At least he seems to take it with a smile!

For these and other great hot-weather stories, visit your (air-conditioned!) local library!

(Your libraries are, in fact, designated cooling centres during open hours.)

Originally posted on MommyBlogsToronto/Better Than a Playdate.

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

One of the skills that children need as a foundation for literacy learning is what is known as "print awareness," or seeing words in print and understanding that letters and words have meaning that can be decoded through reading. Parents who are looking to foster this skill in their children can help by pointing out print all around them and noting what it says and what it means for us. Particularly in an urban environment, signs are a great opportunity to talk about words. They are designed to be simple and clear, and to say what they need to say in a minimal number of words. They are all around us, so we can seize any moment to talk about words. And, with the right storybook, we can continue the conversation at home, consolidating what we have seen on our daily travels. Here are a few that I have recently enjoyed.

Once Upon a Banana, by Jennifer Armstrong, ill. David Small

This nearly wordless picture book begins with the classic slapstick move: slipping on a banana peel. A chain reaction follows, drawing in person after person as the action moves around the block, winding up right back where it started. Funny rhyming signs throughout add another layer of humour, as they relate directly to the action, making them worth noting as you share this with your wee one. Fans of physical humour will fall down laughing over this gem.

I Read Signs and I Read Symbols, by Tana Hoban

Tana Hoban is a classic, timeless choice for concept books of all varieties (shapes, opposites, etc.), and here she lends her photographic skills to the study of signs around us. I Read Signs features a variety of print signs (Stop, Exit, Beware of Dog, and so on) found on the street and in buildings, and offers a great opportunity to connect print and meaning, and to start showing children the many places where words are found when we go out into the real world with them. In I Read Symbols, she introduces the idea that an image can hold meaning in place of words - an arrow, stoplight, or red cross, for example.

Alphabeep: A Zipping, Zooming ABC, by Debora Pearson, ill. Edward Miller

This fun, boldly coloured alphabet book is a winner for the truck-obssessed, but adds in other aspects of life on the road, too, including a few road signs. Y, for example, is for Yield. A great way to talk about those signs with a youngster who likes some movement in their storytime!

Originally posted on MommyBlogsToronto/Better Than a Playdate.

Tales of Friendship

I love a story about friendship, and there are plenty of great ones around for young children, who are busy learning the ins and outs of this kind of social interaction. Myself, I particularly like stories of sticking together through thick and thin, and that involve acceptance of the quirks of our friends because, let’s face it, people are quirky. Here are a few of my favourite kinds of stories – sweet, but not sappy.

Bravo, Mildred and Ed!
Karen Wagner, ill. Janet Pedersen
When Mildred and Ed have competing engagements on Saturday, each wishes the other could be there, but they find a solution. They practice being alone together all week, and each has a little piece of the other with them. When they get together again after their week of solitude, they are that much stronger, and their reunion all the sweeter.

Horace and Morris But Mostly Dolores
Horace and Morris Join the Chorus (But What About Dolores?)
James Howe, ill. Amy Walrod
Horace, Morris, and Dolores are three of a kind, until the boys decide to join a club that doesn’t admit girls. Dolores, however, isn’t all that suited to the girly-girl Cheese Puffs club, and quits, along another adventurous young mouse, Chloris. They swing by the boys club and pick up both Dolores’s other friends, as well as a fifth to round out their group: Boris, and they build a clubhouse of their own. I love this tale of bucking the established order of things and finding a way to do what they really love together.
In the second story, the trio plan to join the choir but Dolores, who loves singing, doesn’t make the cut. She finds her own way to become part of the show, in the end, and becomes a star. Older kids love these (6-9 or so), for they can relate to the situations well.

Chester’s Way
Kevin Henkes
Chester and Wilson are best friends. They are a strange pair, but they are two peas in a pod. When Lilly moves into the neighbourhood, she "has her own way of doing things," and the boys avoid her until the day she saves them. The three of them teach each other new things, and soon they are always together. A wonderful story about finding out what someone is really about.
And because I love Kevin Henkes so (seriously, I made an ass of myself when he came to visit my library once. Like meeting-a-rock-star-type behaviour.), I would suggest also two of his books about younger children making friends that help them with the transition to kindergarten:
Wemberly Worried
Jessica

George and Martha

George and Martha, Best Friends

(and more)

James Marshall

This hippo pair by the famously goofy Marshall crack me up every time, playing silly tricks on each other and testing the boundaries of their freindship in ridiculous ways. They sort it out by explaining what they didn't like and apologizing, just like we tell our kids, without ever seeming "message-y."

Originally posted on MommyBlogsToronto/Better Than a Playdate.

Meet Bill Martin!

