Best Adoption Picture Books for Kids and Adults
Children's books are a great resource for opening up discussions about topics in an age-appropriate way. This list of wonderful books highlights the concept of adoption, different ways that families grow and come together, international adoption, transracial adoption and foster care adoption. There are so many perfect book options for single parents, biological children, birth parents, adoptive family, and others growing their family through adoption.
Children of all ages, and adults too, will enjoy these children's books that highlight the emotions that come with an adoption tale.
Best Adoption Picture Books for Kids and Adults
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25 Kid Books About Adoption
I Wished for You: An Adoption Story for Kids
"Mama," said Barley. "Tell me again how I'm your wish come true." Thus begins this great book for children about adoption and adoptive families. I Wished for You: An Adoption Story follows a conversation between a little bear named Barley and his Mama as they curl up in their favorite cuddle spot and talk about how God chose them to be a family. Barley asks Mama the kinds of questions many adopted children have, and Mama lovingly answers them all. With endearing prose and charming watercolor illustrations, I Wished for You is a beautiful book about adoption read that affirms how love is what truly makes a family. This is such a sweet book to highlight the story of adoption.
I’ve Loved You Since Forever
In the universe,
there was you and
there was me,
waiting for the day our
stars would meet. . .
This New York Times #1 Bestseller about adoption is a must read for children and families. I’ve Loved You Since Forever is a celebratory and poetic testament to the timeless love felt between parent and child. This beautiful picture book about adoption is inspired by Today show co-anchor Hoda Kotb’s heartwarming adoption of her baby girl. With lyrical text and stunning pictures, young ones and parents will want to snuggle up with family members and read the pages of this adoption book together, over and over again. This beautiful children’s adoption story makes such a lovely gift for baby showers, Mother's Day, and best friends.
God Found Us You
A special picture book about adoption from the bestselling creators of the beloved God Gave Us You. As little fox gets ready for bed, Mama Fox tells him the miraculous story of his special arrival. This heartwarming and tender tale captures the immensity of looking at God through a young child’s eyes and the profoundness of the blessings that adoption brings to both adoptive mom / dads and new child. This adoption book for children is a beautiful story to have on your shelf and makes a loving gift to celebrate a new adoptive mother and child as well as for Mother's Day.
Invisible String
The Invisible String the perfect tool for coping with all kinds of separation anxiety, loss, and grief. In this relatable and reassuring contemporary classic, a mother tells her two children that they're all connected by an invisible string. "That's impossible!" the children insist, but still they want to know more: "What kind of string?" The answer is the simple truth that binds us all: An Invisible String made of love. Even though you can't see it with your eyes, you can feel it deep in your heart, and know that you are always connected to the ones you love. Does everybody have an Invisible String? How far does it reach? Does it ever go away? This heartwarming picture book for all ages explores questions about the intangible yet unbreakable connections between us, and opens up deeper conversations about love. This book is not directly written to or about adoption, but as a therapist I often recommend and use this book for children who are in the process of being adopted or have been adopted to address feelings about birth family and being separated from siblings etc.
God Gave Us You
If you have a child or a kid asking you the question Where did I Come from? then this book for families is a great resource for you. This book is great for adoptive families to use and answer questions about how a child got to them. If your family is looking for a religious book for families about adoptions then this may be one you want to check out. As Mama bear tucks her youngest cub under the quilts, she gently, tenderly, and reassuringly communicates the message loving parents everywhere (bears and non-bears alike) want their little ones to hear: "We wanted you very, very much, and we are so very glad because—God gave us you."
Perfect for bedtime, naptime, story time or anytime, God Gave Us You provides a valuable opportunity through a sweet story to build children's self-esteem every day and assure each one that he or she truly is a welcomed, precious, and treasured gift.
Delly Duck: Why A Little Chick Couldn't Stay with His Birth Mother
When Delly Duck lays an egg, she is excited for it to hatch. But she doesn’t really know how to keep an egg safe, or how to look after her chick when he hatches. See how a concerned goose tries to help Delly to learn how to care for her chick, in this touching adoption story.
Delly Duck: Why A Little Chick Couldn’t Stay With His Birth Mother is intended to help support and stimulate discussion around some of the questions an adopted or fostered child (or another child trying to understand adoption) may have. The story can be used to help answer difficult and emotive questions, such as “Why can’t I live with my birth mother?” and “Why didn’t someone just teach her how to parent me safely?”
My New Mom & Me
old from the point of view of a puppy who is adopted by a cat, this gentle and reassuring tale is perfect for very young readers and listeners.
