Books for Kindergarten to 2nd Grade

All Families Are Special
by Norma Simon
$16.95
Beginning with an adoptive family, Norma Simon does a great job of describing the wide variety that exists among families. Big and small, one parent or two, adoptive or kinship, two mom's or none, she has made sure there is variety and validation for each and every constellation she describes and those she does not. With vivid illustrations, each family is talked about in terms that young schoolagers will relate to. Simon ends the book by talking about the ways families support each other during good times and bad.

Pact says: A very sweet book that affirms the differences between us while underscoring the significance of families. Ideal for classroom use or to curl up in a big chair and read with that one special child who might need to be reminded that his or her family is very, very special. Highly recommended.
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Antonio's Card/La Tarjeta de Antonio
by Rigoberto Gonzalez and Cecilia Alvarez
$16.95
Antonio loves his routine-being dropped off at school by his mother in the morning and picked up by her partner, Leslie, in the afternoon. Some of the children in his class begin to make comments about Leslie's unusual height, her masculine appearance, and her paint-splattered overalls. It takes sharing a love of art and of family with Leslie for Antonio to feel ready to claim his family publicly. Sensitively written in English, with an excellent translation by Jorge Argueta, the narrative captures the social worries and concerns that children in all kinds of "nontraditional families" may experience.

Pact says: This story deals brilliantly with issues of inclusion.

Dave The Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave
by Laban Carrick Hill, Illustrated by Brian Collier
$16.99
Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave.

Pact says: Dave The Potter is a beautifully written book about an enslaved African man who was a talented potter. The book paints a lovely picture of Dave's artwork and how his pieces were crafted, but it seems to gloss over the fact that it was a brutal system that stole people's freedom, families, and lives. As part of a collection this book is a great addition, as a stand-alone book to explain slavery this book is not enough.

Dear Primo, A Letter to My Cousin
By - Tonatiuh, Duncan
$15.95
From first-time author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh comes the story of two cousins, one in NY City, America and one in Mexico, and how their daily lives are different yet similar. Dear Primo covers the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of two very different childhoods, while also emphasizing how alike Charlie and Carlitos are at heart.

Pacts Says: Spanish words are scattered among the English text, providing a wonderful way to introduce the language and culture of Mexico to young children. A nice book for adoptees that are thinking about what life might have been in their country of birth vs what it is like in their American home.

Henry's Freedom Box
by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
$16.99
The story recounts the true story of Henry Brown, a slave who mailed himself to freedom.. As a boy, separated from his mother, he goes to work in his new master's tobacco factory and eventually meets and marries another slave, with whom he has three children. In a heartwrenching scene depicted in a dramatically shaded pencil, watercolor and oil illustration, Henry watches as his family-suddenly sold in the slave market-disappears down the road. Henry then enlists the help of an abolitionist doctor and mails himself in a wooden crate "to a place where there are no slaves!" He travels by horse-drawn cart, steamboat and train before his box is delivered to the Philadelphia address of the doctor's friends on March 30, 1849. A concluding note provides answers to questions that readers may wish had been integrated into the story line, such as where did Henry begin his journey? (Richmond, Va.); how long did it take? (27 hours).

Pact says: the story depicts the evolution of a self-possessed child into a determined and fearless young man. A good way to help parents talk with their children about slavery and other losses (like adoption) that have to be overcome.

In God's Name
by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, Illustrated by Phoebe Stone
$16.99
Everyone and everything in the world has a name. What is God's name? In this appealing book relaying God's many names, the energetic illustrations enhance the feeling of celebration. The visual elements of this book invoke an implicit context which elicits a sense of wonder in the reader, the wondrous notion of a larger universal power, a notion all the more moving because people from many cultures share the belief in such a power and have named it in order to be able to communicate with and about it.

Pact says: This book can be particularly comforting to adopted children trying to make sense of their personal journey in a spiritual context. Non-deonominational, written by a Jewish Rabbi with an eye to interfaith sensitivity.
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Let's Talk About Race
by Julius Lester, Illustrated by Karen Barbour
$16.99
Lester talks about race and racism in terms that young children can absorb. "Why would some people say their race is better than another? Because they feel bad about themselves.... " Simple words interspersed with bold pictures of people with different skin colors, he gives children language with which to understand how race matters and how it doesn't; offering the understanding of race as one, not the only, characteristic of self.

Pact says: Great job giving parents a way to talk about a topic that they are sometimes fearful to tackle.
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Lucy's Family Tree
by Karen Halvorsen Schreck, Illustrations by Stephen Glassler
$7.95
Lucy, adopted from Mexico by white parents, feels "different," hurt and weird when assigned to make a family tree. Her parents challenge her to find three families she thinks are "the same." In so doing, her aha conclusion is that since most families are different in some way, any family that turned out to be the same would be the one who was different. In the end, Lucy makes a clay Mexican tree of life, "glowing with color" as her family tree, with her birth parents and adoptive parents represented and all is well. In addition, Schreck provides models of other ways kids in diverse families can approach the family tree assignment.

