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Summary
Summary
Mr. and Mrs. Stein and their young sons Gabe and Jacob adopt a baby girl from Vietnam.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-Jacob and Gabe, ages eight and four, prepare for their mother's trip to Vietnam to bring home their new baby sister. The author is successful in explaining both the intricacies of adoption procedures as well as details of life in an observant Jewish home. A smattering of Vietnamese culture is also included. The appealing and bright watercolor illustrations show touches of whimsy and lightheartedness that add to the story. The true multicultural aspect of this book emerges as the baby is immersed into the Mikvah (ritual bath) and given her Hebrew name. She is Vietnamese, American, and Jewish, and, Mrs. Stein says, "she'll be many more things someday." Mr. Stein replies, "You can be as many things as you want to be. Or at least you can try."-Lisa Silverman, Sinai Temple Library, Los Angeles (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
On the eve of adopting a baby girl from Vietnam, a Jewish family reflects on their happy preparations for her arrival and their eagerness for her to become an addition to their family, as well as a blessed part of the Jewish people. In a realistic, childlike manner, brothers Jacob and Gabriel raise the points that their new sister will be Vietnamese, Jewish and American all at the same time, opening the door for further discussion. Debut author Sugarman skillfully weaves the Steins' observation of their religion into a contemporary tale that contains details about how an international adoption might work and the baby's conversion to Judaism. (She writes from personal experience; her daughter was adopted from Vietnam.) The joyous tone of how adoption helps a family grow in love and in faith gives this title its appeal. Shapiro's gently stylized watercolors, sometimes suggesting the work of Giselle Potter, bring warmth and heart to the proceedings. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Based on the author's own experience, this book tells the story of a Jewish family who adopt a Vietnamese baby. While similar to other fictional stories about international adoptions, the book's religious aspects (the mikvah, or ritual bath); the Shabbat celebrations) provide a unique specificity. The gentle, colorful paintings reflect the family's joy. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
These warm, upbeat picture books tell the international adoption story in words and pictures that confront adoption issues with sympathy and love, including the painful facts of biological parents forced to abandon their children. Finding Joy begins with a heartbreaking double-page spread of parents in China leaving their baby girl. The next page shows the child safe with smiling caregivers in an orphanage. Then the viewpoint switches to an American family longing for a baby girl. The mother flies across the ocean, excited, but also anxious: Could her family love a baby born to strangers? The answer is there in the beautiful double-page watercolor paintings of the happy child in the embrace of new brothers and parents--first in the airport, and then as a toddler at home, with her new name, Joy. A final note fills in some facts about China's one-child policy. Sugarman, who has an adopted daughter from Vietnam, draws on her experience to tell a moving story of a Jewish family and their baby girl who will always be Vietnamese and Jewish and American. Much of the story is told from the viewpoint of the American siblings, Jacob and Gabriel, who see their mother leave for Vietnam, eagerly read her e-mails with photos, and hug their baby sister in welcome. The graphic-style pictures show the family bliss at home, the ritual of the baby's conversion to Judaism, and the ongoing celebration of her rich cross-cultural heritage.--Hazel Rochman Copyright 2007 Booklist
