Author’s Note: Alexandra David was born outside Paris in 1868. She had an irresistible wanderlust and was fascinated by railway lines, “fancying the many lands toward which they led.” She begged for gifts of travel books and maps, and, while a schoolgirl, distressed her parents by running away on journeys covering hundreds of miles. And it was as a schoolgirl that she discovered Buddhism and embarked on its lifelong study.

Alexandra had a talent for singing, and she enjoyed modest success performing opera in the Middle and Far East. In 1904 she retired from the stage, settled in Tunis, North Africa, and married Philip Neel. But her craving for travel and her curiosity about Buddhism were undeniable. With Philip’s agreement, she set out alone for India in 1911. Alexandra was forty-three.

Over the next fourteen years, she befriended a mountain prince; interviewed Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama; lived as a hermit in the Himalaya Mountains; traveled to Japan, Korea, and the Gobi Desert; and studied ancient Buddhist texts at the Kum Bum Monastery. She met Yongden, and together they trekked thousands of miles, including a grueling journey to Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, in February 1924. The visit was the first by a Western woman.

Alexandra David-Neel returned to France with Yongden, whom she adopted. But Asia tugged at her, and, now nearly seventy years old, she traveled back to Tibet in 1937. She stayed until the fighting of the Second World War drove her away.

World-renowned adventuress and Buddhist scholar Alexandra David-Neel died in 1969. She was 101. Shortly before her death, she renewed her passport. She dreamed of wild hills till the end.

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About the Author: Don Brown is the award-winning author and illustrator of many picture book biographies. He has been widely praised for his resonant storytelling and his delicate watercolor paintings that evoke the excitement, humor, pain, and joy of lives lived with passion. School Library Journal has called him “a current pacesetter who has put the finishing touches on the standards for storyographies.” He lives in New York with his family.

From the Dust Jacket: From the National Book Award-winning author of The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression comes a monumental new work, a decade in the writing, about family. In Far from the Tree, Andrew Solomon tells the stories of parents who not only learn to deal with their exceptional children but also find profound meaning in doing so.

Solomon’s startling proposition is that diversity is what unites us all. He writes about families coping with deafness, dwarfism, Down syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, multiple severe disabilities, with children who are prodigies, who are conceived in rape, who become criminals, who are transgender. While each of these characteristics is potentially isolating, the experience of difference within families is universal, as are the triumphs of love Solomon documents in every chapter.

All parenting turns on a crucial question: to what extent parents should accept their children for who they are, and to what extent they should help them become their best selves. Drawing on forty thousand pages of interview transcripts with more than three hundred families, Solomon mines the eloquence of ordinary people facing extreme challenges. Whether considering prenatal screening for genetic disorders, cochlear implants for the deaf, or gender reassignment surgery for transgender people, Solomon narrates a universal struggle toward compassion. Many families grow closer through caring for a challenging child; most discover supportive communities of others similarly affected; some are inspired to become advocates and activists, celebrating the very conditions they once feared. Woven into their courageous and affirming stories is Solomon’s journey to accepting his own identity, which culminated in his midlife decision, influenced by this research, to become a parent.

Elegantly reported by a spectacularly original thinker, Far from the Tree explores themes of generosity, acceptance, and tolerance—all rooted in the insight that love can transcend every prejudice. This crucial and revelatory book expands our definition of what it is to be human.

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About the Author: Andrew Solomon is the author of The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of fourteen national awards, including the 2001 National Book Award. It is a New York Times bestseller and is published in twenty-two languages. He is a Lecturer in Psychiatry at Cornell University and Special Adviser on LGBT Affairs to Yale University’s Department of Psychiatry.

Families of all kinds are celebrated in this collection of witty and wise poems, with verses about the only child, brothers, uncles, adopted babies, and others. Makes an ideal read-aloud for families to share.

Many teenagers have questions and concerns about adoption that they may be reluctant to express. This lifebook/workbook is a framework for older children and adolescents to help them learn about being adopted. Filling in the Blanks is divided into four sections: My Birth Family, My Adoption Process, My Adoptive Family, and Myself. Each section contains text, definitions, fill-in-the-blanks, and places for pictures.

From the Back Cover: Holding tight to one another, vowing never to be separated, Oliver and Edward board the Orphan Train headed west to find a new home. The year is 1906 and the boys have been told that their mother has died and they are now alone. Follow the adventures of the Nordmark brothers as they travel on America’s Orphan Train from the streets of New York City to the vast farmlands of the Midwest. Will they find a family to love? Will they be able to keep their promise? The future that awaits them will be full of twists and turns, surprises and anguish, all of which will shape their lives forever!

