Customer Reviews

How I Was Adopted

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have 4 children, the youngest 3 of whom are adopted. we received this book as a gift, sometime after bringing the 2nd of these 3 home. all 3 of them have requested this story by name, sometimes 2 or 3 times a night. I try to read it to them at least 4 or 5 nights a week, and they never tire of hearing it.

it is a story told from a child's point of view, but more importantly, from the point of view of a child who is happy and informed. samantha knows she's adopted, and knows that this is different from the experience of some other children.

we've been committed, from the beginning, to making our kids aware of the process, the similarities and the differences that are part and parcel of being adopted. samantha's story clearly helps them approach this mysterious place with a level of comfort. it also provides cues for parents to talk about adoption, in ways that are appropriate for the age.

when samantha asks "do you know how old you were when you were adopted?", my kids, ages 8, 6 and 2, answer in turn, obviously proud to know.

While my sons are not adopted, they have friends and extended family that are. This book was a good introduction to them to the concept. It's very straightforward and written in such a way that it could apply to a lot of different adoption situation---details are not that specific just to Samantha. It is very upbeat and cheerful. Just a note---the book does assume the kids that are hearing it are adopted, and it has questions like "Do you know how old you were when you were adopted?" which confused my sons a little! So be aware of this if you are reading it just for general awareness! The pictures are cute, bright and with neat details.

Adoption stories are so unique and individual that it is really difficult to buy a book based on someone else's experience and be able to use it to explain your own child's adoption experience. This one is better than some, in that it doesn't skirt or ignore the issue of the birthmother, however it also gets into some anatomical detail of reproduction and birth that are not necessary when providing your preschooler with the initial details of his or her adoption. Our son is 3 and we have put this away for a few years, it is definately not appropriate for him at this time.

The fact your child was adopted should not come as a shock to them at some later point in their lives, but the details and facts you give should be based on their age and stage of development. I think involving details of some mystery mother at an age before they are able to understand the biological facts of life is unnecessary.

Unless your child is ready to grasp the details of pregnancy and birth, look for another book to help explain their adoption.

I am an adoptive mom of an 11 month old son, who I adopted at birth. This is the first adoption book for children that I've bought -- in others that I've looked at, the story was too different from our family's story. However, this book makes it clear that Samantha is telling the story of her adoption, and that the stories of other adopted kids may be different -- in fact Samantha invites her "listeners" to talk about their own adoptions. This way of writing the story makes me comfortable about reading it to my son, even though the book features a 2-parent family, and I'm a single mom. I also give the book points for using the word "uterus" rather than "tummy". I think the latter creates confusion in young children -- they imagine the unborn baby swimming in a sea of half-digested food. Since we need to explain to children that babies grow in a "special place" anyway, why not use the correct term for it? (if you think your child can't handle a 3-syllable word, then how about "womb"?). I also disagree with the reviewer who thought the illustrations of a baby growing in a uterus, and the descriptions of birth, were inappropriate for young children -- by the time children are 3 or 4, they start noticing pregnant women, and if you tell them "there's a baby in there", the natural next question for them to ask is "how does it get out?" -- I think this book does a really good job of explaining this in simple, not-too-graphic, language that a young child can understand.

I also like the fact that the birth mother is at least mentioned (though that term is not introduced) -- an awful lot of adoption books feature a magical phone call from an adoption agency that has "found" a baby for the would-be adoptive parents, without any mention of where the baby came from. However, my small quibble is that I would have liked to see even a little more discussion of the birth mother -- she appears in this book as not much more than a uterus -- I'd like a book where the adoptive parent(s) actually meet the birthparent(s) -- but then, maybe I'm still looking for a book that exactly mirrors my family's story, since ours is an open adoption with visitation.

Anyway, I think this book can be a good start point for discussions with your adopted child, even if your child's adoption story is somewhat different from Samantha's.

Of all the adoption books for young kids that I've seen, this is the one I like best. The major things I like about this book are the completeness of its coverage of the basic facts of adoption; its emphasis on the fact that every adopted child has his/her own story of "how I was adopted"; and the fact that story and illustrations are positive, upbeat, engaging and interesting. There's "lots to talk about" when you read this book to a child, and many opportunities to point out how Samantha's story is similar to, or different from, your adopted child's.

I think this book is best for children age three and up. And I think it's best to read this book to your child when you have an age-appropriate lifebook ready to share with your child, or when you're ready to create a lifebook with your child participating in the process.

Finally, a book that discusses the 'how' of how children are placed for adoption. Birthparents are discussed along with a okay discription of the 'why' children are sometimes placed for adoption. My child, a Samantha, loves this book because she thinks it's all about her!

I was very pleased with this book as a way to introduce the topic of birthmothers and adoption in general to young children. It was "generic" enough to work for most domestic and international adoption scenarios, perhaps with a little editorial by the parent reading it. I also liked the way it asked questions of the child being read to as I think this might be a good stimulus for further conversation between parent and child. Overall it had a gentle, upbeat message while touching on subjects that parents sometimes have difficulty introducing to their children.

This book was as described...from a child's perspective and engages the parent to offer details of their child's adoption. I would recommend to other adoptive families to help get the conversation started at an early age.

My husband and I are currenly awaiting a referal to adopt a child. We have been looking for books that can assist us in talking to our child about his or her adoption. We purchased this book thinking it would foster discussions about our child's own adoption story. Although the book is layed out very well, and is written in a very simple language, we are returning it. It actually breaks our heart to do so because it us such an excellent book, but one page depeticts the birth of a child. It discussed a woman's uterus squeezing and pushing a baby out. There are drawings on the page of an actual birth. We do plan to discuss the facts of life with our children, but do not feel that it is neccessary for a pre school age child to see drawings of a baby actually being born. I have no problem using the proper words with a child and telling him that a child grows in a birth mother's uterus, not her tummy. But sharing with a child what the actual process of birth is like needs to be saved for when he (or she) is older.

I bought this book to help me introduce the concept of adoption to my 3 1/2 year old daughter. The story is absolutely perfect - the little girl in the story tells how she is adopted and asks the reader "were you adopted too?" My husband and I thought we found the perfect book until you get to a page which rather graphically depicts a baby coming out of a woman's womb. If you are ready to explain that to your child, it is the perfect adoption book to start with. We weren't, however, ready to go as far as explaining the uterus, and how the baby comes out, etc. It was disappointing because this book was so cute and many childern's adoption books out there feature sort of weird, outdated-looking illustrations. Both my husband and I felt that for the very young child, this book gives a little too much info.