How I Was Adopted

Rating:
Summary: p elements of review
Review: How I was Adopted By Joanna Cole

Subject Matter: The subject matter of this book is of enduring interest to any family or classroom that has an adopted member in it. The subject matter is current and up to date. The book does not offer soulutions to a problem, instead it tells the youngest children what adoption is and how it happens. It honestly explains that adopted children are not the biological offspring of the people they know as parents. The story is interesting and engaging.

Reading Level/Suitability: I think the vocabulary ion the book is at a level for first and second grade readers. I think its suitability is appropriate for the youngest child through third grade. The reading levels and suitability are appropriate for the targeted audience and the book is fun and positive to read.

Book Length: I think the book would take approximately 15 minutes to read to a child; it could take up to twenty with the interactive questions in the book and with questions that may need answered any the child. The book is about 18 pages long and is appropriate for the targeted age level. The length of book should be fine with children with special needs.

Text and Pictures: The font is appropriate for the story context and tone, and it works well for read-aloud or read-together activities. The size of the text is just right; it doesn't take away from the pictures, which are an important element in the story. The pictures are very positive and happy throughout the entire book. They show love, tenderness, joy and smiles on every page. The pictures are colorful and enhance the story being told through them. There are a well balanced number of pictures to words.

Developmental Level: I would consider this book most appropriate for grades 1-2 and an age 5-8, which is the approximate age of the main character in the book. The themes correlate well with the targeted audience and would be best used for younger children.

Diversity Factors: I think the book convey respect for all groups, although none are referred to in the book, just displayed in pictures. The main character is Caucasian and there are other people in the book who are of other backgrounds. The book does avoid any stereotypes and stays away from issues arising about diversity.

Content/Environment or Situation/Use: I would enjoy using this book multiple times in a classroom or with a child of my own. It's reassuring and comforting to any child who has been adopted. The book is a reasonable value and may not be reproduced. I don't think there are any elements of the book that are of a sensitive nature.

Therapeutic Use: I would recommend the book be used in an office of a setting between a counselor and young patient, a parent to a chills or a teacher in a classroom. The book would definitely promote discussion, there are open ended questions in the book that would make a conversation between two people every fluid and relaxed. I think the book presents not problems but a life situation that needs to be introduced to a family. I think the pictures would encourage the child to draw their own of their family, and help them relate to their own lives.

Additional Evaluation Considerations: The values explored in this book are family, love, belonging and spirit. I think there could be some emotional trauma to a child if this is there first experience of knowing they were adopted. I think it would be the individual child and their personal rations to the new; it would have nothing to do with the writing style of the book. I don't think I would use the book to tell a child for the first time that they were adopted. I would use the book as a follow up for discussion. I think this book would be very inappropriate for older children or adults. This a good book for families with adopted children.



Rating:
Summary: a good book, with one small quibble
Review: I am an adoptive mom of an 11 month old son, who I adopted at birth. This is the first adoption book for children that I've bought -- in others that I've looked at, the story was too different from our family's story. However, this book makes it clear that Samantha is telling the story of her adoption, and that the stories of other adopted kids may be different -- in fact Samantha invites her "listeners" to talk about their own adoptions. This way of writing the story makes me comfortable about reading it to my son, even though the book features a 2-parent family, and I'm a single mom. I also give the book points for using the word "uterus" rather than "tummy". I think the latter creates confusion in young children -- they imagine the unborn baby swimming in a sea of half-digested food. Since we need to explain to children that babies grow in a "special place" anyway, why not use the correct term for it? (if you think your child can't handle a 3-syllable word, then how about "womb"?). I also disagree with the reviewer who thought the illustrations of a baby growing in a uterus, and the descriptions of birth, were inappropriate for young children -- by the time children are 3 or 4, they start noticing pregnant women, and if you tell them "there's a baby in there", the natural next question for them to ask is "how does it get out?" -- I think this book does a really good job of explaining this in simple, not-too-graphic, language that a young child can understand.

