Adoption Is a Lifelong Journey by Kelly DiBenedetto

Although Binky’s parents are adopting internationally, this DVD is a must for any family formed through adoption because it normalizes adoption as simply one way families are formed. The movie format is a fantastic and familiar way to introduce children to the idea of adoption, whether preparing them for the adoption of a sibling or to discuss their own adoption. His parents are adopting a baby from China. Arthur’s best friend, Binky, is about to become a big brother. Not only about adoption, this book also covers other hard-hitting issues middle-schoolers face like family disagreements, medical issues and addiction, and abandonment.īig Brother Binky (Arthur) is a fantastic DVD on international adoption.

Jeremiah, even after a heart transplant, stays positive and is determined to help as many people as he can feel happy. This book delivers a quiet and powerful story. However, he unexpectedly gets an opportunity to become involved with the local baseball team when he and his adoptive father move to Hillcrest, Ohio, a baseball-obsessed town whose high school and middle school teams have been destroyed by scandal. More recently, a heart transplant has left him frail.

Soar by Joan Bauer (ages 10-12) – Twelve-year-old Jeremiah Lopper was abandoned as an infant, then caught a virus that weakened his heart. This beautifully illustrated book is based on the true story of a baby hippo orphaned by the tsunami of 2004. He plays with him, snuggles with him, and decides he just might turn out to be his best friend and a brand-new mama. But after the rain stops, Owen befriends Mzee, a 130-year old giant tortoise.

That was all before the tsunami came and washed Owen’s world away. They loved to play hide-and-seek on the banks of the Sabaki River in Africa. A Mama for Owen by Marion Dane Bauer (ages 2-8) – Owen the baby hippo and his mama were best friends.

Adoption Is a Lifelong Journey by Kelly DiBenedetto