Fleeing Cossack marauders, Rabbi Shabse Cohen (known to future generations as the “Shach”) and his young daughter are separated in a forest. The child, unconscious and burning with fever, is rescued by the king of Poland himself. This is the beginning of Esther’s life as companion to the king’s daughter. Legends arise about the Jewish girl in the royal palace who remains devoted to the faith of her people, just like Queen Esther of old. Through a series of adventures, Divine Providence brings the courageous young heroine to fulfill her destined role. An inspirational tale of faith and Jewish pride.

Jonathan didn’t think anything could beat the excitement of being adopted by his two Jewish mamas, but his eighth birthday comes close. His mamas take him to a dog shelter to adopt a puppy of his own! After looking at all the cute, squirming tail-waggers, Jonathan makes an unexpected choice. In Adopting Ahava, Jonathan shows readers that all kinds of people—and pets—create happy, loving families.

Adopting Diego is an international adoption story. The Collins’ family adopted Diego who was five years old from an orphanage in Guatemala and brought him back to Michigan to start his new life in his “forever family.” His adoptive parents already had grown children and grandchildren. So, this is also the story of becoming parents again at a later age. The book covers the highlights of Diego’s experiences and his adaption to his new family and culture. It is a simple children’s picture book that can be read by a child or to a child by a parent, grandparent, teacher, or older child. The pictures are actual photographs of Diego as he grows up and becomes a teen. The book frequently asks questions of the reader to involve him/her with the author and to help the reader relate to the story of Diego’s journey.

Adopting for Life is a book for parents to use to help explain adoption to their child. It is a story about a Mother explaining to her child how and why she came to be adopted. It promotes adoption in the most positive light emphasizing how the child is a precious gift from God and His plan for our lives. It is intended to enhance the bond between parent and child and leave the child feel feeling valued and special.

This third book from the Some Families series is based on the true story of the Leffew family, daddy Brian, daddy Jay, Daniel and Selena. We follow them through the story of their adoption and learn how this family was formed. An increasing number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) couples are having children through surrogacy, co-parenting, donor and adoption. The Some Families books have been written to show that families come in many different combinations. Every child deserves a book that reflects their lives. Adopting our two Dads also aims to help children from all backgrounds understand more about families with same-gender parents.

For so long it seemed that I wouldn’t be able to have any children. Then to have not only one, but two within ten months was better than winning the lottery! Our boys were so much fun and such great brothers that as their mom, I sometimes had a hard time keeping up with them! I have told the story of our family to many people over the years, and I always get the same surprised reaction. It’s just such a happy ending; it brings smiles to everyone who hears it! I think of our lives so often, I decided I had to share our story!

Set around the time of the Great Depression, this poignant story redefines love and “family.” Her heart longed for a place to call home. Bernice was only six the night she and her brother were brought to the State School for Dependent Children. They had been taken away from their mother before and placed in foster homes, but somehow this felt different. Little did Bernice know that her mother had signed away custody of her, and she wouldn’t leave that orphanage for two years. People weren’t adopting children in 1929, but that year eight-year-old Bernice was adopted into one of the finest homes in rural Bloomington, MN. She was told she’s lucky to be adopted, while others will live out their childhoods in the orphanage. But she’s worried. What will her new life be like? Will she ever see her brother again? And do these people really want her?

Cora and Liam are searching for answers on how to start their family. After four years of marriage they decided to adopt. After filling out the paperwork their dreams were put on hold for an extra year because of Cora’s age. Their social worker called them about a young girl about to give birth searching for a family. The young girl was struggling herself on making the right decision for the baby boy about to enter this world. Find out how these families help each other through one of the most difficult times in their lives. This is a great book for birth mothers as well as families thinking about adoption.

From Books to Help Children Cope with Separation and Loss (1989, 3rd ed.): When Celia finally hears the words her parents have been telling her since she was a little girl, that she is adopted, she reacts with anger. She goes through various stages: grief, anger, pain, loneliness, fear, curiosity about her birth parents, resentment, longing, self-doubt, and, finally, acceptance. Her parents and the adults around her give her support, firm but loving responses, and understanding. They also reassure her that they will always be her parents, and that she belongs with them.