What do picture books Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Barn Dance, and Old Devil Wind have in common? They are all by the incredibly prolific but oddly low-profile author Bill Martin, Jr. Martin has often written with partners, and has been illustrated by a wide-ranging variety of artists, meaning that his books do not have the kind of instant recognizability that a partnership like the Munsch-Martchenko pairing breeds. He has, certainly, had a few books that have turned into a series of well-known spin-offs, but many stand alone. With some 30 titles published in the last 25 years, though, it would be an unfortunate oversight not to introduce you to a few of my favourites.

Fire! Fire! Said Mrs. McGuire, ill. Vladimir Radunsky

In much the same style as the classic Drummer Hoff, a team tackles a fire, each adding their own comment. This book was first illustrated by the Caldecott-winning Richard Egielski in 1996, and was last year re-issued with new illustrations by Vladimir Radunsky. I am a fan of Egielski’s style, which is bright and populated with humourous people, while Radunsky’s features a darker palette and some rather fetching mice.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?

ill. Eric Carle

The classic Brown Bear and its series are well-known favourites, featuring Carle’s distinctive collage art. Brown Bear focuses on common animals and colours, Polar Bear takes on more exotic animals and their sounds, and finally Panda Bear introduces a number of endangered animals. I find Panda Bear has lost some of the rhythm of the original, as the animals become more specific and their names more elaborate, but children love it all the same and it is a great way to introduce these animals and talk about the danger of their disappearing.

With Michael Sampson, his sometime collaborator, Martin has also produced Adam, Adam, What Do You See? (ill. Cathie Felstead), which uses the same rhythm to introduce bible stories, giving the bible verse that tells the full story for each couplet.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Chicka Chicka ABC (board book)

Chicka Chicka 123

with John Archambault / Michael Sampson, ill. Lois Ehlert

The well-known Chicka Chicka books (are a great introduction to the alphabet, with a fun rhythm and clear images of the letters. Kids love this! I like the abbreviated board book version for younger kids. I find the counting version charming until 20, however the jump to counting by tens seems abrupt and unexplained, so ultimately this is not my favourite book for numerals.

The Maestro Plays, ill. Vladimir Radunsky

This book is another fun play with language and rhythm, full of crazy words. It could be a great way to talk about music appreciation or about adverbs! Radunsky’s illustrations elevate it into a kinetic circus of playing, and help it over a few rough spots, but overall the pacing builds to a rousing crescendo that makes the whole thing exciting.

Swish!, with Michael Sampson, ill. Michael Chesworth

This great narrative of a basketball game works like few sports poems I’ve read. It builds excitement with perfect pacing and a moment of suspense at the last second. The illustrations are perfect, adding an element of cartoon movement and personality in the players’ faces. I have read this to large groups and had them on the edge of their seats. A sports fan of any age would love this one.

A Beasty Story, ill. Steven Kellogg

This funnier, cosier take on the classic Dark, Dark Room tale is a wonderful collaboration, starring Kellogg’s mischievous mice, who make the ending funny, rather than spooky. (And, you know, anything Kellogg touches turns to gold. The man’s a genius.)

I Love Our Earth, with Michael Sampson, ill. Dan Lipow

Slightly reminiscent of "America the Beautiful," this lovely verse highlights the colours, wonders, and seasons of the earth, all elevated by Lipow’s stunning photography. I love this book.

Here Are My Hands, with John Archambault, ill. Ted Rand

This classic is a great one for introducing body parts – I use it for class visits all the time. The illustrations are fun, and the lilting rhyme works well. My only complaint is that ears are,perhaps, occasionally used for more than “washing and drying.” But not always.

Listen to the Rain, with John Archambault, ill. James Endicott

This lovely book plays with language to suggest the sounds of rain. Pitter-patting, soft rain, roaring thunderstorming rain, and the “fresh wet silent after-time of rain.” The sounds drawn out of the words are beautiful and evocative, making this a perfect book for sharing in a rainy season.

Old Devil Wind, ill. Barry Root

A cumulative tale, in which a ghost wailing sets off a chain of noises that grows until the wind blows everyone away. A great not-so-spooky tale for Hallowe’en or a child who likes a little chill.

A Beautiful Feast for Big King Cat, with John Archambault, ill. Bruce Degen

A cute rhyming tale of a little mouse who teases a cat until the cat gets the better of him. Trapped, the mouse talks his way out of a bad situation, and learns “that teasing the cat is dangerous play.” Much as I tend not to like a moral, this one is a fun read, and not too heavy-handed.

The Turning of the Year, ill. Greg Shed

A quick romp through the delights of the year, made golden by the stunning paintings that accompany each month.

Find these and other wonderful stories at your local library!

Originally posted on MommyBlogsToronto/Better Than a Playdate.

A is for Adoption, C is for China

Foreign adoption, which used to be a rare niche in the world of adoption, has now become more common and a better-known practice. Because not much had been written about the experience prior to the late 1990s, we are in the last ten years seeing a number of books written by parents who have adopted from overseas themselves (marked with an *) and now want to address the topic for their children and for other families.

