books: a new favorite at the M6 house ~ Sweet Moon Baby

Here at the M6 house we've got a love for books.

There are children's books scattered throughout nearly every room of the house.  Books can be found on shelves in the playroom, crates in the girls' room, baskets at the top of the stairs, stacks in the boys' room, piles on the nightstands in my room...

Library day is a popular day and my big girl has even traded the offer of going out for a Frosty to select her own new reads at the library.  We read often through the day and never fail to miss a pre-nap or bedtime story...or two...or three.

It's safe to say that Ian and I have read several hundred titles in the five years we've been parents.  Some we really, really enjoy and some...well...not so much.

There are books that are just plain fun, there are books to help our emerging readers, there are books that help teach colors, numbers and letters, and sometimes, when we're lucky, there are books that help us open communication about life before "Gotcha Day."

Recently I noticed a lot of buzz in adoptive circles about Sweet Moon Baby by Karen Henry Clark.  Initially I was hesitant to consider another children's story about adoption because  ~ and I feel awful for admitting this ~ there are a few out there that I can't stand.  But then I saw some of the illustrations, which are amazingly lovely, and decided to give it a shot.

I entered into several giveaways and didn't win.  But then I noticed that the author was looking for a few more folks from different regions of the country to host a giveaway.  My region was listed, so I contacted her and was pleased to hear I'd be hosting a giveaway myself.

A few days later, a signed copy of the book arrived in the mail.  A package, especially one that contains a new book, makes everyone in our family smile.

DQ couldn't wait for me to read it, but first I had to win my skeptic over.

Ky sighed, rolled her eyes, and told me in her very sophisticated "now I'm a first grader voice" that that the book was too babyish for her.

I'm still guessing the babyish mindset came from the (albeit beautiful) illustration a a sleeping wee one under the word baby.

I really wanted her opinion though, as she is my biggest book worm, so I asked her to give the book a chance.  She grudgingly agreed to at least give it a look...

At first glance it appeared she wasn't going to give the book a real chance.

But those illustrations drew her in.

Charmed, she flipped back to the beginning of the book and started again, this time catching sight words and sounding out some of the others.

Before long she asked for us to read it together.  You know, because it was about a little girl from China...

Her skeptical side?  As soon as the story was over she said, "You know Mommy, I was wrong about this book.  I thought it was for babies, but it was really for me.  I like how the girl is a lot like me."  And that lead into a discussion of her days before we met.  While those conversations are hard, (there are a lot of unknowns in her background, a lot of unanswered questions) it is good for her to be reminded again that February 5, 2007 (the day she was placed in our arms) was not actually the day she was born.  DQ loved the illustrations and both boys actually sat still, enthralled with the baby's string of guardian animals.

One caveat ~ the part of the story that tells how the girl found her forever family is more of a fairytale version of the story of Moses than it is a real depiction of how many of our children found themselves traveling across the world to their new homes.  Not exactly non-fiction, but in my house it did open dialogue about the beginning of their stories.

And for us?  That's exactly what we're looking for in a children's book about adoption.

The great thing about this book is that you don't have to be an adoptive parent to love it and share it with your children.  It can be a great dialogue starter to help explain how cousins or friends joined their families as easily as it can be used for the adoptee.

If you are an adoptive family, or friends of an adoptive family, or even if you just enjoy sweet fairy tale stories, this book should be in your personal library.

For a chance to win your very own copy of Sweet Moon Baby, signed by the author ~ don't worry about us missing our copy, we've long since ordered and started to wear out our own copy ~ just do one (or all three) of the following:

1.  Leave a comment with your favorite children's story ~ adoptive focused or not.  We're always looking for a new title to add to our home library.

2.  Become a fan by liking the Sweet Moon Baby Facebook page and/or the Sweet Moon Baby's Amazon page.  Leave a separate comment from your book recommendation to let me know you did.  (More likes on Amazon will help ensure that the book remains in print ~ besides, if you don't win, you'll want to have the page bookmarked so you can order your own copy!)

3.  Share this post on your FB page or blog and leave a separate comment with a link to your posting.

The giveaway ends on Saturday, June 30 at 11:59 pm.  Winner will be drawn on Sunday, July 1 and posted that evening.