One of the things the parents do is get a book from the library on adoption. Celia rejects the book at first, but she soon uses it to comfort and inform herself. Her parents also do not make the mistake of coddling her; they understand her anger, but they do not permit her to break the rules that they have consistently set forth. She must still pick up her things and behave constructively. They remind her of how they felt when they first adopted her. They assure her that it was through no fault of her own that her birth parents gave her up for adoption. And an adult friend indicates that her birth mother must have loved her very much to let her go to a family that would love and care for her better than her birth mother could.

Some critics might argue that this is a somewhat didactic and simplistic book, but coupled with books presenting other perspectives, this book can probably be very useful not only for children who are adopted but also for children who want to understand how adoption works.

This book was inspired by a fellow teacher, Kate, and her husband, John, as they went through this process to adopt their son, Ethan. During our lunchtime, we discussed when and how to tell a child that they are adopted, and this book seemed to be a gentle and natural way of telling the story of one family on their special quest. The book also shows how one little life can complete a family. I wish everyone on the path toward adoption or living as an adopted child love, strength, and compassion toward everyone concerned.

Adoption is not a Secret: I Am Thinking of a Medal treats a very sensitive topic in a special, child-friendly way, through a story. For the parents, the story of the book can be used as a way to announce their children that they are adopted. The story is separated in two parts and there is transition from the world of the bears to the world of the children. The story starts with the parent’s decision to adopt a child and continues with the long process of adoption. The culmination of the story is the magic moment when the parents hug their child, the little teddy bear called Amory. At the beginning Amory is confused, because he is facing many changes. But his parents, slowly and patiently, wiped away any insecurity and fear from the little bear’s heart. Through time Amory and his parents built happy family. We hope that this tale, written for all children, will bring many families relief and support for a happier, calmer and safer developmental journey through life. We remain deeply convinced, that this book will find its way to all parents and children, regardless whether adopted or born into the family. We hope that this will inspire parents and instruct them on how they can talk to their children and how they can answer their many inquisitive questions.

In talking about adoption with your son, daughter, or a classroom of young children, where do you start? Adoption Is... tells the story of one boy’s adoption. This book makes it easy for parents, children, and teachers to talk about adoption. This illustrated children’s book will touch the hearts of parents, educators and children as they gain a clear understanding of one family’s adoption process. The book is suitable for bedtime reading, library story-hours, classroom discussions and Sunday-school groups.

From the Publisher: Adoption Means Love: Triumph of the Heart is a powerful compilation of stories from people across the country and around the world, who have been personally touched by the miracle of adoption. The timely importance of this book cannot be overstated. Roughly 500,000 children are in U.S. Foster Care today. Millions more wait in orphanages around the world for their forever families.

Each story found within the pages of Adoption Means Love: Triumph of the Heart reaches deep into the soul and compassionately uncovers the ribbons of truth that connect us all. Honestly and poignantly, the book celebrates the transformation and triumph that is adoption.

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About the Author: Michelle Madrid-Branch is founder of Adoption Tribe Publishing and the AML Foundation (Adoption Means Love). As a person of adoption and a former Emmy-Nominated television news journalist, Michelle is focusing her writing talents on adoption awareness and pride. With endless enthusiasm, she works to create a world where adoption is celebrated on every continent and all adoptable children have permanent families to call their own. Michelle Madrid-Branch is a recipient of the 2004 Congressional Angels in Adoption Award. She is author of the children’s book, The Tummy Mummy, which has been heralded for its poignant and tender message of adoption love. Michelle resides in Santa Fe, NM, and is a proud wife and mother.

A warm and personal story of a four-year-old and his beloved stuffed dinosaur is complemented with vintage watercolor illustrations. Christopher’s own adoption comes vividly to life as he sets out to create an adoption scrapbook for his pal, Boris. The misadventures of this unlikely pair only strengthen Chris’s love for Boris and help him understand the true meaning of adoption.

This story deals with the hardship of adoption for an older child, only it does it with humor and love through the eyes of a very likeable, slightly overweight french poodle, who overcomes many frustrations and finally gets adopted by a loving and caring couple. About the Author: Since this story and many other Teddy stories are all based on the truth, you will find out much about this author and her life and family just by reading the Teddy series. She is a wife, mother, grandmother, and also a very successful business woman who is now about to be retired and follow her beloved passion of writing all different kinds of stories. Her imagination runs the gamut from fictional, non-fictional and anything in between. The Teddy book was actually conceived in Mexico in the summer of 2005 on holiday and took months and months to become a reality.

Telling an adopted child that he or she is adopted can be difficult for a parent. The challenge lies in making the child feel special, the way we as Christians feel when we are adopted into the family of Christ, in the same way the vineyard grower grafts a new vine to another grape vine so that it becomes one with the vine—not just a part of, but one with its new host. Every child should feel that he or she was chosen just for that family. Jesus said, “From the womb I knew you.” The author wrote this story as a way to tell these children how God chose their family while they were yet in their birth mom’s womb telling them that while in the womb their “real” adopted parents were waiting for them. The story and illustrations are intended to help the child visualize how all this came to be while prayerfully making it easier for the adopted mom to show that she was chosen for the child just as the child was chosen for her.

Adoptions Are Made In Heaven is a fairy-tale story of how God planned out adoption and how He makes it possible. Through an entertaining story matched with colorful illustrations, the book tells the story of adoption. When God sees that many people are brokenhearted because they cannot have children, He gathers his host of angels, among them Muriel, the tiniest of them all. Amid giggles and yawns, he assigns them as His messengers who will sow the seeds of kindness, perseverance and patience in these people’s hearts. About the Author: Kathie Belonger was born in Wisconsin, but has been living in New Jersey for most of her married life. She and her husband, Dave, have been married for 37 years, and are the parents of two adult children. Kathie is a registered nurse by profession, and credits her nursing experience in Hospice as the catalyst to opening doors to new experiences in her life. She became drawn to a world of creativity through art classes, and even pursued a career in retail, eventually becoming the owner of a craft and gift store with the help of her husband. Currently, she is enjoying her role as a grandmother of three, and continues to pursue her love of art.

Abby Randolf is a leggy, 12-year-old with shiny, black hair and icy blue eyes. Her mother and stepfather have decided to send her on a farm vacation while they attend to business matters. But Abby is angry. She believes that they just want to get away together and she finds no sense in their making her go to a farm, of all places, to visit their friends, people she doesn’t know. Surprises and adventure await Abby at Lookout Farm. The Whitakers are a mixed family. Their African-American twins were adopted when they were babies. They are twelve years old, too. After a bumpy beginning with Abby holding back from committing to friendship, the three children discuss being adopted and being adopted into a white family. Rumor had it that the farm used to be part of the Underground Railroad. The kids explore the property, particularly an old barn which is now used for summer stage performances. Abby is invited to join the cast but her stage fright wins outs; she decides to continue exploring the day of the play and discovers a narrow old tunnel and a hidden room that turn out to part of the Underground Railroad.

While their father is fighting in the Canadian Army during the war of 1812, young Will Dobson and his eight-year-old sister live with their mother and grandfather at a grist-mill near the mouth of a small river in southern Ontario. A Negro boy suddenly appears at the mill. He is lost, and so frightened that he is unable to speak and he soon wins the affection of everyone in the family except Mattie—who is very jealous of the newcomer. From Kirkus Reviews: It is always unfortunate when plot and background possibilities are allowed to dribble away to nothing. The story potential here is limitless—and all unexplored. The time is 1812 and the place is a mill farm in Ontario across from the U.S. border. A border dispute is in fact under way as the story opens when a small, mute Negro boy, an escaping slave, arrives and is befriended by the Dobson family. The border trouble is never clearly outlined and the escaping boy soon loses stage center to 8-year-old Mattie who is jealous of the attention paid him. A captured Yankee becomes part of the household to further snarl a plot that ends with now-talking Jim reunited with his father; Dobson pere home from the border wars and a repentant and forgiven Mattie. All, all is melodramatically happy—and the book is lost.