Pact says: Because it does such an authentic job of capturing the powerful responses adopted kids have to identity issues raised by the family tree assignment, this book is an important contribution. Lucy's feelings as well as her parents are honestly portrayed and both her parents mistakes and positive steps in helping her to work through her sense of being "less than" provide terrific models for other adoptive parents. The flow would be improved if Lucy's interactions with other families were shorter but this is in general a well-written and useful book. Illustrations by Stephen Gassler add depth to the story and do a great job of bringing the text to life.
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Megan's Birthday Tree
by Laurie Lears, Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth
$15.95
A Story About Open Adoption. When Kendra, Megan's birth mother, writes to say she is getting married and moving to a different town, Megan is worried she will forget her, especially since the "birthday tree" she planted when Megan was born is in her old backyard. The story ends when Megan finds out that Kendra has transplanted the birthday tree, and will be continuing to send pictures of it to Megan each year,.

Pact says: Very sweet, this book explores the importance of their birth parents to children this age.
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Mommy Far, Mommy Near
by Betsy James
$16.99
Elizabeth was adopted from China. While her mother finds many openings to talk about adoption -- looking at her album, pointing out differences in how they look, describing how they adopted their dog, etc. - it isn't until Elizabeth sees a Chinese mother and daughter at the playground that she understands that she has lost her own birth mother. Elizabeth's mom doesn't try to fix what she cannot but responds perfectly with her show of love.

Pact says: The game of "look" is a must do ritual for reinforcing attachment and truly seeing one another is enfolded in the story. This models excellent ways for parents to support their children when they feel sad.
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My Name is Maria Isabel
By Alma Flor Ada
$3.95
Maria Isabel is hurt when her teacher decides to call her Mary to distinguish her from two other Marias in the class. Maria is proud of her name and heritage. It even interferes with her performance in school. Eventually she finds a way to make her teacher understand.

Pact says: When shy Maria Isabel finally finds a way to tell the truth about her feelings she acknowledges that she isn't comfortable trying to be someone else with a different name. The story speaks to experience of anyone who has felt insecure when authority figures seem to want to change their identity - the parallel to adoption is obvious.

Of Thee I Sing, A Letter to My Daughters
By Barack Obama, Illustrated by Loren Lon
$19.99
A tender letter to his daughters, President Barack Obama has written a moving tribute to 13 historically important Americans and the ideals that have shaped our nation; from the artistry of Georgia O'Keeffe, to the courage of Jackie Robinson and the patriotism of George Washington, President Obama sees the traits of these heroes within his own children, and within all of America's children. Illustrated by a best-selling, award-winning artist whose images capture the personalities and achievements of these great Americans and the innocence and promise of childhood.

Pact says: We can all be inspired by America's first Black president to see ourselves in the many positive traditions and heroes that are part of our collective heritage.

Star of the Week
by Darlene Friedman and Roge
$17.99
A Story of Love, Adoption and Brownies with Sprinkles. , themselves parents to an adopted Chinese daughter, take a sensitive, often upbeat look at Cassidy-Li's thoughts and feelings about her adoption as she puts together her personal poster. . "I love my parents, but I'm sad about my birthparents," she says, stating so simply the complicated dichotomy with which many adoptees live.

Pact says: Star of the Week serves as an excellent springboard for discussion about taking adoption to school, including questions about birth parents and handling unwanted queries from peers and teachers.

Three Names of Me
by Mary Cummings, Illustrated by Lin Wang
$15.95
A book that has a touching overall tone but does so in the context of inviting acknowledgment of the adopted girls history and connections before she became the girl she is now in her adoptive home. In this book, the main character, Ada, is a Chinese adoptee who is reiterating the story of her journey to her adoptive family, "Ada Lorane Bennett. That is my name. But it is not the first name I have had. It is the third."

Pact says: The story takes her to America but as she grows up she remembers her "China mother" and her homeland with love and affection clearly sanctioned by her adoptive parents; what a beautiful model of integration and wholeness.
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Why Can't You Look Like Me?
By Ola Zuri
$13.95
"Have you ever felt like you didn't belong? How did you deal with it? This story a young girl who has been adopted transracially and feels like she doesn't fit in anywhere, even within her own family." And so reads the back cover of this new book, written in verse for children 4 - 8 years old. There are really two separate issues that the little girl is dealing with - lack of adult support and a lack of peers - and in the book those two things get intertwined. The adults in her life seem totally unaware of her sadness and isolation.

Pact says: We know that the author, who lived this experience herself as an adoptee of color in an overwhelmingly white environment, has the goal of offering a hopeful and affirming message to kids in a difficult situation. While a little over simplified, the esteem-affirming message is validating and encouraging to children. However, it could be even more crucial and eye-opening for parents who might not realize the extent or impact of their child's isolation and loneliness when they are asked to live in this kind of situation.
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