Are you part of a foster family or adoptive family? Join us for our Forever Family Celebration on Saturday, November 2 at 1:30 p.m. in celebration of National Adoption Awareness Month. Enjoy stories, crafts and more at this special event honoring foster and adopted families. All ages are welcome.
Are you looking for some good books with characters who are adopted? Here are some of picture books and chapter books that we absolutely adore:
Picture Books
My Hair Is a Garden by Cozbi A. Cabrera
This story is not explicitly about adoption, but we meet a girl whose hair is much harder to manage than her mom’s. Mackenzie seeks guidance from a wise and comforting neighbor who compares hair care to tending a garden.
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The Call of the Swamp by Davide Cali & Marco Soma
Boris is a swamp creature who was adopted by human parents. One day, he journeys to the swamp, filled with questions and eventually discovers the only answer he needs.
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My New Mom & Me by Renata Galindo
When a puppy comes to live with his new mom, he is nervous. His new mom has stripes and he doesn’t. But his mom says she likes that they look different. The puppy’s new mom does all the things other parents do, and when he’s feeling sad, she knows just what to say.
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The Story I’ll Tell by Nancy Tupper Ling; illustrated by Jessica Lanan
A story of international adoption in which a mother weaves a magical web of tales to explain how her child came to be part of the family.
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A Thirst for Home by Christine Ieronimo
This tale based on a true story follows the experiences of young Alemitu, whose loving but impoverished Ethiopian mother releases her to an orphanage where she can secure a more promising future with an adoptive family in America.
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I’ve Loved You Since Forever by Hoda Kotb; illustrated by Suzie Mason
I’ve Loved You Since Forever is a celebratory and poetic testament to the timeless love felt between parent and child. This beautiful picture book is inspired by Today show co-anchor Hoda Kotb’s heartwarming adoption of her baby girl, Haley Joy.
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Just Right Family by Silvia Lopez; illustrated by Ziyue Chen
When Meili learns her parents are adopting another child, she must accept the role of big sister and realize a new addition can be just right, too.
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A Most Unusual Day by Sydra Mallery; illustrated by E. B. Goodale
Something rather extraordinary is happening in Caroline’s life today. Her family is adopting a new baby sister! A warm and loving story about school, family, siblings and adoption, for anyone eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new sibling.
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Real Sisters Pretend by Megan Dowd Lambert; illustrated by Nicole Tadgell
Safe in the knowledge that adoption has made them a “forever family,” stepsisters Mia and Tayja improvise an imaginary adventure with a joyful homecoming to a real home with their two moms.
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Home at Last by Vera B. Williams and Chris Raschka
After Lester is adopted from his foster home by Daddy Albert and Daddy Rich, he can’t fall asleep in his new bed. What will it take to make Lester feel home at last?
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Chapter Books
Soar by Joan Bauer
Moving to Hillcrest, Ohio, when his adoptive father accepts a temporary job, twelve-year-old Jeremiah, a heart transplant recipient, has sixty days to find a baseball team to coach.
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Just Like Me by Nancy Cavanaugh
In this story about unlikely friendships and finding your place in the world, three very different girls, adopted as babies from the same Chinese orphanage, spend a week at a summer camp where the adoption agency coordinator wants them to journal their bonding experience.
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The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue
Once upon a time, two couples with Jamaican, Mohawk Indian and Scottish ethnic roots won the lottery and bought a big house where all four adults and seven adopted and biological children, could live together in harmony. But change is inevitable, especially when a disagreeable grandfather comes to stay.
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Cleo Edison Oliver in Persuasion Power by Sundee T. Frazier
In this second book, Cleo competes to win funding for her barrette business with her friend Caylee, but Cleo finds herself distracted by the desire to find her birth parents.
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The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy
This seriously funny, modern family adventure tells the adventures of a family with two fathers, four adopted boys and a variety of pets as they make their way through a single school year and deal with a grumpy new neighbor.
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Keys to the City by Lisa Schroeder
Melinda Jia Mackay was adopted from China as a baby, and she has always preferred to stay out of the limelight, but now she has a summer assignment to find her “true passion.” With the help of a new friend, Tyler, and a therapy dog named Odie, she reluctantly hits the streets of New York City to unlock her secret talents.
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Dara Palmer’s Major Drama by Emma Shevah
Dara Palmer dreams of being an actress, but when she does not get a part in the school play she wonders if it is because of her different looks as an adopted girl from Cambodia. Dara becomes determined not to let prejudice stop her from being in the spotlight.
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The Length of a String by Elissa Brent Weissman
Twelve-year-old Imani, the only Black girl in Hebrew school, is preparing for her bat mitzvah and hoping to find her birth parents when she discovers the history of adoption in her family through her great-grandma Anna’s Holocaust-era diary.
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You can find more books for children and adults about adoption at the Tapestry Books website. See something you would like added to the library collection? Use the Can’t Find an Item form to request that it be added.