This story follows a conversation between a little bear named Barley and his Mama as they curl up in their favorite cuddle spot and talk about how God chose them to be a family. Barley asks Mama the kinds of questions many adopted children have, and Mama lovingly answers them all. This book affirms how love is what truly makes a family.
Eliza Thomas went to China in 1994 to adopt her daughter PanPan, who was then 5 months old. This is their story. It is a touching and beautiful adoption story that reveals the challenges as well as the joys of forming a new family. It is a story about a little girl who needed a mommy and a forgotten blanket that needed a little girl and a woman who needed them both. This is a journey about the forming of a family.
In this Waldorf-style illustrated book, with depictions of families of all shapes, sizes and colors, we get kids talking about their own families while opening their eyes to the fact that even though families don’t always look the same, they all share one special thing—love.
This book is based on the ancient Chinese belief that an invisible, unbreakable red thread connects all those who are destined to be together. In this story, a king and queen rule a beautiful and peaceful land. They should be full of joy and contentment, but they both feel a strange pain that worsens every day. Then a peddler’s magic spectacles reveal a red thread pulling at each of their hearts. The king and queen know they must follow the thread–wherever it may lead.
In this picture book, Parr celebrates many different types of families through color. He assures readers that no matter what kind of family you have, every family is special in its own unique way. His central message is about the importance of embracing our differences.
This book is “a special celebration of the love and joy an adopted child creates for a family. In asking her parents to tell her again about the night of her birth, a young girl relives a cherished tale she knows by heart. Focusing on the significance of family and love, this a unique and beautiful story about adoption and the importance of a loving family”. This book also “speaks to the universal childhood desire to know more about the excitement, awe, love, and sleeplessness that a new baby brings to a family”.
Choco wishes he had a mother, but who could she be? He sets off to find her, asking all kinds of animals, but he doesn’t meet anyone who looks just like him. He doesn’t even think of asking Mrs. Bear if she’s his mother. Then Mrs. Bear starts to do just the things a mommy might do. And when she brings him home, he meets her other children, a piglet; a hippo; and an alligator, and learns that families can come in all shapes and sizes and still fit together.