Search No More for a Book for Adoptive Parents to Adore

There are as many stories of adoptive families as there are children who joined their families through adoption.  And while one book can certainly never encapsulate the myriad experiences that exist, Valerie Westfall’s Searching for . . . The You We Adore (Swan River Publishing, LLC, $18.95) comes as close as any book can.

Lovingly and expertly illustrated by New York Times bestselling artist Richard Cowdrey, this book takes young readers on a journey–at the core of which is love.

From the striking cover–on which a heart made of red ribbon encompasses the earth–to each succeeding page, the tale Westfall weaves is as magical as it is inclusive.   Whether a family was formed through international or domestic adoption, privately or through the foster care system, readers will find themselves in these pages.

And lest one believe that the “we” in the title is a reference to two-parent families and that single parents are being left out, it is clear that the tone of the book speaks to how the journey of adoption includes not just the parent or parents but extended family and friends as well–a support system that joins the adoptive family they love ”searching for the you we adore,” the ”you” we all adore.

The rhythmic, rhyming text most assuredly will appeal to the book’s intended audience (children ages 4-8) and the breathtaking illustrations invite readers–young and old–to linger.

This book deserves a spot on the shelf of every adoptive family and those who love them as well as those who long to understand how the universe guides us to the ones we are meant to love.