Children’s Book Day
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Children’s Book Day is celebrated every year on April 2nd. The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) founded Children’s Book Day in 1967 and it has been celebrated ever since. As a non-profit organization, IBBY works to promote the importance of literacy and reading to children. The focus of this organization is to share children’s books and to organize events in schools and libraries all over the world to get children into reading.
Children’s Book Day encourages everyone to grab one of their favorite childhood books and share them with others. You could share them with your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews or anyone else you can think of that might enjoy a great book. This also could be a great opportunity to find new stories that interest you and the children in your life.
There are so many amazing topics that can help a child learn and grow. For example, there are many great stories about adoption, foster care and diversity for children. These stories are great reads and can be very inspirational for children. April 2nd, Children’s Book Day, would be a great day for anyone to explore some of these great book ideas. Below are some great children’s books that involve foster care, adoption, and diversity.
Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born
Written by Jamie Lee Curtis, Illustrations by Laura Cornell
This story displays the universal desire for any child to know more about the night that they were born. The desire to know about the excitement that they brought into this world when they arrived. This book is a story about a young girl who is asking her parents about the night she was born. The little girl in this story is asking her parents every question she can think of about her adoption. She answered all of her own questions before her parents could which shows that she has heard this story many times before. This young girl is very interested in her adoption and everything that goes along with the night she was brought home. This is a great story that talks about adoption in such a positive light and in a way that a child can understand. This adorable story is an easy and great read for children.
Yes, I’m Adopted!
Written by Sharlie Zinniger, Illustrations by Tiffany Cunliffe
This story is another story written from the children’s perspective after being adopted. This young boy talks about how being adopted makes him loved. Even though he does not look like his parents, it doesn’t mean he is any less loved. He talks about how his family is different, but also the same as other families. This book is an easy read and great for anyone, specifically children who are trying to understand adoption. This is a rhyming book that is great to get children interacting with books that will help them learn.
Maybe Days: A Book for Children in Foster Care
Written by Jennifer Wilgocki and Marcia Kahn Wright, Illustrated by Alissa Imre Geis
This children’s book talks about some of the basic thoughts, feelings and, concerns that a child who is entering foster care might have. This book discusses experiences and questions that might come up for a child as they are entering foster care. The story starts off by talking about what foster care is and how children might end up in foster care. It talks about how the importance of foster care is to keep children safe. This book also discusses some of the people that will be present in the child’s life during this time. For example, this book talks about the roles of parents, foster parents, social workers, therapists, lawyers, and judges. It goes into discussing what each of these important people do for them and how they work to keep them safe. This book goes into talking about all of the “maybe” responses that a child gets during this time of their life and how that might be difficult for them. This book is a great read for children to better understand foster care and help them realize that they are not alone during this process.
Picnic in the Park
Written by Joe Griffiths and Tony Pilgrim
This childhood book is a great book to show some of the diversity throughout our world and within the different families around us. This book shows that no two families are ever the same. This story shows that even though a family might look a little different, it doesn’t mean that there is any less love in that family. This book touches on the topics of LGBTQ parents, single parents, as well as adoptive and foster parents. This book is about a young boy who is having a picnic in the park for his birthday. The guests that attend show a diverse range of children and adults. This book is an easy read that helps children hear and start to understand the importance of diversity at a young age.
These are only some of the many great books about foster care and adoption that can be found.
There are a large number of books out there to help children better understand foster care, adoption, and diversity. Foster care, adoption, and diversity are great topics to read and educate kids about! Take April 2nd to find a children’s book for you and a child close to you to read together. Children’s Book Day is a great day to celebrate all of the great children’s literature that is out in the world.
Author, Samantha Potocnik
Samantha is an intern at EVOLVE and a student at the University of Wisconsin River Falls.
Resources:
Days of the Year: Children’s Book Day
Good Reads: Adoption and Foster Care Books for Children
Children’s Books About Adoption and Foster Care
