Thursday, December 16, 2010

Susan Heim on Parenting review

Susan Heim on Parenting
December 16, 2010

Children's Book Review: Red in the Flower Bed, by Andrea Nepa
by Susan Heim

In Red in the Flower Bed: An Illustrated Children's Story about Interracial Adoption, by Andrea Nepa, a little poppy seed cannot flourish where she is born because the soil is dry, so the mother flower makes the decision to let the wind carry the seed away to a land where she’ll be able to grow better. The little seed heads west until she lands in a lovely garden of flowers, where she is welcomed warmly by the other flowers, even though she soon begins to grow into a flower that the others don’t recognize. But the red poppy rejoices because she has found a family, and all the flowers make a beautiful and harmonious rainbow of colors!

At first, children reading Red in the Flower Bed may see this book as a sweet story about a seed that grows into a flower, but adults can guide them into realizing that this story is really a metaphor for adopting a child, especially from a different country or race. This story can jumpstart a conversation with any child, adopted or not, about what it means to be adopted, the possible reasons for adoption, and the emotions that are felt by all parties involved in the adoption process.

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