When the puppy comes to live with his new mom, he is nervous. After all, his mom has stripes and he doesn't. But his mom says she likes that they look different, and soon the puppy likes it, too. (And who cares what anyone else thinks!)
The puppy's new mom does all the things other parents do. She plays with him, takes care of him, and sometimes even makes him mad! But that's okay, because when he's feeling sad, she knows just what to say. This book is a heartwarming story about diversity in adoption and acceptance of families.
Bringing Asha Home
His parents are going to adopt a baby girl named Asha. She is coming all the way from India, where Arun's dad was born. The family prepares for Asha's arrival, not knowing it will be almost a year until they receive governmental approval to bring Asha home. Arun is impatient and struggles to accept the long delay, but as time passes he finds his own special ways to build a bond with his new baby sister, who is still halfway around the world. With warmth and honesty, this tender story taps into the feelings of longing, love and joy that adoption brings to many families. Readers will find reassurance knowing there is more than one way to become part of the happy ending of a loving family.
And Tango Makes Three
The heartwarming true story of two male penguins who create a nontraditional family is now available in a sturdy board book edition.
At the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo, two penguins named Roy and Silo were a little bit different from the others. But their desire for a family was the same. And with the help of a kindly zookeeper, Roy and Silo got the chance to welcome a baby penguin of their very own. In time for the tenth anniversary of And Tango Makes Three, this Classic Board Book edition is the perfect size for small hands.
The Family Book by Todd Parr
The Family Book is designed to encourage early literacy, enhance emotional development, celebrate multiculturalism, physical differences promote character growth, and strengthen family relationships. The Family Book celebrates the love we feel for our families and all the different varieties they come in. Whether you have two moms or two dads, a big family or a small family, a clean family or a messy one, Todd Parr assures readers that no matter what kind of family you have, every family is special in its own unique way.
The Best Family in the World
Carlotta is being adopted tomorrow; as she anxiously waits for her new family, she wonders what they'll be like and imagines all kinds of wonderful families--astronauts, pastry chefs, even pirates--and soon discovers that they are all that and more... they are the best family in the world!
A Mother for Choco
Keiko Kasza's twist on the "Are you my mother?" theme has become one of the most highly recommended stories about adoption for children. Family is about love no matter how different parents and children may be, adopted or not. Choco the main character is a little bird. Choco wishes he had a mother, but who could she be? Is she a mother bird? He sets off to find her, asking all kinds of animals, but he doesn't meet anyone who looks just like him. He doesn't even think of asking Mrs. Bear if she's his mother-but then she starts to do just the things a mommy might do. And when she brings him home, he meets her other children-a piglet, a hippo, and an alligator-and learns that families can come in all shapes and sizes and still fit together.
Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born
a tender and funny picture book for every parent and child. Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born is a special celebration of the love and joy an adopted child creates for a family written by Jamie Lee Curtis./
In asking her parents to tell her again about the night of her birth, a young girl relives a cherished tale she knows by heart. Focusing on the significance of family and love, this a unique and beautiful story about adoption and the importance of a loving family.
A beautiful adoption story, Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born also speaks to the universal childhood desire to know more about the excitement, awe, love, and sleeplessness that a new baby brings to a family. This is rank as a top ranking favorite books for those looking for adoption stories.
I Love You Like Crazy Cakes
This story of a woman who travels to China to adopt a baby girl, based on the author's own experiences, is a celebration of the love and joy a baby brings into the home. other-love is profound, however a baby comes into a woman's life. For Rose Lewis, the journey to motherhood begins with a letter to Chinese officials, asking if she can adopt from the "big room with lots of other babies." The infants in that room in China are each missing a mother, but Lewis is missing something, too--a baby. She travels to China to meet her new little girl and falls head over heels in love. Taking her baby home to America, Lewis introduces her to all her family and friends, and they begin their life together.
A touching love story, I Love You Like Crazy Cakes is great for anew parent's heart, especially those who have recently adopted a child. It's an ideal story for lap-time reading and will inspire parents and kids to talk about their own first "meetings," whether at birth or in an adoption agency.
Zachary's New Home: A Story for Foster and Adopted Children
This book about adoption can help normalize for children going through such experiences know they are not alone and there are people who understand. Zachary still remembers his "real" parents and finds that adjusting to life as Marie and Tom's adopted son is sometimes a painful reality. This book and the illustrations do a credible job of portraying the anguish and self-doubt and testing that go on when a child is placed in a new home with a new family.
