9 of The Best Adoption Books

Many adoptive parents understand how important it is to talk to their children about their adoption story and identity. But, no matter how much preparation they do, some adoptive parents wonder how to talk to their child about adoption in a way that they can understand.

One of the best ways to discuss adoption with your child is through adoption books. Depending on your child’s age, there are a wide variety of adoption books out there that can help you start the conversation.  Below, we’ve compiled nine of the best adoption books you can read to your child along with some adult-friendly books to help you discuss and learn more about adoption.

If you’re interested in learning about the adoption process, then you can fill out this contact form to get more free information now.

9 of the Best Adoption Books for You And Your Child

It’s never too early to talk about adoption with your child. And it’s never too late to learn more about it yourself. If you’re struggling to find the right, then here are nine of our favorite books about adoption for kids, adults and adoptees.

For Kids

When it comes to explaining adoption to your child, one of the best ways to begin incorporating adoption into their life is by reading them adoption books for kids. These books offer a wide range of perspectives on adoption and are sure to spark conversations between you and your child.

1. Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born – Jamie Lee Curtis

Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born shows a young girl asking her parents to tell her again about the night of her birth, something she knows by heart. Focusing on the importance of family and love, this unique and beautiful children’s book about adoption is a great way to incorporate adoption into your child’s life.

2. The Mulberry Bird: An Adoption Story – Anne Braff Brodzinsky

The Mulberry Bird details a mother bird looking after her baby bird in a forest when a huge storm hits their nest. As much as she tried, the mother bird just can’t give the baby bird the protection he needs. She’s faced with a choice: struggle on her own or give her baby bird to another family that can look after him.

Common adoption issues are discussed in this book, such as the enduring force of a birth parent’s love and post-placement contact. This children’s book on adoption is a timeless tale of sacrifice, wisdom and love.

3. We Belong Together: A Book About Adoption and Families – Todd Parr

This kid-friendly adoption children’s book explores the ways people come together to make a family by showing a different perspective on adoption. We Belong Together is about sharing your home and heart to create a family that is meant to be together. This colorful book explores the meaning of family and details how personal and unique each adoption journey is.

For Adults

These books on adoption are meant to help you understand some of the emotional and mental aspects that come from choosing this path. Whether you’re thinking about adopting or if you’ve already adopted a child, then here are some of our favorite adult books about adoption.

1. All You Can Ever Know – Nicole Chung

Nicole Chung’s riveting memoir details her experience of being raised by a white family in a sheltered town in Oregon. From early childhood, Chung believed that her birth parents had made the ultimate sacrifice with the hope of giving her a better life. But, as she grew up facing prejudice her adoptive family couldn’t see, she wondered if she was told the whole truth.

All You Can Ever Know is a profound and moving memoir with surprising connections. It’s a great way to gain perspective on an adoptee’s experience.

2. The Connected Child – Dr. Karyn Purvis, Dr. David Cross, Wendy Lyons Sunshine

Some adoptees have experienced early childhood drama. Most often than not, adoptive families need different strategies to form attachment and encourage healing in their children.

The Connected Child explains how you can connect with your child. It has helped thousands of children heal and find their confidence. Backed by neuroscience but written for the everyday parent, this adoption book is a great resource for anyone parenting or caring for children who come home through adoption.

3. Far From the Tree – Robin Benway

This adoption book is a fictional tale of an adoptee who becomes a birth mother and the journey she takes to discover her identity along the way. When you’re reading fictional adoption books, sometimes they’re dramatized and play into stereotypes. But, Far from the Tree intelligently deals with questions about family and identity.

For Adoptees

It can be difficult to understand the feelings and emotions your child may be experiencing. There are many books out there that can help you understand adoption from an adoptee’s perspective. Below are some of our favorite books about being adopted.

1. Akin to the Truth: A Memoir of Adoption and Identity – Paige Adams Strickland

 Adoptee Paige Adams Strickland details her experience with the aftermath of her closed adoption. This adoption book focuses on how she longed to know more about her adoption, but her parents just wanted to focus more on being a typical family.

In this memoir, Paige tells stories from the perspective of a child and adolescent, growing up with a closely guarded secret. Akin to the Truth is a tale of family joys and hardships, friendships, falling in love and the need to belong.

2. Two Hearts: An Adoptee’s Journey Through Grief to Gratitude – Linda Hoye

Two Hearts is the story of adoptee Linda Hoye, who found herself navigating grief and loss when her adoptive parents passed. Adopted at five months, her heritage, medical history and access to information about who she was or where she came from was sealed.

This adoption book details a complex series of relationships that stems from Hoye’s adoptive family, her maternal and paternal birth families and an abusive marriage. Each gives insight on an adoptee’s experience dealing with the aftermath of adoption.

3. Birthright: The Guide to Search and Reunion for Adoptees, Birthparents, and Adoptive Parents – Jean A.S. Strauss, Clarissa Pinkola Estes

In 1983, adoptee Jean A.S. Strauss began the search for her birth mother, and she shares her experience in this book. In this adoption book, Strauss maps out a step-by-step journey to empower and support adoptees on their search for their birth parents. Birthright will help you navigate the moment when your child wants to reunite with their birth parents.

If you’re interested in reading more about adoption, then check out this article for more books about adoption.  

These adoption books are a great way to incorporate adoption into your child’s life and are a way for you to learn more about adoption from different perspectives.  If you’re interested in learning about how to begin the domestic adoption process, then you can fill out this contact form get more free information now. 

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