Adoption Books

Best Children’s Adoption Books

  • Over the Moon: An Adoption Tale by Karen Katz
    Author/illustrator Katz’s optimism about adoption shines through with her magical, colorful pictures throughout.
  • A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza
    A classic adoption favorite using cute animals.
  • Happy Adoption Day by John McCutcheon
    A book the whole family can sing along celebrating adoption.
  • Forever Fingerprints: An Amazing Discovery For Adopted Children by Sherrie Eldridge, illustrated by Rob Williams
    Fingerprints are the jumping off point to help families create a vehicle for discussing serious adoption issues with children.
  • The Red Thread: An Adoption Fairytale by Grace Lin
    Truly written like a fairytale, the story encompasses the Chinese idea of the red thread of fate and interconnection.

Best Adoption Books for Adults

  • The Connected Child by Caryn Purvis, David Cross and Wendy Lyons Sunshine
    A combination of compassion and empirical data gives rise to cutting edge information on how to work with adoptive children’s trauma.
  • Adoption Parenting: Creating A Toolbox by Jean MacLeod and Sheena Macrae
    At 520 pages, this is an excellent shelf resource with practical knowledge for adoptive parents on every subject under the sun.
  • LifeBooks: Creating a Treasure for the Adopted Child by Beth O’Malley
    Practical guide to creating that keepsake life book for the adopted child, simultaneously promoting self-understanding.
  • Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew by Sherrie Eldridge
    Essays by children who were adopted addressing issues on adoption from their perspective.
  • I Wish for You a Beautiful Life edited by Sara Dorow
    This is a compilation of actual letters from Korean Birth Mothers who temporarily lived in a home for unwed mothers in Korea. The letters are intense and personal from a different culture half a world away, yet speak to the universal desire for the best for one’s children.