I found this a delightful book and it deals with adoption in a sensitive way.
Red in the Flower Bed
Reviewing children’s books is different from reviewing grown up books. With grown up books I have to let you know enough of what the book is about, without spoiling. But reviewing children’s books, you have to decide if you think this book is right for your child, so there is no such thing as a spoiler here, is there? With that in mind…
The story starts with:
One day, a seed dropped from a poppy flower onto the earth below. But it was too dry, and the poppy began to cry: “Good-bye little one. You will be missed you know, but this is no place for you to grow.”
And so the wind carries the seed over several pages of whimsical art and rhyming verse until the wind says “I have found on this ground a lovely patch that I think will match.”
We have a brief soujourn through autumn and winter, and then the seeds all begin to sprout, and the the flowers begin to open. Poppy looks around and thinks she is now with her family, and the other flowers look around as well. Red had been missing before, and now they have all of the colors of the rainbow.
Will kids “get” that the poppy might represent them? And if so, will it make them feel better or worse about being a different race than the rest of their family? As is usually the case, I think it probably depends on the kid. I think that if you never mentioned adoption, that some transracially adopted kids would never tie this story in with their own story. Others would immediately pick up on it. I believe that most will probably see it as a positive, as a further affirmation that different can be good.
Red in the Flower Bed
If there is one type of book I am ALWAYS on the lookout for - it is books on adoption for children. SO, when I was contacted by Tribute Books about Red in the Flower Bed by Andrea Nepa - I was over-the-top-excited! Nepa is the mother of an adopted Vietnamese daughter so she KNOWS what adoption involves and what it can mean to our little ones that we bring into our homes. That is why I am so excited about this book - the theme of adoption
all wrapped around a little seed that grows. The analogy is wonderful! I love how the seed becomes a flower and blends into the rainbow in the flower garden. I can't wait to share this one with my daughters - it is perfect!
Today it is my pleasure to host Andrea Nepa on her Virtual Book Tour.
Red In The Flower Bed – is a very beautifully illustrated book about interracial adoption. The story just blends beautifully. Really there is no boundaries in adoption. Color doesn’t matter as families blend together. It’s the love that is given and the acceptance that is felt just like in this story. Even though the flowers were different in colors they were happy to be a family. I felt that this children’s story was very comforting. I love how the story started out with just the seeds and the seeds were carried by the wind to find a perfect spot where they could bloom and shine. The illustrations in this book go beautifully with the story and I love all the colors in it. If you would like to purchase this book you can buy it HERE.
Red in the Flower Bed is a wonderful children’s book about interracial adoption. The story is about a little, black poppy flower seed that had to move on and find a better home because the ground was too dry. The little seed ends up finding a home amongst the roses, violets, and marigolds, and as it grows, the garden gets more and more beautiful. I love the illustrations in this book as well as the font used. Everything flows together very well. If you have a young, adopted, interracial child, I highly recommend this book. It is very cute, sentimental, and heartwarming. 
