I just got this book and it is really great!A gentle, sensitive story of international adoption told through the eyes of a Chinese-American adopted girl named Ada Lorane Bennett. She explains how she came to have several names, the first was from her birth mother and is buried deep in her heart, another she received at the orphanage, and the third came from her adoptive parents. In telling her story, readers learn about Ada's life in America, her likes and dislikes, and a few facts about her homeland. However, it is the child's present life in the States and her love for her adoptive parents that is emphasized. A few Chinese words are introduced and explained within the context of the story. The book concludes with pages from Ada's scrapbook. Consisting of pictures and thoughts, they reveal what is important to her, such as family, friends, pets, as well as facts about Chinese culture. The theme of family should interest all children, but adopted youngsters will relate to Ada's feelings as she considers her past as well as present circumstances. Simple, lyrical text enhances the quiet tone of the story. Soft and delicate, the realistic illustrations capture the mood of the story and reveal Ada's thoughts about who she is and where she came from. The warmth and simplicity of this story, plus the positive message on adoption, should appeal to everyone. Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover You can get it here.
2 comments:
Where do you find all this stuff? You have the coolest blog out there!!! That book sounds wonderful!
Hi there,
I'm so glad that you found this book. We have read it over and over at our house.
Though I must admit the first few times my husband and I read it to our daughter we had a very hard time getting through it. Our daughter wants to create a scrapbook of her favorite things just like the character Ada.
We love any books illustrated and/or written by Grace Lin as well. One of her newest books "The Red Thread" is a fairy tale style book about a king and a queen who must travel near and far to find where their red thread leads them and of course it leads them to little girl in China.
If you want a great book about Chinese adoption from an adoptive parent's perspective I highly recommend "China Ghosts" by Jeff Gammage. He writes columns for a Philadelphia newspaper. We kept multiple copies of his article "Bringing Home Jin Yiu" on hand for family and friends to help them understand some of the complexity of the Chinese adoption experience.
Here is a link to the online article: http://www.masonefamily.com/china/story.html
If you want a better understanding of China's more recent history from the Chinese American perspective I also recommend "Chasing Hepburn" by Gus Lee. Based on the story of the author’s Chinese parents the title is a reference to their favorite American movie actress. This book covers a lot of history within a few generations. To the ultimately fortunate destiny of his mother's unsuccessful foot-binding in 1909 to major historical events in China, including the Taiping rebellion through the British opium trade to the civil wars that raged from the early twentieth century through the brutal Japanese occupation in WWII. Separated by WWII the family was able to finally reunite in California in the 1940s. Their interactions and friendships with some of the major historical figures from that time in China are amazing.
Enjoy!
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