Lucy's Feet [Hardcover]

Stephanie Stein (Author), Kathryn A. Imler (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

Eight-year-old Lucy is suddenly hit uncomfortably with the meaning of her having been adopted by her parents, while her new baby brother was born to them.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- Young Lucy, eight, picks the lint from between her toes just as her mother does, but has red hair unlike anyone else in the family. Lucy is adopted, and it's questionable as to whether she had much previous knowledge of this situation, in spite of her age. She is bothered by the thought that her younger brother ``grew inside'' her mother while she did not, and she expresses her anger by kicking others. Her mother assures the child that the love she felt while waiting for her grew within her heart. While Stein does show some of the emotional turmoil of an adoptee, her focal point, feet, trivializes the theme and diffuses the impact. The real point of the story is unclear for too long. Line drawings in red and black illustrate the text; most are captioned, which tends to limit each picture to a single idea. This book will have limited appeal for a small audience. --Martha Topol, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, MI
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 1 pages
• Publisher: Perspectives Pr (June 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0944934056
• ISBN-13: 978-0944934050
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,546,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To love Lucy's Feet, you don't need adoption in your life, August 6, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Lucy's Feet (Hardcover)

This is a great book! The pictures and words tell an appealing story that has many levels of meaning, metaphor. My 9 1/2 year old, who is hesitant verbally, and especially so regarding her personal issues, just loved this book. The cover and title caught her eye and she curled up with it right when she handled the slim volume. And she never said a thing about having read it for several days. And, then, a propos of nothing--just like a 9 yr old!-- she initiated a long "deep" very expressive dialog which Lucy's Feet clearly had stirred in her. The meaning of a "real" family. How adopted children are matched to their real families (the ones that they know, not their genetic link). She loved looking at Lucy and noting similarities with herself. She loved Lucy's family and how it is similar (and dissimilar) to her own. If you like this age group, you'll love this book because they will love it

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is Adoption Bizarre?, February 16, 2001

By 

Beth O'Malley "Adoptee & 'Older Adoptive Mom'" (Winthrop, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lucy's Feet (Hardcover)

Lucy's Feet is one of the few books which goes beyond " adoption day." It captures the subtle attachment rituals which are created over time in an adopted family. I should know. I was adopted at age 5 months. I was surprised to hear anyone describe this book as " bizarre". Lucy's Feet is adorable and " real".

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When sibling fights will stop, March 17, 2002

By 

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

This review is from: Lucy's Feet (Hardcover)

Every family with more than one child experiences sibling rivalry.

It's not always the same, however, when one child was adopted and another was born into the family. Sure, you still have the usual "he said," "no, she said" fights, spats over ownership of toys and games--and who gets first dibs on the sofa to read their favorite book.

But this book addresses the special kind of rivalry that arises between a child who looks like her parents and one who is shorter, more plump and has different hair. The second will one day say, "You love her more, because she came from your tummy."

Parents don't, of course, love biological children more than their adopted children. But kids need to hear that--over and over and over again.

This book helps get the message across. Lots of things happen in the story, and I won't give them away.

But this nugget is what your adopted child wants to hear: "I carried you around in my heart for a very long time," Lucy's mom assures her. "And while I waited, I thought...about how it would be when I held you close,...the songs we would sing and the places we would go. Then my heart would start beating very fast, and I would think, 'Now that's my baby kicking...away at my heart'."

When both children understand, that's when the fighting will stop. Alyssa A. Lappen