Born from the Heart
Rose dreamed of her baby every night . . . She couldn't wait to share hugs and giggles.
This poetic and magical parable celebrates the richness of family as Rose and Charlie embark on the search for the child they so desperately want. As Rose's dream gets closer to coming true, her heart grows and grows . . . until it bursts with happiness, laughter, and wonder when she finally kisses the beautiful face of her new baby. This children’s book about adoption is beautiful and helps families discuss the emotions they felt during the adoption process.
Jazzy's Quest: Adopted and Amazing!
What makes you amazing? That’s what adoptee Jazzy Armstrong has to figure out before the big community talent show. Is she musical like her parents and sisters? Can she make dazzling flower arrangements like her birth mother, score goals on the soccer field like her birth brother, or is there something unique about Jazzy that is nothing like her families? Join Jazzy on her quest to discover just what makes her amazing! This early elementary educational level reading is great for those who want to identify with the main character or those just looking for an amazing story.
Speranza's Sweater
Kids deserve a safe place to live and grow and learn. For some kids, this means living with foster or adoptive parents. Speranza’s Sweater chronicles one child’s experience through the foster and adoptive system.
Speranza wears her sweater everywhere, hanging onto the last memories of her birth home, until it’s threadbare. Like her unraveled sweater, Speranza must weave together a new story, bringing threads from her past and strands from her present, into a future of love, family, and the true meaning of home.
In this heart-warming and reassuring story about adoption children are offered permission to feel and experience their own story authentically. It provides hope and support for the many mixed emotions a child will experience during their foster and adoption journey, through the unraveling and re-weaving of a favorite sweater.
And That's Why She's My Mama
What is a Mama? A mama is someone who is always there for you. She makes you your favorite food, takes you to the park, and kisses your boo-boos better. Some mamas didn't hold you in their belly, but they will forever hold you in their hearts. Mamas come in all different shapes, colors, and ages, but they all have one thing in common. They love you!
Wolfie the Bunny
Families of all kinds will delight in this sweet tale of new babies, sibling rivalry, bravery, unconditional love...and veggies!
The Bunny family has adopted a wolf son, and daughter Dot is the only one who realizes Wolfie can--and might--eat them all up! Dot tries to get through to her parents, but they are too smitten to listen. A new brother takes getting used to, and when (in a twist of fate) it's Wolfie who's threatened, can Dot save the day?
Adopted Like Me
Hi - I'm Max, and I'm adopted.
You may not know this but many famous and inspirational people were adopted too. Adopted Like Me introduces you to great musicians like Bo Diddley, politicians like Nelson Mandela, and stars like Marilyn Monroe. Meet these along with inventors, athletes, and a princess skilled in judo and fencing - all of them adopted like me. Read about these adoptees and you'll see that you can grow up to be just about anything you want to be!
Fully illustrated in color, this book is for children aged 8+ who have been adopted, their parents, teachers and siblings.
Nikolai The Only Bear
As the only bear at the Russian orphanage, Nikolai wonders if anyone who visits will ever choose him, but when a fur-faced man suddenly appears with his wife, Nikolai is thrilled and knows in his heart that the perfect family has finally arrived to take him home.
Mean Margaret
Unconditional kindness is the key in this National Book Award Finalist from the author of The Wainscott Weasel about nontraditional families, adoption, love—and a little peace and quiet.
Patina
Patina, or Patty, runs like a flash. She runs for many reasons—to escape the taunts from the kids at the fancy-schmancy new school she’s been sent to ever since she and her little sister had to stop living with their mom. She runs from the reason WHY she’s not able to live with her “real” mom any more: her mom has The Sugar, and Patty is terrified that the disease that took her mom’s legs will one day take her away forever. And so Patty’s also running for her mom, who can’t. But can you ever really run away from any of this?
Adoption Books are a wonderful way to take what may feel like a uncomfortable topic and open up a dialogue between a child and adult or a family. No matter where your family is at in the adoption process there are lots of feelings and emotions involved. As a therapist and social workers, we often are working with children who are separated from birth families, birth siblings, or are in the foster care system or in the process of being adopted these books can be therapeutic to use as well.
For young children especially, the conflicting emotions of being happy to be in a family or adopted are great but also come at the expense of being separated from their birth family. This list of picture books about adoption for children and families can be great resources to have on hand to keep the dialogue about adoption open.
Whether you are reading this as a child or an adult who has been involved in the adoption process, I hope this list of books about adoption can be a great way to process feelings about adoption for younger children.
