Customer Reviews

When I Met You: A Story of Russian Adoption

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This really is a beautiful book - both in terms of text & pictures. The story is told from a mother to her daughter, so it is girl-specific -- but still, it's great to have a story specific to Russian adoption. The biggest part where the girlishness comes into play is when it refers to pink ballet slippers. But you could always just say "slippers" instead if you want the "You" to really be your own child & he is a boy. ;) The book begins...

"When I met you, you lived in Russia, a country far across the ocean.
Now, you live here, close to my heart.

When you met me, you lived with a gruppa of sixteen other children.
Now, you live in a house, with me and Daddy and Fizz the dog."

My only issue with the book comes at the end & this is just personal preference. The text reads:

"When you met me, your Russian mother had already said good-bye.
Now, I am your mother, and I will say hello to you every day of your life."

At least at this point (at my son's young age), I would prefer not to use the term "Russian mother" & to talk about her saying good-bye. (We just say her first name instead.) I bought the book anyway, deciding to come up with my own words for that page. The following page then says:

"You will always be Russia's child.
But now, you are also mine."

I am choosing to change this wording for our use too. I would rather that it said, "a child of Russia"... so that it sounds less posessive of him -- instead emphasizing that he does belong to us. This is all personal preference, of course. :)

Before this book came out the book that best captured the emotions of adopting our daughter was "I Love You Like Crazy Cakes". It's a beautiful book, but it's about adopting a child from China - not from Russia. Finally, we have our own book about Russian adoption that sums up the love I feel for my daughter in language simple enough for her to understand.

The thing I like best about this book is it serves as a jumping-off point for discussions about my daughter's past as well as for Russian culture. Since my daughter is only two, we don't have to get too complicated when we talk about her start in the orphanage, but I anticipate when she gets older we can use the book to get as in-depth as she needs us to be.

This is a must-buy for every adoptive parent of a Russian child.

My children love the beautiful illustrations and the touching story. The story is a wonderful tool for talking about the topic of adoption on a level that is appropriate for young children. I would recommend this book for any family that has adopted or for families who have friends who have adopted.

This book is a really simple, comforting story about a child's adoption from Russia. I really disagree with the reviewer who said it denigrates orphanages - it is very straightforward and factual, talking about differences in food, how children live in orphanages (with a gruppa) and how they sleep (in cribs lined up against the wall). It's opened up all kinds of conversations about what like was like for my son in his specific orphanage when we met him - and if she got more specific then we probably wouldn't be having that kind of conversation. It also allows for the parents to decide what to share, when. If the parent wants to paint a happy picture of the orphanage, emphasizing the positive, then she can. There's nothing in the book that passes judgement.


I'm so glad there's a book like this available for our kids!

It's wonderful that adopted children can hear stories like this one. "When I Met You" is from the American mother's perspective, comparing her adopted daughter's life in the Russian orphanage as a toddler, to her life as a child in an American family, as an older child. Adrienne Bashista is very respectful of the Russian heritage of the child, in fact I get the feeling that she wrote it so her own child would know something about his early experiences. This is a book from the heart, a loving gift to children adopted from Russia. Visually it's gorgeous - the artwork of Christine Sykes flows from page to page, evoking joy and love.

This is a sweet book, accurate story and beautiful pictures. Because of its price, its more of a save on a high shelf/grownup book than a child friendly one.

The collaborative work of author Adrienne Bashista and illustrator Christine Sykes, When I Met You: A Story Of Russian Adoption is a picturebook based on Bashista's own family experience in describing a little girl's life before and after she was adopted from Russia by an American family. From scenes in the Russian orphanage to the birth mother, When I Met You is a unique chronicle of the special background of abandoned or orphaned children adopted from Russia. Syke's 36 delicate watercolor artworks provides a superbly visual enhancement of a story that is as entertaining for young readers as it is informative and thoughtful. When I Met You is a welcome addition to school and community library picturebook collections, and especially recommended reading for children from families who are themselves adopted or who have adopted siblings.

A beautiful book that reads like a love story to an adopted child! The story contrasts life in the orphanage to the child's current life in a family, however what I took from this was that the family's life didn't start until the child entered it. I think any adopted child would appreciate this message. The Russian and English vocabulary of common words on the last few pages was a special treat at my house. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and felt that the illustrations were particularly lovely.

Adopted before he could walk, my grandson won't remember his Russian orphanage experience. He's now an all-American 3-year-old. But he's Russia's child too, as this book so beautifully reminds him, comparing his two lives, his two countries, and being part of a family vs. living in an orphanage. Bashista evokes both worlds, at a pre-school level, with affection and without prejudice. I also liked the Russian words sprinkled throughout and the gorgeous illustrations. This would also be a wonderful book for the slightly older child who is aware of his or her adoption, and wants the chance to talk about where he or she came from.

We anxiously waited for this book to come out. We've purchased many children's books that share adoption experiences, such as "Mulberry Bird," "Seeds of Love" and Jamie Lee Curtis's "Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born," but we were anxious to find something that talked about Russian adoption. This book does a beautiful job of that even though the author's story doesn't exactly match our son's adoption story. Our son, only a toddler, seems to love that he has something so special in common with the main character in the book. My favorite part talks about the adoptee being a child of Russia, but now being my child forever. Also, I love the way the American and Russian flags are worked in throughout the book.