December 2, 2010
Red in the Flower Bed: An Interracial Adoption Story and Blog Tour
by Paula Schuck
Red In The Flower Bed is a sweet, imaginative and yet simple twist on a child's adoption story. I am an adoptive parent of two children, an adoption advocate, speaker and writer and our home library is more than full of books that are for all ages and stages of the adoption journey. But, this one had a new twist I'd not yet seen which is why I recommend it.Andrea Nepa has taken a seed as a metaphor and while that might seem logical and simplistic, I haven't actually seen it used in this manner. The seed is a lovely metaphor for an adopted child. While this book specifically tackles interracial adoption, I felt it missed the marketing mark here and limited itself. If you look at this as a story of any adoptee, it makes sense and appeals to a wider audience in my opinion. The child is like the seed of a poppy here, blowing in the wind, carried to a different pasture. The pasture is an obvious reference to the family created by adoption.
This story is aimed at 3 to 6 years olds and is reliant on rhyme and cute cutout style pictures. "So there among the violet, rose and marigold the little black dot settled into her spot." What a surprise she will be when she blooms and is a bright red poppy in a field of predictable colours.
Red In the Flower Bed is a nice addition to anyone's adoption library. It is a gentle, sensitive story. Red in The Flower Bed is a nice alternative to the many animal metaphors and characters that are often used to explore themes of differences and adoption in children's fiction. This story is clever and a good way to work the topic of adoption onto your bookshelf and into your child's life.
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