Many countries are home to children who need families, and adoptions from Eastern Europe, Africa, South America, and Eastern Asia are becoming more prevalent, particularly as celebrities open their homes to children from around the world. China, in particular, has seen a large number of its baby girls leave its own borders, while Korea has also had a relatively high rate of foreign adoptions. This translates into stories readily available about adopting from these countries, so today we shine a spotlight on a few of these.

I Love You Like Crazy Cakes, by *Rose A. Lewis, ill. Jane Dyer (2000)

Told as a story and illustrated with Jane Dyer’s stunning watercolours, this is an early and lovely entry in this niche. This story talks a bit of the journey to China and the adoption, but more about the process of bonding between the mother and her new baby. While I’m not a fan of sappy, I think this strikes a nice tender note as a love story to share with a child as she grows.

White Swan Express, by Jean Davies Okimoto and *Elaine M. Aoki, ill. Meilo So (2002)

This colourful book focuses on the actual journey that four families take on the same day to pick up daughters from an orphanage in Guangzhou. There is not a lot of discussion about why they adopted or how they became a family, though.

An Mei’s Strange and Wondrous Journey, by *Stephan Molnar-Fenton, ill. Vivienne Flesher (1998)

Told from the perspective of baby An Mei, the tale gives only vague impressions of her mother leaving, a man taking her to somewhere new, and a new place becoming familiar until she felt safe. It is a bit abstract for using as a discussion tool, but has a soothing rhythm that might make it a nice story ritual for parents and children to share.

Waiting for May, by *Janet Morgan Stoeke (2005)

Told from the perspective of a brother-to-be, this book walks through the process of adoption from China and answers a lot of the questions a child might have about becoming an adoptive sibling, including why it all takes so long. The brother makes the trip to China to pick up his new sister, too, so this journey is also described. This brother is, it must be said, uniquely excited and eager, even when considering the negatives, but I like that the book does talk about the whole experience, including baby May’s distress at leaving her familiar orphanage, so it makes for good preparation. I also liked the illustrations for this – simple, but quite lovely. This may be my favourite of the bunch.

Mommy Far, Mommy Near: An Adoption Story, by *Carol Antoinette Peacock, ill. Shawn Costello Brownell (2000)

Elizabeth and her sister Katherine were both born in China, and one day, Elizabeth discovers that she has two mommies, one in China, and one here. This book recounts many rituals and conversations between mother and adoptive daughter that cover why her birth mother would have given her up, why her “near” mother wanted her, and how they are family because of love, just like their dog is part of their family because they wanted her and love her. It also discusses seeing a Chinese mother and daughter one day and feeling sad because she was reminded of her “far” mommy and how she had been given up. This book has nice illustrations, and strikes a really nice note of understanding while really communicating a feeling of deep love between the mother and daughter.

Jin Woo, by Eve Bunting, ill Chris Soentpiet (2001)

The story of adopting Jin Woo, a baby boy from Korea, is told from the point of view of the only child who will become his older brother. As preparations unfold in the week before Jin Woo’s arrival, the boy has some doubts and mixed emotions which are told in language and symptoms that make sense for a young boy’s description of his own reaction to his parents’ excitement. This baby, rendered in stunning watercolour, arrives on a plane with an escort, who explains his name and some of his traditions. The brother begins to feel better when he helps out with the baby and hears tales from the neighbours of the commotion when he was adopted, but a letter “from Jin Woo” explaining that the attention he needs won’t detract from his parents’ love is the final piece to help him feel okay about the new family member.

Families are Different, by *Nina Pellegrini (1991)

Not specifically about foreign adoption, though it is mentioned that Nico and her sister are from Korea, this book focuses on how a girl’s anxiety over being different from her parents is eased when she realized that families come in all different shapes and sizes and looks, but what they have in common is being held together by love.

Parents may also want to take a look at Nancy Carlson’s My Family is Forever, which is about adoption and families. While it does not address adoption from China or Korea directly, it takes on many of the questions a child might have, reinforces the strength and love of an adoptive family, and features an Asian-looking child in the illustrations, so it makes a nice place to start discussions.

These books and more about adoption – in both fiction and non-fiction – are available at your public library!

Originally posted on MommyBlogsToronto/Better Than a Playdate.

Ais for Adoption, B is for Books

This month, look for a two-part series on adoption. This first part presents books on adoption in a general fashion, while the second part will focus on overseas adoption, particularly from China and Korea.

Adoptive children often have questions about their origins, and parents just as often have a difficult time addressing the questions or the issue as a whole. Parenting books on talking to your child are very helpful in giving suggestions for opening the topic and thinking in advance about what you as a parent might want to tell you child. But how to start the conversation with your child? Sometimes it helps to have a starting place, something to raise the subject, and something that lets your child know at the same time that they are not alone. This is where a children’s book on the topic at hand can be a wonderful tool. I have included books that I really like and books that I am not so fond of here, with notes about those I found particularly good, so that you can get a sense of what is out there for you, should you want to talk about adoption (theirs or someone else’s) with your child.

