Adoption Books for Children: Focus on Korea and Vietnam

by Pam Connell | More from this Blogger

This blog will be the first in a series. I'll share some adoption books which tell the stories of children from different parts of the world. Of course, many of the stories will be interesting to children adopted from other countries than the ones depicted, or to non-adopted children who are likely to meet adopted friends or classmates at some point in their lives. Next I'll do a series of books for adults on adoption from different regions.

In An American Face, a boy looks forward to receiving his American citizenship, but thinks he will be getting a new "American" face as well. In Chinese Eyes (yes, it's about a Korean child) a child must answer her classmates' questions about her looks. Eve Bunting's book Jin Woo is told from the viewpoint of a boy getting a little brother from Korea. It tells of the preparations, the baby's arrival, some Korean customs, and the boy's mixed feelings of sharing his parents. The main character in Families are Different was adopted from Korea, as was her sister. The main character realizes that her family is different because she does not look like her parents, but many families are different in some way--single-parent families, grandparents raising grandchildren, blended families, etc. In The Coffee Can Kid A little girl adopted from Korea keeps two treasures in a coffee can: a picture and a letter from her birthmother. Her adoptive father lovingly tells her the story of how her birthmother wanted her to be well cared for and made an adoption plan.

When You Were Born in Korea is a must-have. It sensitively talks of birthparents, then shows black-and-white photos and simple language explaining the baby hospital, baby home, clinic, social work office, foster families, adoptive families, travel escorts and plane ride experienced by Korean children. If your child was in the care of Eastern Social Welfare Society, the photographs were taken there and this book can serve as a piece of your child's lifebook. Even if your child was at a different agency, the process of going from baby home to foster care to escort home to adoptive parent is very similar.

We Adopted You, Benjamin Koo is for slightly older children, about 8-12 years old. A nine-year-old narrator tells his story. This book is over 15 years old, and the narrator was left at an orphanage as a baby, in contrast to most of today's infants adopted from Korea who were in foster care. Youn Hee and Me is narrated by an 11-year-old girl whose family adopts a girl her age from an orphanage in Korea. It talks about the girl's and family's adjustment over the next six months and informally shares a lot of nuggets about Korean culture.

Adoption books for kids with a focus on Vietnam include: Danielle, Where Are You? Danielle's family searches for her, then realizes she and her brothers are waiting for them in Vietnam. Dear Sam and Dani: An Adoption Journal is written by the same author, and describes traveling in Vietnam with her four sons to receive their siblings.

Rebecca's Journey Home is written by an adoptive parent. In it the two older brothers-to-be discuss how their sister will have a Jewish ceremony and will be Vietnamese, Jewish and American all at the same time.

When You Were Born in Vietnam, like When You Were Born in Korea and When You Were Born in China, tells of common situations leading to children being placed for adoption in Vietnam and shows photos of Vietnamese orphanages and the adoption process.

Please see this related blog: Another Perspective on Popular Adoption Books

Book Review: Adoption Stories for Young Children

Great Books You Can't Put Down

Learn more about Pam Connell

Pam Connell is a mother of three by both birth and adoption. She has worked in education, child care, social services, ministry and journalism.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger