There are lots of ways to make a family! Check out some of these picture books about adoption and foster care.
I’m Adopted! by Shelley Rotner. With photographic illustrations showing families of many different races and ages, this book’s basic, informative text explains what adoption is and why some children are adopted. It validates an adopted child’s emotions and might be useful if you’re looking for language to explain adoption to a child.
Just Like a Mama by Alice Faye Duncan. This super sweet picture book celebrates the love between a girl and her foster mother who is raising her while her parents can’t right now. Although Mama Rose isn’t her mother, she is “just like a mama”, encouraging her and making her clean her room and taking her to the park and doing all the things a mama does.
My Family is Forever by Nancy Carlson. This is an upbeat, child-centered story that explains adoption. I love the positivity and humor in the language, for example: “Jeffrey has his mom’s red hair and his dad’s big ears. My family was formed by adoption, so I look just like… me! (And I’m pretty cute.)”
We Belong Together: A Book About Adoption and Families by Todd Parr. This cheerful, colorful picture book is a good choice to share with the youngest readers. In affirming, gentle language, the book reassures adopted children about all the ways they are loved: “We belong together because… you needed someone to kiss your boo-boos and we had kisses to give.”
Welcome to the Family by Mary Hoffman. This nonfiction book has a little more text to it than the others in this list, so it might be good for slightly older kids or kids looking for more information about all different kinds of families. It talks about lots of different ways to make a family, so it explains adoption, foster parents, IVF, blended families, etc. This book shows a wide range of different family makeups, including families with same sex parents.
