Happy Adoption Day! [Paperback]

John McCutcheon (Author), Julie Paschkis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2001 | Grade Level: P and up

This adaptation of McCutcheon's song commemorates the day when a child joins an adoptive family. Complete with musical notation, these verses reassure adopted children they are special. Full-color illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Inspired by a friend's tradition, noted children's singer/songwriter McCutcheon created this original song for those who might like to mark a special anniversary in their family's life?adoption day. His thoughtful lyrics (the score is included, of course) emphasize the joy and wonder of the event?"Out of a world so tattered and torn,/ You came to our house on that wonderful morn/ And all of a sudden this family was born"?and there's a rousing chorus just right for a festive party. In a move sure to accommodate many adoptive families, Paschkis (So Sleepy/Wide Awake) pictures the parents as white and the baby as Asian. Her gouache illustrations have a strong hint of traditional Scandinavian folk art, updated by bold color combinations, and they lend themselves particularly well to the multiethnic cast of friends and family with which she peoples each page. For a pleasingly themed read-aloud or gift, pair this volume with Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell's equally merry Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born (reviewed below). Ages 2-6.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K-McCutcheon's song, written from the point of view of adoptive parents, is joyous and reassuring-"Whatever you learn, whoever you know,/You've still got a home in our hearts." Paschkis's folklike gouache paintings are attractive and well designed to incorporate the text. However, they illustrate more than the annual celebration. They show scenes of the (Caucasian) adoptive parents making preparations for the baby's arrival, the adoptive parents in an airplane, the (Asian) baby in its new cradle, and the growth of the child. In every scene, everyone is smiling. The song mentions mixed-race and single-parent families: "No matter the skin, we are all of us kin." But another line in that verse sends a confusing message: "No matter how you came to be." That line, from the parents' point of view, is a message of acceptance, but a child may understand it as "It shouldn't matter to you how you came to be." The book reinforces the second interpretation by not picturing the baby before its appearance in the adoptive home, as though it had no history of its own. The relinquishment that precedes adoption does matter to the adoptee but is often hard for adoptive parents to talk about. This book does not help them to do so.
Nancy Schimmel, formerly at San Mateo County Library
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316603236
• ISBN-13: 978-0316603232
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 0.1 x 11.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Adoption

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Our family's story, March 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Happy Adoption Day! (Hardcover)

We received this book as a Christmas gift shortly after our 2nd child arrived from Korea. I read it to my daughter at nap time and found myself dissolving into tears. Here was OUR story. This is a delightful book for any adoptive family, especially those with children from Asia. The song is marvellous; we sing it regularly and of course on thoses "adoption day" celebrations.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Gift, July 26, 2002

By 

sean p laughlin (Chesapeake, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happy Adoption Day! (Hardcover)

We received this book (and the companion CD - Family Garden) as a gift for our daughters adoption day. In our family (three kids and counting - by adoption) we celebrate adoption days in much the same way as birthdays with cake, presents songs etc. That is where this book comes in. It is absolutely perfect. On each childs adoption day, they blow out the candles on the cake and we open this book, put in the CD and all sing together. The kids absolutely love it and you can see in their eyes whether it is their day or not, that there is a deep and loving meaning to the whole process which makes this so much more than just a book and a song. As I said to my sister who gave it to us, it is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Wishing you many happy adoption days.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A kind of birthday, September 30, 2001

By 

Alyssa A. Lappen (Earth) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Happy Adoption Day! (Hardcover)

Adoption day is a kind of birthday.

Some families (like ours) may choose after a while to celebrate only a child's actual birthday.

Nevertheless, this book is a helpful way to celebrate a child's acceptance into his or her adoptive family, especially for kids adopted at older ages or internationally.

There is nothing wrong with stating that the world is troubled. After all, it is.

But the overall message of this beautifully illustrated volume is one of acceptance and love. It is a keepsake that most adoptive families will cherish.

Hurrah, John McCutcheon! Alyssa A. Lappen