A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza (ages 2-5) – Choco wishes he had a mother, but who could she be? He sets off to find her, asking all kinds of animals, but he doesn’t meet anyone who looks just like him. Kasza’s twist on the “Are you my mother?” theme has become one of the most highly recommended children’s stories about adoption. This has long been a favorite for many families for the way it addresses adoption and transracial adoption. 

It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr (ages 4-6) – Parr uses his signature artistic style to tell kids (and adults) that it’s okay to be different. He addresses physical differences, disabilities, race, different family types and uses a picture of a kangaroo with a dog in its pouch to tell kids it’s okay to be adopted. A good introduction to multiculturalism and diversity, whether or not it focuses on adoption.

The Love Tree by Katie Biron (ages 3-8) — Family trees can be problematic for adoptees and kids in foster care.  In response, author, illustrator, and adoptive and foster mom Katie Biron wrote “The Love Tree.”  This charming book follows the story of Little Mouse, who comes home from school and tries to complete a difficult school assignment–creating a family tree. After a few tears of confusion and frustration, his adoptive mom, Mother Fox, explains that every family is different.  Together, they create a “Love Tree,” including all those who love Little Mouse, such as birth parents, adoptive parents, siblings, and even neighbors.  “The Love Tree” gives all kids a beautiful way to showcase their unique families proudly!

A Mama for Owen by Marion Dane Bauer (ages 2-8) – Owen the baby hippo and his mama were best friends. They loved to play hide-and-seek on the banks of the Sabaki River in Africa. That was all before the tsunami came and washed Owen’s world away. But after the rain stops, Owen befriends Mzee, a 130-year old giant tortoise. He plays with him, snuggles with him, and decides he just might turn out to be his best friend and a brand-new mama. This beautifully illustrated book is based on the true story of a baby hippo orphaned by the tsunami of 2004.

My Family Is Forever by Nancy Carlson (ages 3-5) – Some families look alike, some don’t. Some families are formed through birth, and some families are formed by adoption. But as the little girl in this heartwarming book makes clear, being a family isn’t about who you look like or where you were born—it’s about the love that binds you together. A charming introduction to adoption for younger children.

Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis (ages 4-8) – In asking her parents to tell her again about the night of her birth, a young girl relives the cherished tale she knows by heart. Focused on the significance of family and love, this a unique and beautiful story about adoption and the importance of a loving family. Both witty and open, the story addresses the logistics of adoption and the emotions of the family involved.

A Piglet Named Mercy by Kate DiCamillo (ages 3-7) – Mr. Watson and Mrs. Watson live ordinary lives. Sometimes their lives feel a bit too ordinary. Sometimes they wish something different would happen. And one day it does, when someone unpredictable finds her way to their front door. In a delightful origin story for the star of the classic Mercy Watson children’s series, this is a delightful look at how nontraditional families are created and bound together with love.

Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman (ages 4-8) – The Bunny family has adopted a wolf son. But daughter Dot is the only one who realizes Wolfie can — and might — eat them all up! Dot tries to get through to her parents, but they are too smitten to listen. She soon learns, however, that adding to her family isn’t so bad, and having a sibling can even be kind of fun! This delightful picture book looks at adoption from an older sibling’s point of view. It’s a perfect way to start a discussion about a newly adopted sibling. The dry humor will make it a favorite of both kids and parents.

My New Mom & Me by Renata Galindo (ages 3-7) – This is a beautifully illustrated story of a small puppy who is adopted by a cat. This gentle picture book is a calm look at adoption and joining families when all the newness is overwhelming and scary. The adopted child (a golden dog) and mother (an orange cat with brown stripes) are a good segue into how adoptive family members don’t necessarily look alike, especially in transracial adoption.

I’ve Loved You Since Forever by Hoda Kotb (ages 4-8) – A sweet story book celebrating how a parent’s love for their child. In lullaby-like verse, Kotb suggests that a mother’s love doesn’t begin when she meets her child for the first time, but that it has always been there, waiting for that child’s arrival: “I’ve loved you since forever. Before birds flew over rainbows and monkeys swung on trees, there was you… and there was me.” While it doesn’t address adoption directly, Kotb wrote it after adopting a daughter. The idea that parent and child shared a connection before birth might have special meaning for adoptive families.

Pablo’s Tree by Pat Mora (ages 3-8) – A much older story than some of our other suggestions, this book still has much to offer adoptive families. When Pablo was adopted, his grandfather planted a special tree in his honor. Now, every year on Pablo’s birthday, his grandfather picks something different with which to decorate the tree -streamers, colored balloons, paper lanterns, tiny birdcages. This is a delightful intergenerational story about creating special family traditions. It also features a Latino family and a single mother, which is a nice contrast to white, two-parent families often seen in adoption books.

And That’s Why She’s My Mama by Tiarra Nazario (ages 2-8) – This tender story celebrates diversity not only in family appearance, but in family size. It lets kids know that moms are wonderful, no matter what they look like or who they are, because moms take care of you no matter what. It’s not specifically about adoption, but it is about nontraditional families, and includes families formed through adoption and foster care.

