How It Feels to Be Adopted

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended for all adoptive families
Review: Adoptive parents, when you buy your first picturebook about how your adopted child came into your family, purchase this book, as well. Read it immediately, and then tuck it on the bookshelf for future reference.

This book is based on personal interviews of adopted children between the ages of 8 and 16. They share their opinions on adoption and tell about their families. The range of feelings and attitudes demonstrate that there is no generic adoption experience. Some individuals are very curious about their biological parents (a few even search), and others are not. Some are satisfied with explanations about how they came to be adopted, and others can't understand why their bio parents didn't make another choice. Some feel that being adopted is an important part of their identity, while others see it as a minor issue in their lives.

Though most of the youngsters in this book were adopted as infants, the stories and photos represent a larger diversity, including inter-racial adoptions and older children adopted from foster care.

The author suggests that adopted children think about adoption more often than their parents may imagine. This book will clue parents in to adoption from children's points of view, and offer companionship to adopted children looking for others to understand "how it feels to be adopted."

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: Although I applaud Jill Krementz in her effort to give voice to adopted children, I found this book limited and limiting. The over-emphasis on white children and on search and reunion is both misleading and unhelpful. For a young child unwilling or unable to find birthparents, the focus (as is so often the case in media) on reunions raises troubling questions of their own life. Although there are four African-American children, there is only one Asian child--even though Korea alone is responsible for roughly 100,000 adoptions to U.S. families. I would prefer that this book had been titled, "How it feels to be white adopted."

Rating:
Summary: A good effort, but limited
Review: Although I applaud Jill Krementz in her effort to give voice to adopted children, I found this book limited and limiting. The over-emphasis on white children and on search and reunion is both misleading and unhelpful. For a young child unwilling or unable to find birthparents, the focus (as is so often the case in media) on reunions raises troubling questions of their own life. Although there are four African-American children, there is only one Asian child--even though Korea alone is responsible for roughly 100,000 adoptions to U.S. families. I would prefer that this book had been titled, "How it feels to be white adopted."

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Resource For the Adoptive Child (and Parent)
Review: By exploring so many different children's views on adoption, Jill Krementz opens doors for adoptive parents to discuss these concerns with their children. It was intended for the older child to be able to read, but I feel that it's perfect for a parent to read together with their younger grade-school child. The sooner my child is comfortable discussing her fears and concerns about adoption with me, the easier it will be for me to put her fears to rest.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Resource For the Adoptive Child (and Parent)
Review: By exploring so many different children's views on adoption, Jill Krementz opens doors for adoptive parents to discuss these concerns with their children. It was intended for the older child to be able to read, but I feel that it's perfect for a parent to read together with their younger grade-school child. The sooner my child is comfortable discussing her fears and concerns about adoption with me, the easier it will be for me to put her fears to rest.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: I loved the book. It really gave insight as to what kids are thinking. Very informative and very interesting. Helpful book. I do disagree with others that say it is focused on "white" children. When I read something I read it for what it is and this is a book about children's feelings about being adopted. Color and numbers of colors don't matter. It is an excellent book and I highly recommend it.