Over the Moon: An Adoption Tale [Hardcover]

Karen Katz (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

"Your baby has been born! She is wonderful. Come quickly and get her."

This is a magical, reassuring story of one adoptive family's beginnings, told in words and pictures that are just right for the youngest child--an ideal story to share with families everywhere.

A long-awaited baby is born, and the adoptive parents who have been dreaming of her fly far, far away to bring her home.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

W called this story of a couple who take an airplane trip to adopt a baby girl "an ebullient tribute for families whose members may have come from a faraway place." Ages 2-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1. Bright, fanciful folk-art illustrations set the mood for (but occasionally get in the way of) this loving story of adoption. The smoothly flowing text is reassuring throughout, reflecting the joy of the new parents and ending with the "forever and always" that is the promise of adoption. The foster parents ("the kind people who had taken care of her") are pictured. The first day includes the first telling of the adoption story to the baby girl, "You grew like a flower in another lady's tummy." However, the first couple of illustrations are problematic. On the first spread, a baby is shown alone on a hillside sitting on a beanbag cloud with a city in the distance. The text states: "Once upon a time a teeny-tiny baby was born." Babies aren't born alone on hillsides, and even though this one is smiling, the picture doesn't seem reassuring. Adopted children need to know that they were born like other children, and did not appear magically without human connection. Also, though the text realistically recounts the new parents' first-day nervousness, the baby is pictured as smiling throughout instead of showing a range of reactions to different activities and situations.?Nancy Schimmel, formerly at San Mateo County Library, CA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 28 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (September 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805050132
• ISBN-13: 978-0805050134
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Adoption

More About the Author

Check out my newest book WIGGLE YOUR TOES! A Book to pull,fluff, and wiggle!

I have always been interested in folk art from around the world, Indian miniatures, Mexican ceramics, fabrics, Chagall, Matisse, children's art, and primitive painting, and I love to paint and experiment with pattern, texture, collage and color. The careers I've had--as a costume designer, a quilt maker, a fabric artist, and a graphic designer--have taken all these interests into account. Looking back, I can see that these passions and career choices have played a large part in influencing me to become a children's book author and illustrator.

But most importantly, it was after my husband and I adopted our daughter from Guatemala that I was inspired to do a children's book for her. My first book, Over the Moon, was the story of that magical experience of welcoming our daughter Lena into our lives. I painted, I drew, I collaged, and I wrote, and after working very hard... a beautiful book was born! Twenty-two books later, my daughter--now fourteen years old--still is an inspiration for me.

I am fascinated by babies and little kids. The simplest words and gestures can make them laugh. Sometimes standing in line at the supermarket and watching kids in grocery carts, my best ideas are born.

I am fascinated by people from all over the world and what they look like and how they live and the differences that make us all unique.

When an idea pops into my head I ask these questions:
Will a child want to read this book?
Will a parent want to read this book with their child?
Will this book make a parent and child feel something?
Is there something visual here that will hold a child's interest?
Will a child see something in a different way after reading this book?
If the answer is yes, then I know I'm on the right track.

I am very lucky to get to do what I do. Everyday I go into my studio and have fun. Don't get me wrong, some days are very frustrating. Sometimes the colors are all wrong and the words don't sound right. But after I work at it for a while...and try to do it a different way...and think...and change the words or colors...and try some more...suddenly, there it is--a great page of writing, or a great illustration. And nothing is more satisfying than that.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this Book, November 18, 2002

By 

changshamom (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Over the Moon: An Adoption Tale (Hardcover)

This is about the best book we have that deals with how we became a family - hands down! Our daughter was born in China as is our Number #2 daughter who we are expecting any day now. I found alot of the "classics" in the "how we became a family" to be not my cup of tea or piece of crazy cake, as it were."Over the Moon" approaches the "how you were born" subject so beautifully that we felt comfortable reading it to our 3 year old (over and over and over........) and would have felt comfortable reading it to her 2 years ago! A very gentle, happy, gorgeous book!

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Adoption Story, December 27, 1999

By 

elizabeth beller - See all my reviews

This review is from: Over the Moon: An Adoption Tale (Hardcover)

Over the Moon is a vibrantly illustrated and beautifully written tale about international adoption. My five year old son asks for me to read it to him frequently. The author took care to use positive adoption language throughout the book, i.e. "You grew like a flower in another lady's tummy until you were born. But the lady wasn't able to take care of you, so Mommy and Daddy came to adopt you and bring you home." This is an appropriate reference to the adoption triad. The book describes a South American adoption but easily translates to our Korean adoption since we traveled to Korea to bring home our son. I also enjoyed the author's description of the extended family and community's enthusiasim over the arrival of this special baby. Over the Moon is a heart warming book your child will ask for again and again.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book!, April 24, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Over the Moon: An Adoption Tale (Hardcover)

As the mother of a 3-year old adopted from China, I've bought quite a few adoption-related children's books, and I like many of them. But this one I love! Although it's not directly tied to Chinese adoptions, the story is similar to ours (we're a 2-parent family; we adopted a baby; we traveled to get her). The illustrations are lovely and the story captures the happy anticipation we felt as we waited for our child. Most importantly, the author gave me words to use in explaining my daughter's birth to her: "You grew like a flower in another lady's tummy until you were born. The lady couldn't take care of you so Mommy and Daddy came to adopt you and bring you home." I just love those 2 sentences and feel grateful to have them. And my daughter asks me to read this book just about every day!