Wonderful You- An Adoption Story by Lauren McLaughlin

• Wonderful You- An Adoptive Story (http://amzn.to/2q3g7iq)
• Author: Lauren McLaughlin
• Illustrator: Meilo So
• Age Range: 3 - 7 years
• Grade Level: Preschool - 2
• Library Binding: 40 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (April 25, 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553510037
• ISBN-13: 978-0553510034

About the Book

A lyrical adoption story that tenderly addresses a baby’s transition from the care of her birth mother to that of her adoptive parents.

This lovely poem illuminates the role of an adopted child’s birth mother, respecting her choice to give her child to a loving family. We follow a mother’s journey as she carries her child, searches for deserving parents, and ultimately creates a new family. The story offers a version of the process that is full of warmth, care, and joy.

An adoptive mother herself, author Lauren McLaughlin was glad for an opportunity to memorialize her family’s own fairy tale, and Meilo So’s ethereal illustrations breathe magic into an already wondrous experience.

My Review

I love children's books that are illustrated with watercolors. There is something that is reminiscent of a classic children's story anytime the soft colors are splashed onto a page. It reminds me of being little and pouring over Beatrix Potter books or A Child's Garden of Verses. And for that reason, I was drawn into the book. Meilo So's soulful artwork, of which I have always admired, in this book wraps around you like a warm blanket. Her people are imperfectly shaped, like real people. The characters have blended looks, not locking them into any one race or ethnicity. You float through the pages, which is perfect because Lauren McLaughlin's lyrical story floats above the page and carries you through the story. You witness one family becoming whole with the adoption of a baby they have waited so long for her arrival; but ironically you do not feel sadness for the mother who gives the baby to the family. The way the story is told, the lady in blue, as the birth mother is referred to, is seen as an almost spirit whose purpose is to find the right family for her baby. The story pours over with love in a way, that I hope, will leave adoptive children not feeling abandoned by their birth parents, but instead loved completely at each stage of the process. I cannot recommend this book enough as a gift to adoptive parents or for parents to purchase for their adopted children. Wonderful You left me feeling warm inside and desperate for another read through of the book. 

FTC Disclosure: Thank you Blue Slip Media for sending me a copy of Wonderful You- An Adoption Story. This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase the books through these links, I receive a small portion of the payment, which I use to support this blog. Thanks for your support!