A Family Is a Family Is a Family by Sara O’Leary (ages 4-8) – A heartwarming and whimsical story about accepting all types of family. The story starts with a kindergarten teacher asking her students to think about what makes their family special. It’s a nerve-wracking assignment for a young girl in foster care who worries that her family is too different from her classmates. However, she soon learns that all her classmates’ families are different. One is raised by a grandmother, and another has two dads. One is full of step-siblings, and another has a new baby. As her classmates describe who they live with and who loves them, the girl realizes that as long as her family is full of caring people, her family is special. A wonderful introduction to the idea that families might look different from their own. And reassuring to adopted and foster children that there’s nothing wrong with their family looking different from others.

The Family Book by Todd Parr (ages 3-6) – It’s become a classic for families with young children and falls into the all important “all families are different, but still a family” category. Whether you have two moms or two dads, a big family or a small family, a clean family or a messy one, Todd Parr assures young children that no matter what kind of family you have, every family is special in its own unique way. An excellent introduction to the many ways families can be created.

We Belong Together: A Book about Adoption and Families by Todd Parr (ages 3-6) – Another Parr classic, more specifically about adoption for young kids. In a kid-friendly, accessible way, this book explores how people can choose to come together to make a family by showing one perspective on the adoption experience. With an understanding of how personal and unique each adoption is, and that not everyone comes to it in the same way, Todd Parr’s colorful art explores the meaning of family.

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson (ages 2-5) – At the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo, two penguins named Roy and Silo were a little bit different from the others. But their desire for a family was the same. And with the help of a kindly zookeeper, Roy and Silo got the chance to welcome a baby penguin of their very own. Based on the true story of two male penguins who adopted an egg and raised the chick, this is a classic story about adoption and nontraditional families.

I Wished for You: An Adoption Story by Marianne Richmond (ages 2-5) – “Mama,” said Barley. “Tell me again how I’m your wish come true.” Thus begins this beautiful story for adoptive families. I Wished for You is a conversation between a little bear named Barley and his Mama as they curl up in their favorite cuddle spot and talk about how they became a family. Barley asks Mama the kinds of questions many adopted children have, and Mama lovingly answers them all. A great way to introduce adoption to a young child.

Let’s Talk About It: Adoption by Fred Rogers (ages 4-8) – An oldie but a goodie. You can always count on Mr. Rogers, who had an adopted brother, to deliver a sensitive and calming introduction to any topic. This book opens the door for adopted children and their parents to safely talk about their good and sometimes not-so-good feelings in a book about the joy of belonging and the love that unites families. It applies to all forms of adoption. Dated and can be difficult to get a copy, but a wonderfully supportive text.

Home at Last by Vera B. Williams (ages 4-8) – After Lester is adopted by Daddy Albert and Daddy Rich, he develops a big problem — he can’t fall asleep. Night after night he creeps into his parents’ room and attempts to crawl in between his two daddies, confident that if he’s with them and their dog, Wincka, nothing bad will happen to him ever again. But no matter how happy Lester seems during the day, he still gets scared and worried at night! Appropriate for foster care or older child adoption, Home at Last touches on the range of emotions Lester feels as he learns to trust his new parents.

You’re All My Favorites by Sam McBratney (ages 2-5) – Three little bear cubs are worried that Mommy and Daddy Bear might not have enough love for all three of them, or that one cub will be loved more than the others. Every night at bedtime, Mommy and Daddy Bear reassure their cubs that they are the most loved, most cherished bears in the world. A sweet tender story of acknowledging feelings of worry and anxiety many siblings feel in a family. It could be very useful to open a conversation about adding a sibling by adoption, to reassure resident children that their parents will have room to love all the children.

I Love You All the Same by Donna Keith (ages 0-4) – A rhyming story for the littlest ones. This is the story of three bear siblings who are very different from each other. They don’t look alike, sound the same, even eat the same foods. If they are all part of the same family, how could they all be so very different? Mama Bear and Papa Bear gently and kindly reassure the cubs that they are all loved the same, no matter how different they are. This story has an overtly faith-based message so might not fit your family.

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Anyone? by Kimberly Purnell Moody (ages 2-8) – This is an excellent conversation starter with younger children or early readers to introduce topics of adoption. The story of Bri and Summer discovering how special they are to their families will draw your little ones in. There is an interactive element included so readers can work through their own feelings about adoption through journaling and drawing.

What I Do Know by Lori Schlecht (ages 4-8) – Almost poetic, the rhythm of this book and it’s “I do know” and “I don’t know” create a weaving tale of diverse families, how families are formed and the love between parents and children in all the different kinds of families out there. The illustrations lend to the rhythm and flow of the story line.

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst (ages 3-7) — A picture book in which a mother tells her two children that we are all connected by an invisible string–an invisible string of love. “The Invisible String” is the perfect tool for coping with all kinds of separation anxiety, loss, and grief. It delivers the message that though we may be separated from the ones we care for, love is the unending connection that binds us all.  Available in Spanish, with other titles by the same author, including a workbook of therapeutic activities and a story dealing with the loss of a pet. Ages 3-7.