Book Corner – July 2024
By Becca Howe, TRJ Parent Book Corner – Brooke Randolph: It’s Not About You Understanding Adoptee Search, Reunion, & Open Adoption It’s Not About You: Understanding Adoptee Search, Reunion, & Open Adoption is a book written for adoptive and birth parents and their therapists. After repetitive conversations with adopted persons (and sometimes their parents) about reactions to their search and reunion, Brooke knew adoptive and parents of origin needed a book on the topic. Brooke is a therapist, author, speaker, trainer and read more
Book Corner – June 2024
By Kristen Perry, transracial adoptive parent and professor of literacy education Max and the Tag-Along Moon, by Floyd Cooper Floyd Cooper’s picture book, Max and the Tag-Along Moon, is the perfect story to celebrate all the fathers, grandfathers, and other father-figures in our children’s lives. It is a wonderful ode to the love between a grandfather and grandson and to the things that connect us to each other, even across distances. In this sweet story, Max is sad to be read more
Book Corner – May 2024
Reviewed by Rebecca Howe Monstrous, by Sarah Myer Monstrous is a young adult graphic novel memoir written and illustrated by nonbinary comic artist and transracial adoptee Sarah Myer. The story is about Myer's childhood years in the 1990s and early 2000s in rural Maryland, taking us from an imaginative and emotionally explosive early childhood, through an adolescence rife with bullying, racism, homophobia, ableism, mental health struggles and the protagonist's reckoning with identity, how to stick up for themselves, take responsibility read more
Book Corner – April 2024
Reviewed by Kristen Perry, adoptive parent and professor of literacy education Review of Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem Written by Amanda Gorman and illustrated by Loren Long Author contact/link info: Website Twitter/X Instagram Facebook Illustrator contact/link info: Website Twitter/X Instagram Facebook Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem is a wonderful illustrated children’s book by the poet Amanda Gorman, who many may remember as the poet who wrote and delivered the inaugural poem The Hill We Climb at President Biden’s inauguration. Loren read more
Book Corner – March 2024
Reviewed by Kristen Perry, TRJ Parent In the Key of Us By Mariama Lockington Not only is In the Key of Us by Mariama Lockington written by a transracial adoptee, but it also is a Stonewall Honor Book for LGBTQ+ books. Thus, it has the power to speak to many identities represented within our families and communities. The story is told through the alternating perspectives of Andi and Zora, the only two Black girls at a prestigious, nearly all-white music read more
The New Brownies’ Book: W.E.B DuBois, Karida L. Brown, and Charly Palmer
The New Brownies' Book A Love Letter to Black Families From Chronicle Books Inspired by the groundbreaking work of W. E. B. DuBois, this beautiful collection brings together an outstanding roster of Black creative voices to honor and celebrate Black excellence. The New Brownies' Book reimagines the very first publication created for African American children in 1920 as a must-have anthology for a new generation. Expanding on the mission of the original periodical to inspire the hearts and minds of read more
Book Corner – January 2024
This month we are highlighting "Adoptees Like Me" Books, a special series from Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker. These illustrated children’s books are for elementary readers, and include Marie Discovers Her Superpowers (2022) and Casey Conquers Bedtime (2023). Dr. Wirta-Leiker is an adoptee, adoptive parent, and psychologist. She is a consultant for The Adoptee Mentoring Society and a contributor to I AM ADOPTEE, where she serves on their subsidized mental health program review board. She also served on the Adoptee Advisory Board for Heritage read more
Book Corner – December 2023
The Night Before Kwanzaa By Natasha Wing Illustrated by Amy Wummer and Kirsti Jewel Pre-kindergarten - Grade 2 A young boy is excited for the arrival of his older brother. He is looking forward to celebrating Kwanzaa with him and the rest of their family. As a candle is lit on the Kinara each night, simple (yet heartwarming) illustrations depict the accompanying seven principles of Kwanzaa. There is a familiarity in this sweet book as it may remind older readers read more
Book Corner-November 2023
Our Little Kitchen By Jillian Tamaki Ages 4-8 This is a beautifully-illustrated, warm and cozy read with a focus on preparing food with love and with a group of diverse children and adults. Highly recommended not just for Thanksgiving but for any part of the year when you want to pull comfort from the words you read along with the pictures you see. Jillian Tamaki is an award winning, Canadian author who shows how to build community, love and nurture read more
Book Corner – October 2023
A Child’s Introduction to Hip-Hop: The Beats, Rhymes, and Roots of a Musical Revolution By Jordannah Elizabeth, illustrations by Marika Jenai Ages 8-12+ Reviewed by TRJ Parent Kristen Perry This year represents the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop, and Jordannah Elizabeth’s book celebrates the culture, artistry, and genius of Black musicians throughout history, beginning with the roots of African music and its influence on American music styles. The book outlines the birth of hip-hop, different eras in the read more