Search Results for: blog the picture books of barbara m joose

Kids’ Books Starring Internationally Adopted Kids

In two previous blogs in my series on adoption-themed books for kids, I talked about adoption books specifically focused on children from China and on kids from Korea and Vietnam . This blog showcases books featuring children adopted from Eastern Europe and Latin America. I also highlight books which feature internationally-adopted children without specifying a country. Eastern Europe: Borya and the Burps: An Eastern European Adoption Story Author Joan McNamara tells of how Borya was used to being in his crib in the room with many other cribs, and how wonderful but how strange it is to be with parents … Continue reading →

The Picture Books of Barbara M. Joose

Whenever I’m at the library and I see several books by the same author, I want to take a look for myself. What makes this particular author so prolific? What are the secrets to their success? While in the children’s department I noticed several books by Barbara M. Joose. I would like to review some of those for you today. The first is a spin-off of the best-selling book “Mama, Do You Love Me?” also by Joose. Set in the wilds of Africa, we get a taste of the climate and surroundings while we see a young tribal boy ask … Continue reading →

Grandma According to Me – Karen Magnuson Beil

My grandmother passed away eight years ago, and although it has been a while, her memory is still vivid with me. I love “Grandma According to Me” as it is told through the eyes of a young girl, and it so closely echoes the thoughts and feelings I have about my own grandmother. We read that Grandma has a nice big lap, and she can hold two children in it at the same time, but our narrator likes it best when she has Grandma all to herself. Grandma’s lap is as soft as a pillow, and there aren’t any places … Continue reading →

Wombat Goes Walkabout – Michael Morpurgo

This richly illustrated picture book called my name as soon as I saw it on the shelf. It must have had something to do with the extremely cute wombat face on the cover. Wombat loves to dig really deep holes, climb inside, and think. On this particular day, he did just that, and started having thoughts. He wondered – why is the sky blue? Why wasn’t he a kangaroo? When he was done with his pondering, he came out of his hole to discover that his mother was nowhere to be seen. He introduced himself to a kookaburra, and then … Continue reading →

Love You Forever–Reassuring Your Adopted Child

“I want to go bye-bye!” my four-year-old sobs. This has become her standard response to being reprimanded. I usually tell her she can go to her room. Then I make sure to add, “We’ll be here when you’re ready.” There is nothing particularly unusual about this, of course. It would be wrong to assume adoption is the primary cause of every emotion my daughters have. However, many adoptive parents and adoption professionals report that adopted children often experience insecurity and fear of abandonment. The last few times my daughter has wanted to go bye-bye, I tell her, “I would come … Continue reading →

You are Mine – Max Lucado

In the children’s picture book “You Are Mine,” author Max Lucado builds on the theme he created with “You Are Special” and takes us on a return trip to the village of the Wemmicks, the small wooden people who were created by Eli, the carver. Having overcome the problem of the stickers in “You Are Special,” Punchinello now has a new obstacle. Everyone in town is obsessed with owning more stuff than everyone else. Boxes and balls are the objects to be desired, and the townspeople are selling all their other belongings so they can buy as many boxes and … Continue reading →