ADOPTION AND FOSTER CARE
TELL ME AGAIN ABOUT THE NIGHT I WAS BORN (Jamie Lee Curtis, Laura Cornell)
Tell Me Again About The Night I Was Born (Scholastic Press) is a magical story about an adopted child who wants to know all about the night they were born and how they came to live with their adopted family. It begins with the child asking, ‘Tell me again about the night I was born.’ The child has a birth book with photos and memories in it that has clearly been read to her many times. All children will connect with this love of hearing stories of themselves as babies and the desire to hear how they fit into their family. The child hears about the night her adoptive parents were woken by the phone call to say their baby had been born.
“Tell me again how the phone rang in the middle of the night and they told you I was born. Tell me again how you screamed.”
The voice of the child is real and engaging. This is a sensitive, loving book made all the more poignant in the knowledge that it was written by Jamie Lee Curtis for her first daughter to help explain the adoption process and to reassure her of the family’s love.
It is an open and joyful book about the love that adoptive parents have for their child.
(Reviewed by Anna Wilson, author of Grandpa and Kingfisher)
YOU BELONG HERE (M.H. Clark, Isabelle Arsenault)
You Belong Here (Compendium, 2016) is a beautiful, life-affirming poem for new babies, adoptive families, and children of all ages.
The stars belong in the deep night sky,
and the moon belongs there too,
and the winds belong in each place they blow by,
and I belong here with you.
And so begins this award-winning picture book with breath-taking illustrations and lyrical language. The pages journey around the world, observing plants and animals, everywhere, and reminding children that they are right where they belong. A beautiful title for new babies, adoptive families, and children of all ages.
And no matter what places you travel to,
what wonders you choose to see,
I will always belong right here with you,
and you’ll always belong with me.
MY BRIGHT SHINING STAR (Fatima Whitbread, Rhian Wright)
My Bright Shining Star (Quarto, 2024) is written by Olympic medallist Fatima Whitbread, who draws inspiration from her own childhood experiences in the foster care system.
The narrative centres on young Fatima, who finds strength and compassion in Aunty Rae’s love and the presence of the North Star. Fatima's journey to finding her ‘forever home’ is fraught with uncertainty. However, Aunty Rae's unwavering support and the symbolic North Star provide her with hope and resilience.
North Star, North Star,
Are you near or are you far?
Shining with a twinkling glow,
Please show us which way to go.
A warm, authentic and poignant story about overcoming complex challenges in finding a permanent home. This is an inspiring and uplifting picture book that demonstrates how compassion and kindness provides strength and hope in adversity.