Customer Reviews

The Red Thread: An Adoption Fairy Tale

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Basing her warm story on an ancient Chinese belief that "an invisible, unbreakable red thread connects all those who are destined to be together," Grace Lin has fashioned a tender tale that will hold special appeal for adopted children and adoptive parents.

At the center of her story are a king and queen who rule an incredible kingdom where there is never any famine or drought. They're beloved by their subjects, still they feel something is missing in their lives.

Soon both of them feel pain in their hearts, pain that worsens with each day. Finally, a peddler arrives with spectacles that allows them to see that a red thread is tugging at each of their hearts. They're unable to cut the thread to ease their pain, so their only choice is to follow it.

They never dreamed how far they would have to go or how difficult their journey would be. They wondered, "Was it a ferocious beast or a cruel magician? What would they do when they met whatever was on the other end?"

All will be touched by what the king and queen discover; many may have felt the same joy.

- Gail Cooke

I'm a children's therapist and bought a number of books on foster care and adoption - this one was the biggest hit. I find that kids relate more to metaphorical stories rather than the didactic ones.

I am a mother of a 4 year old boy adopted through the foster care system at two years. We have read many books about adoption together. Very few books relate to his story and he's never "loved" any of them. This story is beautifully writen and poetic. The visual of the red thread was so powerful that we talk about "our threads" now. While this book is about a girl adopted from China, it is a fairytale with Kings and Queens and captures attention from the begining of the story. It also touches the one thing that most books miss; the parents and child are meant to be together regardless of how. The look on my son's face when I explained how I felt before and after we found each other, was priceless. By the way, this is the first book I've ever felt the need to review.

My daughter Gracie joined us from China when she was ten months old, and she is now 4. Her favorite author is Grace Lin, she loves all of her books and her decorative swirls! The first night we read this, Gracie asked me to read it five times. The beautiful story is lyrically told in classic fairy tale fashion. Not at all heavy-handed like some adoption stories tend to be, but subtle and metaphorical. Gracie was very moved by the part where sharp rocks poke through the King and Queen's shoes, their clothes rip, and it snows, but still they go on. This book and "A Mother for Choco" are our two favorite adoption stories, probably because both focus on the feelings of love involved in adoption rather than more mundane matters. A true find!

This is a beautiful simple tale of two people who are lucky and know they have a lot but feel an emptiness inside. The red thread, a lovely symbol of one's heart, love, and yearning, connect them to their baby. Their dream is realized and they live happily ever after. A great book to introduce the subject of adoption to 2-9 year olds.

We have borrowed this book from the library. After several readings, my daughter - who is adopted from China, asked me to buy her a copy. She loved it.

Like one of the other reviewers, we first found this book at the library. My daughter loved it so much that we checked it out twice, and now it's time to buy it. As a parent, I especially like the framing story of the parents telling the daughter the transparently allegorical fairy tale, and it was obvious from the first reading that my daughter identified with both the girl who's hearing the story and the baby who gets adopted by the "king and queen."

There aren't many kids' books that can moisten this crusty old dad's eyes, but this one did as it brought back memories of waiting for, and then finally meeting our amazing daughter. Reading this story to her now is a wonderful privilege (as is listening to her read it to me), and I highly recommend it for any family touched by adoption--or better, for any family at all.

This is the best adoption children's book I have yet found. I agree with the quibbles that it focusses too much on the parent's story, rather than the child's. And yet this is part of the story. I wanted and needed to know my parent's story as a child, regardless of my situation. It is part of a child's roots. And this book does an excellent job at what it does. What it doesn't do is tell an adopted child's story from the child's perspective. Unfortunately, I have not yet seen a The Red Thread from the Baby's Perspective book. I wish they would write that one and do as well on it. As for the the quibbles that the whole idea of adoption being fate isn't something we should teach our children, I simply don't agree. I am not saying that we should teach our children that their lives are controlled by some great fate that they can do nothing about or that God wanted their birth parent's to suffer and blablabla... I am saying that those conversations happen when children are older than preschool age and should be more complex than, "We were fated to be together." But at preschool age a child needs the security and sense of entitlement to family that this book gives. It makes a good stab at providing adopted children with the sense of family belonging and "tribe" that was a such a comfort and saving grace to me as a child.

A Wonderful Story!!! We have read this book many times since it was given as a Christmas gift. A must for a Chinese adoption family.

My 4 year old granddaughter was adopted from China @ the age of one. This is a great story to share with her. It is a beautiful story and really demonstrates the desire and love the adopting parents feel for these wonderful children.