Customer Reviews

Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born Book and Tape

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I first read this book years before we adopted, and even then it brought me to tears. We have several adopted family members in different generations and we adopted internationally. Even though I knew this wouldn't be exactly like our story, I couldn't wait to get this book for my son. Some issues other people mentioned:

1. This story isn't like mine/ours/our child's. This book is very clearly a domestic out-of-state (or at least out of town) adoption story. My response to this is "So?" If a biological parent had a book telling a similar story, it wouldn't match everyone else in the world's birth. It's still a wonderful way to both introduce the idea of adoption as well as talk about all the different ways people can become a family. Our son's bio mother wasn't "too young to care for" him, and we are able to "have a baby", but again, that's not the point of the book.

2. It glosses over the feelings of loss an adoptee has. Maybe it does, but should EVERY single book about adopting for little kids cover this? Since the book is being written about a newborn, what should Curtis add "Even though you were too young to understand, we know that someday you will feel a sense of loss of your biological families and there is nothing wrong with that and we will be sure you stay in touch with her if she chose an open adoption?" It's a book for little kids about Mommies and Daddies being happy to have a baby.

3. I am not sure what the person who was unhappy about the "B-word" (birth? biological? I can't remember) being used would have preferred. Terminology is a matter of personal prefernce for the most part, while we all agree "Real Mom" isn't the best, birth mom, bio mom, natural mom, whatever - we'll use the words our family feels most comfortable with. I thought it was a great way to include the birth parents in the family tree. Your "roots" grow where you're planted, not just where you came from.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is adopted, is an adoptive parent, or wants to talk to children about adoption.

Initially, I ordered this book for my niece who is just a little more than 2 years old. Adopted by my younger sister in Russia at 10 months, her arrival in our family has been a joyous occurrence. One of the things I love and most look forward to is giving her books, telling her stories, and maybe even writing a book *for her* some day. Meanwhile, Jamie Lee Curtis has created a joyful interlude from her own experience as an adoptive parent. This book oozes love and whimsy, and the illustrations by Laura Cornell are delightful to the eye, yet filled with amusing details which will keep them fresh through at least a million readings;) I can't wait to read this story to my niece...if I can bring myself to part with the book!

A previous reviewer (apparently an unhappy adoptee) spouted opinions full of anger and resentment, alluding to "Jamie Lee's obvious bias against birth mothers." I found that very sad. After all, this is a children's book, and IMHO, it was created as a means of expressing an adoptive parent's joy and love for this child, and told through the eyes of the child, it has a precious quality, reminding us how easy it is to teach a child to love and be loved. This book is a treasure, and while I think it's a special gift for any adopted child, it's warmth and whimsy will prove irresistible to anyone who reads it!

Tell Me Again: About the Night I Was Born is an account of that wished-for moment in every prospective adoptive parent's life: the phone call that brings them and their child together. Written in a sweet, easy language that a young child can understand, this book portrays both the magic and drama that accompany this momentous event. I've read the book a mere two weeks before our own call came and read it again upon returning home with our new son. I found so many similarities between the book and our own experience it brought tears to my eyes. It's a book I would love to share with my son when he is a little older. Any adopted child who has ever wondered "How did I come to be with you?" will be enriched by the magic this book conveys. The accompanying illustrations are vivd and happy, enriching the text and adding to the festive atmosphere. This book is all about love, and the message comes through loud and clear

Being adopted into a family with a birth child, and having done the adoption routine I think this is a great book, and would recommend it. And I think Ms Cornell and Ms Curtis are a great team when it comes to childrens books. It's nice to see words and illustrations mesh so well. I would write more but other reviewers have said pretty much what I would have said.

This is a happy book that is beautifully, colorfully, and imaginiatively illustrated. It tells the story of what seems mostly like a domestic adoption very nicely. Some of the humor of the book is geared toward adults more than the children that it would be read to. I am a single mom of more than one child, so I will say that the book portrays the adoption of a child into a family consisting of a mom and dad and no other siblings are mentioned. However, my children enjoy this book a lot and I always appreciate any story that helps tell about different kinds of families and the way they are formed. This book does that well and I would recommend it.

When I first read this book, I was moved by the eloquence of Curtis's writing--she certainly has a knack for creating the voice of a small child. I, too, am an adoptee, and while my story is very different from the one presented here, I could relate to Curtis's message of love and belonging. I did not feel that it was necessary for Curtis to speak of the birth parents in this book (as other reviewers have mentioned), as her goal was to help adoptees adjust to their new homes and families, and to let them know that they are special. Including information about the pain of the birthparents in giving up the child would most likely be upsetting for the child, who could already be in a fragile state. That is a topic that should be reserved for the parents to discuss with the child--and this book could be the perfect "discussion starter." While the book does not mention birth fathers either, surely it is not up to Curtis to include every aspect of adoption in one book meant for young children, so that should hopefully encourage other writers to step forward with more stories about adoption.

Being a birthmother I am always on the lookout for books for my birthdaughter. I found this one about a year ago. I picked it up on accident. I keep it here at my house so when my birthdaughter comes over to spend time, she and I can sit down and read it together. I also did buy a copy for her amom so that they could sit down and read it. With her being 6 years old, it is really a nice conversation starter. Some of the events in the book were not applicable in our case, as there was no plane ride to bring her home, but she loves it all the same. The book is simple, easy to read and gives just enough information for the toddler set, and then as the child gets older it is a great kick off to more indepth conversation. I think it really answers the questions that toddlers have about their adoption, and give apars simple language to put it in. I enjoy reading the book with my younger daughter who is 3 and replace some of the words so it refers to my bdaughter and helps me explain to my 3 year old a little about the situation surrounding the adoption.

The only real part that is bothersome is the portrayal of the birthparents. It only mentioned the birthmother and not the bdad. And the wording about the bmom being too young is really kind of insulting and a generalization that all birthmothers are young. In my case I was only 16, but I have known bmoms up to 30 years old. Overall the book is wonderful, and I really would suggest it to anyone in the adoption triad who has young children. It is a great conversation starter.

This book includes so much about the adoption story, yet it is simple enough for young children to understand. The illustrations are great fun for the parents and will keep this book as one of your child's favorites as they grow older and can understand the humor. No adoption story is going to echo your exact experience, but it is important that your child understand that there are as many different adoption stories as there are people in the world. We adopted our daughter through domestic adoption, but I am sure to read my daughter stories about international adoptions, too. Only reading to her about domestic adoptions would be like telling her the only country that exists in the world in the United States. The common thread here is adoption.

I think this is a great choice for biological families as well. It introduces children to the idea of adoption and the diversity of the ways families are made.

For nearly 4 years, I've been unable to get through the line: "Tell me again how something so small could make you smile so big"... so my daughter finishes it for me... and that reassuring moment speaks volumes from my heart to hers.

My daughter was 3 1/2 when we completed the adoption, and no book could re-create our situation, or the unique circumstances of her adoption.. and I believe everyone's adoption is somewhat different. So, this book expresses the feelings we share for our adopted children, and they with us, does it not?