The Day We Met You, by Phoebe Koehler (1990)

A very simple book about the preparations that were made to receive the new baby, this would be a good first read for a very young child. With bright and simple illustrations of everyday things in the home, this book is designed to comfort while beginning to address the issue of where a child has come from.

Steven’s Baseball Mitt, by Kathy Stinson, ill. Robin Baird Lewis (1992)

Here, Kathy Stinson works the same magic that made Red Is Best so wonderful – she somehow puts a child’s feelings into just the sort of words a child might use. Steven talks frankly about how he feels different – sometimes good, sometimes bad – and how he wonders about his birth mother, even though in the end, he couldn’t imagine living in a different family. I think this book tackles the emotional side of growing up adopted in a more straightforward manner than most, and does it in a way that makes it clear it’s okay to both wonder about where you came from and love being where you are. I heart Kathy Stinson!

A Koala for Katie, by Jonathan London, ill. Cynthia Jabar (1993)

This older book is perhaps my favourite of the lot. In it, Katie asks her parents about where she came from, and it is clear that the conversation has happened before – and indeed, it is the sort of talk that will have to happen again and again over a child’s life as they grow and understand in different ways. Katie’s mom tells her that her first mommy was too young to take good care of her, but loved her and wanted a good life for her. On an outing to the zoo, Katie applies her questions to a baby koala she sees and furthers her understanding by “adopting” a stuffed version. She playacts taking care of her koala, becoming its mommy. I like the way this shows how a child assimilates information in imaginative play, as well as the informative note from the Northwest Adoption Exchange at the beginning of the book. Note: This is no longer widely available at the library, as it is an older book, but is still in print in paperback (0807542105).

Tell Me Again About The Night I Was Born, by Jamie Lee Curtis (1996)

I like the warm tone of this sweet and sometimes funny remembrance of the excitement adoptive parents feel about the birth of their long-awaited child. In it, a child asks her adoptive parents to tell her the story of her birth. This one particularly has a warm and familiar feel without straying into the sappy – it’s clear from the telling that the tale is well-worn and much told.

Over the Moon, by Karen Katz (1997)

This colourful book is a bit about waiting for an adoptive baby, a bit about the voyage to pick one up, and a bit about learning to take care of a new baby. There is a brief mention of talking about how she grew in another woman, but by and large, this book does not seek to address those questions, just to recount a bit about how the family became a unit. Note: This book, too, is not widely available in libraries due to its age, but is still in print in both hardcover (0805050132) and paper (0805067078).

We Wanted You, by Liz Rosenberg, ill. Peter Catalanotto (2002)

Luminously illustrated, this simple book is focused exactly what the title puts forth – that the adoptive parents wanted and waited for their child. Some mention is made of preparing while waiting, and of the fact that they were not the child’s first parents, but it is very brief. This books does not take on any of the issues or discussions a family might have, but seems very much geared towards reassuring a child that they are cherished, ending in the phrase, “And we still do.”

You’re Not My Real Mother! by Molly Friedrich, ill. Christy Hale (2004)

This book focuses on the many things an adoptive parent does that make them a “real” mother, with only a brief stop to discuss that the mother doesn’t look like the daughter because she was not her birth mother, to whom this “real” mother is grateful every day. This book puts the emphasis squarely on the idea that a mother is born of love, not just of pregnancy, which I like. That said, I don’t love this book that much. Perhaps because of the structure (starting with a child telling her mother she’s not her “real” mother and her mother proving that she is), perhaps because of the way love is demonstrated through recounting the things she’s done for her (though I understand that urge, as a mom!), it feels a bit defensive, though I do feel that the love comes through nonetheless.

Megan’s Birthday Tree: A Story About Open Adoption, by Laurie Lears, ill. Bill Farnsworth (2005)

The only book I’ve seen among these that directly talks about open adoption, this young girl counts her birth mother among her family friends. The two share a connection, made tangible by Megan’s “birthday tree.” When her birth mother is going to move house, Megan is worried that she will forget about her and looks for a replacement tree to send along, but she soon finds that the original is already packed to move, too. The book ends on a nice note of shared caring and connection.

Mama, by Jeanette Winters (2006)

This lovely, folk-artish book uses the story of Owen and Mzee, the famed hippo-and-tortoise duo from the Tsunami of 2004, in nearly wordless form to show how a new family can form as the young hippo adopts the tortoise as his mother. This story is sweet and very understated in the parallel it draws.

Find these and more books about adoption at a public library near you!

Originally posted on MommyBlogsToronto/Better Than a Playdate.