We Belong Together: A Book About Adoption and Families (Hardcover)

by Todd Parr (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Popular author-illustrator Parr illustrates the rewards of family ties in this heartfelt, supportive book geared toward adopted children and their parents. In each double-page spread, Parr completes the phrase "We belong together because . . ." with poignant explanations that touch upon basic, tangible needs ("You needed a home . . . and I had one to share") as well as emotional ones: "You needed someone to say 'I love you' . . . and we had love to give. Now we all have someone to kiss goodnight." As in Parr's The Family Book (2003), cheerful, friendly artwork, with thickly outlined forms and characters and a bold rainbow palette, inclusively depicts an array of children and families—including one with a single parent and one with two dads—and emphasizes the rewards of adoption for adults and children alike. Apart from the subtitle, the text never uses the word adoption nor refers to the adoption process, keeping the focus squarely on the universal joys of sharing hearth and heart. Rosenfeld, Shelle

Product Description
In a kid-friendly, accessible way, this book explores the ways that people can choose to come together to make a family. It's about sharing your home and sharing your heart to make a family that belongs together.


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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers; Library Binding edition (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316016683
• ISBN-13: 978-0316016681
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,811 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #6 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( P ) > Parr, Todd
  #8 in	Books > Children's Books > Issues > Adoption > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Todd--not what I was expecting..., November 24, 2007

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

Dear Todd,

I love your books. I love the simplicity, those good-enough-to-eat illustrations, the organic diversity and your good neighbor values.

It breaks my heart to say I was disappointed with " We Belong Together: A Book About Adoption and Families". The books's theme is that the child " needs " something. " A home, someone to help you grow healthy...a friend...someone to say I love you..."and then the parent fulfills all these needs. A perfect match?

My experience as a parent, an adoptive parent, is very different.It is a two way street with my little one and a very reciprocal relationship. Thank god we had the opportunity to adopt.

I know you are also a parent and understand what I am saying. Adoption doesn't change any of this. Maybe you could changes a few pages when you go back to print. (not too bossy huh?)

This book could work as-is with an older foster child who has experienced trauma and waits for a family. That child knows that they 'need' a home and all that goes with it.

Meanwhile, I continue reading " The Family Book" to my little girl and recommend it to all the adoptive & foster families I work with. I look forward to adding more of your books to our collection.

Take Care,
Beth O'Malley
adoptee & adoptive mom & social worker

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Wrong message, November 26, 2007

By	Reader - See all my reviews

As an adoptive parent, I wouldn't buy this book or read it to my daughter who was adopted. I agree with the reviewer who is also an adoptive parent that the message doesn't describe the heart of adoption. We didn't adopt our daughter because she needed a home - we adopted her because we wanted to have a big family and we are honored to be her parents. If you know any adopted children, putting them in the role of victim just doesn't ring true. The author must not have experience with adoption.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a good message, December 12, 2007

By	A mom (California) - See all my reviews

Someone bought this book for us and when I read it to my daughter I was glad she was too young to understand. The message is that we belong together because she needed things and we had them. We don't want her to grow up thinking that we did her a favor or she was a charity case. We wanted a child and this was how we chose to build our family. That's it. We had plenty of needs that she filled too.