The book is about a mermaid princess that is placed on land because of danger in her kingdom. She has to find her way back to her kingdom before it’s too late to save it. She also finds out that she has some special powers that can help her along the way.

Being adopted is the most precious gift of love and acceptance that anyone could give a child. In this story, fifty characters spring to life. The main characters are Mother, Barry and Carey Bear. Daring their dreams of grand adventure, Barry and Carey journey into the Great Unknown and meet new friends and scary foes. I invite you all to lend me your hearts and spirits and journey back with me in time, to a land of ice and snow where the spirit lites glow, the wild winds blow and the deer and polar bear go.

Baylard Bear knows what it’s like to be different. When just a few weeks old, he was wrapped in a blanket of moss and left on the steps of a human orphanage by his bear parents because they realized they weren’t going to be able to give him the life he deserved. They made the hardest and most unselfish decision any loving parent can ... they gave their beloved baby boy up for adoption. Follow Baylard as he comes to terms with his unique skills and setbacks, eventually gets adopted and ventures out into the big wide world!

Betty, a beautiful frog, is about to embark on a journey of the heart. A frog’s life is all Betty knows. So along with her family and friends, her journey takes her to unfamiliar territory as she tries her best to raise a baby bird from birth. The little bird, Bo-Bob, not knowing any difference, embraces his life as a frog. It is a loving story of pond species of all kind and a tiny bird that does things a bird does not normally do. Follow along as Betty and Bo-Bob encounter many adventures in and out of the water.

The Adventures of Koko and Joey: Family is the first of a series of children’s books that focus on adoption and send the message that no matter where you come from, family is those who love you. “We all have the same wonderful hearts that are full of love for one another, and that is what makes us family.”

From the Publisher: Adventures of a cat family that adopts a little girl and whose friends keep people for pets. Eight stories, 134 illustrations in black and white, and ten original songs.

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About the Author: In the 1970s, Paul and Shirley Eberle published a sexually explicit periodical called Finger, in which they published explicit and unedited contributions from readers, as well as serving as the editors of a more soft-core periodical called L.A. Star, which featured a combination of nude photos, celebrity gossip and telephone sex ads. In 1986, they published a book entitled The Politics of Child Abuse, in which they argue, among other things, that accusations of child-sex abuse are frequently based upon children’s testimony that has had been manipulated by child protective service workers, police and prosecutors; followed in 1993 by The Abuse of Innocence: The McMartin Preschool Trial.

Follow the adventures of young Atlantis Sinclair as she discovers she’s a lost princess of a far away land, and is whisked away with her friends to Deep Earth to save the Enchanted Lands from the evil Spider King and Queen Lake. A new, fresh children’s story filled with a magical adventure that speaks about friendships, believing in yourself, and the importance of a child having a loving forever family through foster care and adoption.

Katie knows she has always been lucky, but becomes upset when a stranger tells her she is lucky just because she was adopted. In Katie’s third adventure, she continues to solve problems in a way that benefits both herself and her friends. But when a couple of bullies step into the picture, something unexpected happens. Does Katie really have super powers after all?

Katie Dao-Ming Bryant was adopted from China and is struggling to understand her place in a world without much knowledge of her past. She is also learning that she has the power to make her own decisions in life. How will she handle a 4th-grade class assignment to write about how she got her name? This series of children’s chapter books for elementary school children can be exciting for all children, but is especially written for those who were adopted. It is the author’s hope that children and parents will read the books together and share in the journey of understanding the past, while at the same time building a bright and hopeful future.