I also like the fact that the birth mother is at least mentioned (though that term is not introduced) -- an awful lot of adoption books feature a magical phone call from an adoption agency that has "found" a baby for the would-be adoptive parents, without any mention of where the baby came from. However, my small quibble is that I would have liked to see even a little more discussion of the birth mother -- she appears in this book as not much more than a uterus -- I'd like a book where the adoptive parent(s) actually meet the birthparent(s) -- but then, maybe I'm still looking for a book that exactly mirrors my family's story, since ours is an open adoption with visitation.

Anyway, I think this book can be a good start point for discussions with your adopted child, even if your child's adoption story is somewhat different from Samantha's.

Rating:
Summary: a story for adopted kids
Review: I have 4 children, the youngest 3 of whom are adopted. we received this book as a gift, sometime after bringing the 2nd of these 3 home. all 3 of them have requested this story by name, sometimes 2 or 3 times a night. I try to read it to them at least 4 or 5 nights a week, and they never tire of hearing it.

it is a story told from a child's point of view, but more importantly, from the point of view of a child who is happy and informed. samantha knows she's adopted, and knows that this is different from the experience of some other children.

we've been committed, from the beginning, to making our kids aware of the process, the similarities and the differences that are part and parcel of being adopted. samantha's story clearly helps them approach this mysterious place with a level of comfort. it also provides cues for parents to talk about adoption, in ways that are appropriate for the age.

when samantha asks "do you know how old you were when you were adopted?", my kids, ages 8, 6 and 2, answer in turn, obviously proud to know.

Rating:
Summary: Great for young children
Review: I was very pleased with this book as a way to introduce the topic of birthmothers and adoption in general to young children. It was "generic" enough to work for most domestic and international adoption scenarios, perhaps with a little editorial by the parent reading it. I also liked the way it asked questions of the child being read to as I think this might be a good stimulus for further conversation between parent and child. Overall it had a gentle, upbeat message while touching on subjects that parents sometimes have difficulty introducing to their children.

Rating:
Summary: Great for young children
Review: I was very pleased with this book as a way to introduce the topic of birthmothers and adoption in general to young children. It was "generic" enough to work for most domestic and international adoption scenarios, perhaps with a little editorial by the parent reading it. I also liked the way it asked questions of the child being read to as I think this might be a good stimulus for further conversation between parent and child. Overall it had a gentle, upbeat message while touching on subjects that parents sometimes have difficulty introducing to their children.

Rating:
Summary: A bit of a tour de force
Review: It is always nice to see a book on adoption written in the child's voice even if the child is perhaps unrealistically mature and talkative, like Samantha. I am an adoptive mother and our daughter was not like Samantha, nor were any of the other adopted children in our neighborhood. It was surprising to me how few questions the children asked as they grew up and how little interest they showed in finding their birthmothers. One reads about this phenomenon in literature. For that reason it's perhaps good to have books like this that may stimulate young adoptees into becoming more conscious of their adoption. Yet, I feel that this book, like many other books about adoption, focuses too intensely on the issue, neglecting the more general aspects of family life and caring for others.

Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?

Rating:
Summary: Best adoption book I've seen
Review: Of all the adoption books for young kids that I've seen, this is the one I like best. The major things I like about this book are the completeness of its coverage of the basic facts of adoption; its emphasis on the fact that every adopted child has his/her own story of "how I was adopted"; and the fact that story and illustrations are positive, upbeat, engaging and interesting. There's "lots to talk about" when you read this book to a child, and many opportunities to point out how Samantha's story is similar to, or different from, your adopted child's.

I think this book is best for children age three and up. And I think it's best to read this book to your child when you have an age-appropriate lifebook ready to share with your child, or when you're ready to create a lifebook with your child participating in the process.

Rating:
Summary: a good book, with one small quibble
Review: While my sons are not adopted, they have friends and extended family that are. This book was a good introduction to them to the concept. It's very straightforward and written in such a way that it could apply to a lot of different adoption situation---details are not that specific just to Samantha. It is very upbeat and cheerful. Just a note---the book does assume the kids that are hearing it are adopted, and it has questions like "Do you know how old you were when you were adopted?" which confused my sons a little! So be aware of this if you are reading it just for general awareness! The pictures are cute, bright and with neat details.