Link: Beacon Street Girls

This is a “kind of” book review because I know nothing about this series, but someone sent it to me so I thought I’d pass it on. One of the main characters of this series is Avery (a Korean adoptee). I played around on their site a little and it looks pretty neat - the kind of thing that I would have liked before I started seventh grade.

I was always pleased when I found an Asian character in my books, but to find... more

Wednesday was my sister’s birthday. We always celebrate her birthday on Thanksgiving because we are together, just like we celebrate the rest of our birthdays around Easter. My sister’s birthday is really the actual day she was born. I know that sounds funny to most, but when I was adopted it was pretty rare that you knew exactly when your Korean adoptee was born. They gave you approximates.

The day that we celebrate my birthday could be my birthday or it could be another day. My mother is convinced that I was born on her birthday... more

I finally finished Anne Tyler’s book “Digging To America.” The fact that it took me several months has absolutely nothing to do with the book. In fact, it probably has a lot to say about the book. I’m rather famous for speedy reading. Give me a genre book and chances are I’ll have it down before the night is over. However, when I read books that make me really think about the world, I tend to read them a little more slowly.

Anne Tyler’s book follows two families who adopt little girls from Korea. The families don’t have a lot in common, except that they... more

We went to Target tonight to buy heavier clothes. It’s getting colder here in Michigan and (typical of the mid-west) I never know if I should put him in shorts or bundle him up in sweatshirts and hats. Target is one of my son’s favorite places to go. Some how, we always end up in the little restaurant ordering hotdogs and pizza. I haven’t figured out how this works yet, but it’s becoming a tradition (so it’s a good thing we don’t go too often).

Anyhow, while I was sitting at the little table waiting for my son’s hotdog, I noticed a mother and her two children. The children were both Asian and the mother was not so I can only assume that the children were adopted. The boy was... more

One of my son’s favorite books is “My Many Colored Days” by Dr. Seuss. It isn’t about adoption or racism. It’s just about being yourself and what that means. It’s simple and, like many stories, sometimes simple is just better. I don’t remember reading this book when I was little, but I’m glad that my son found it.

I identify with this book on a couple of different reasons. It is nice to have a book (especially a children’s book) that recognizes good days and bad days. I have know each one of the days that Dr. Seuss describes – happy, sad, mad, busy…

The... more

I apologize for missing a couple of days. Things have been crazy. It’s really a good thing that I didn’t travel to get my son from Korea. I would have had a nervous breakdown before I got there. My husband and I took next week off so this week I am preparing for our vacation.

There were points today where I couldn’t keep a coherent thought in my head because I was trying to do so many things at once. Even while I was trying to create a list for my co-worker who will be handling the “can’t wait” things, my brain was contemplating the twelve other things that had to get done before Friday evening. My husband called me at one point to check in and talking to him was just one thing... more

Many new parents are worried about their child being unhappy when they come because of the language difference. After spending so many months hearing only Korean, do they miss it when they come here?

I would guess that the younger the child is the less you have to worry about it. I didn’t even think to buy a Korean CD or DVD before my son came home. At six months, the change didn’t seem to bother him at all. He had a tendency to respond to our tone of voice more than the actual words.

However, the older they are at arrival, the harder the... more

The authors of “My Freedom Trip – A Child’s Escape from North Korea” have my admiration. It is a sad and beautiful story that is told with just the right voice. Though it is made for children, it’s really a story for all ages.

The story is about a little girl who knows that Korea has been divided in half. It is about her journey to escape from North Korea to be with her father who has already crossed the border and the mother that she left behind. You can feel the emotion in the words and see them in the wonderful pictures by Debra Reid Jenkins. It is all the more poignant because... more

Families Are Different by Nina Pellegrini was a very simplistic story that is told from the point of view of a little girl who was adopted from Korea. Though I admit I tend to be attracted to more complex books, sometimes simple is better.

The story is about how she feels about being different than her parents and how there are all types of families in the world. Sometimes, I think that pointing out the way we are the same is very helpful in helping children deal with being different.

One of the things that I remember is feeling lonely. I didn’t really experience that feeling... more

I went to the library the other day and borrowed a whole bunch of children’s books. I was amazed by the selection that they had for me to choose from. I chose to read a book called “An American Face” by Jan M. Czech.

The story is about a little boy who is counting down the days until he is an American citizen because he thinks he’ll get an “American” face. He wants to look just like his parents and the other kids on the playground. While he’s counting down, he wonders what his face will look like and if it will be painful. When he realizes that he will not have an “American” face,... more