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Book Review: I’m Brown and My Sister Isn’t

Families are often advised to begin talking about adoption while a child is very young, even before he can understand the words, so that the child will grow up seeing adoption as a normal way for a family to form. Recent years have brought many children’s picture books on adoption, but it’s still a difficult topic to convey to toddlers and preschoolers. A book which speaks very simply about adoption and the diverse families it creates is I’m Brown and My Sister Isn’t, by Robbie O’Shea, who is herself a mother of two adopted children who have different skin colors. … Continue reading →

Other Considerations in Adopting When You Already Have Children

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My last blog talked about how your other children will handle becoming a visibly different (or even more different) family. In addition to getting used to stares, your children will be asked questions about adoption. How will you help your children to answer these? One resource can be the WISE UP Powerbook, a workbook (designed for adopted kids, but it could be adapted for use by a sibling, child with a disability, or anyone who gets asked intrusive questions. It helps kids consider whether they wish to Walk away, say “It’s private”, Share something small, or Eduate people about adoption. … Continue reading →

Great Books for Siblings

There are several good choices for parents looking to prepare a sibling for the arrival of a sibling by adoption. The following two books address jealousy issues. Jin-Woo, by noted children’s author Eve Bunting, is told from the viewpoint of a boy (who was adopted here in the U.S.) who is getting a baby brother from Korea. Some Korean customs are explained in the book. The boy feels a bit left out at first. Then an older neighbor tells him how uncharacteristically excited the father was when he was adopted and he realizes he is just as special to his … Continue reading →

Reading with My Daughter, and Sharing a Special Part of Her Story

Today we read The Mulberry Bird, by Anne Braff Brodzinsky. My five-year-old picked it out. My eight-year-old daughter Meg has been, at least outwardly, indifferent to adoption books lately. This time she was very interested. When the bird first heard the idea of adoption from the owl, my daughter said, “oh, how sad!” Then quickly she said, “I wouldn’t do it!” Then after a minute, “Actually, I would do it, but I would visit.” The bird said “no!” just as Meg did. But after another bad storm, and a bad time of thinking the bird was lost, and finding him … Continue reading →

Book Review: The Mulberry Bird

The classic adoption book The Mulberry Bird, by Anne Braff Brodzinsky, seems to be one of those books that people either love or hate. I suspect that it all depends on the timing, which in turn depends on your child. Most people say their child loved it and seemed to find it reassuring. A couple of parents are sure it caused more trouble than it averted. I shared this ambivalence. I checked this book out of the library a couple of years ago and returned it without sharing it with my kids. This time, I put it on the shelf … Continue reading →

Book Review: Is That Your SISTER? A True Story of Adoption

So, how do the kids really feel? Is That Your Sister? tells you. It is narrated by six-year-old Catherine, who co-wrote the book with her mother, Sherry. At the playground and the store, Catherine is often asked, “Is that your sister? Is that your mother?” Catherine, her mother and her sister all look quite different from each other because Catherine and her sister are adopted. (In the black-and-white pencil illustrations by Sheila Kelly Welch, Catherine appears to be biracial, fairly light-skinned with textured hair and some African-appearing features, and Carla is African-American with dark skin and a short Afro.) Catherine … Continue reading →