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About the Author: Donna Nordmark Aviles is the granddaughter of Oliver and Estella Nordmark. She lives in Hockessin, Delaware where she is currently working on the sequel to Fly Little Bird, Fly! which chronicles Oliver’s adventures from age fifteen through adulthood.

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By the Same Author: Beyond the Orphan Train (2004).

A wonderful workbook that allows teens to express their goals and dreams while learning more about their own life. There are lots of pages that challenge the teen’s viewpoint on their past, present and future. For When I’m Famous is a great filling in the blanks workbook for both foster and adopted children.

Has God touched your life through adoption? This sweet picture book is a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to describe how God lovingly designs all kinds of families through this special gift.

From the Dust Jacket: Jennifer Jordan-Wong is part of a “forever family.” She has been adopted into a home of two wonderful parents, and has loving grandparents and lots and lots of cousins and friends.

Roslyn Banish captures in honest, clear photos, and an engaging text narrated by Jenny, many of the steps along the road to becoming part of a forever family.

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About the Author: Roslyn Banish received a Master’s Degree in Photography from the Institute of Design, Chicago. She has taught photography and has exhibited her work in England and the United States.

Ms. Banish currently lives in San Francisco, where she works as a photographer, with her husband and two children.

There are myriad reasons why a child is in foster care. In many cases, by providing a temporary foster home until the family can be reunited, the experience is positive for the child. In other cases, the experience of foster care can cause psychological damage to a child that will never be undone. Not surprisingly, the complex foster care system is a controversial subject. This informative book considers the various aspects of foster care: the reasons that children enter care; conditions in foster homes; the foster parents; the caseworkers; the laws governing foster care; and the controversies.

From the Dust Jacket: Where do children go when a family crisis, illness, or death makes it impossible for them to live with their biological parents? For thousands of children in this situation, the answer is to a foster home and, eventually, if they are lucky, to adoptive parents. But for too many children, the experience of foster care brings only frustration and sorrow. Trapped in situations in which they can neither return to their own parents nor be freed for adoption, these children move from one home to another, “adrift in foster care."

Here, in a sensitive, thought-provoking book, noted author Margaret O. Hyde examines the workings of America’s system of foster care, a system that has been called “a national disgrace.” Drawing heavily on actual case histories, she examines the weaknesses of the present system and stresses efforts that are being made to change it through legislation, court action, and innovative approaches in family counseling.

Viewing adoption as one of the goals in planning for children in foster care, Mrs. Hyde emphasizes the adoption of children who are hard to place because of age, race, or physical handicap, as well as the adoption of children from overseas. Also included is a special discussion of the controversy over sealed adoption records, focusing on the problems and rewards that face adoptees who want to find their biological parents.

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About the Author: Margaret O. Hyde is well known as the author of over forty books for young people, many of them on current social issues. Her books for Franklin Watts include Crime and Justice in Our Time, Juvenile Justice and Injustice, and Suicide: The Hidden Epidemic.

A graduate of Beaver College, Mrs. Hyde holds a master’s degree from Columbia University, and an honorary Doctor of Letters awarded by Beaver College. She has had a distinguished career as a Science teacher and was head of the science department at the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She has also written several documentary programs for television.

Margaret Hyde and her husband live in Burlington, Vermont.

From the Back Cover: Over 300,000 American children live with foster families because their own parents cannot give them proper care. Many foster children feel secure and loved in their foster homes, but others feel like “nobody’s child.” Foster Families examines the foster care system, the challenges facing it today, and some alternatives to it.

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Compiler’s Note: The two books from the “Facts About” Series listed here—Adoption (1989) and Foster Families (1991)—seem illustrative of the biases of the time in which they were published. The photographs used to illustrate Foster Families depict only black children and white foster parents, whereas, while the children depicted in Adoption range from white to black, the adults are nearly all white.

From the Publisher: Foster Parenting: A Road Less Traveled is an actual account of Howard and Geneva Coleman and their experience in fostering over 24 children in their home from 2000 to 2007. This is also a book with strong religious overview that uses scripture to explain the unique role of a care giver. Everyone has a gift. Some have the gift of giving and sharing their home with children who are in desperate need of love and attention. Foster Parenting: A Road Less Traveled is also a training book for perspective and adoptive parents who are interested in becoming foster parents or adopting a child.

From the Publisher: A Foster-Adoption Story tells the story of a brother and sister experiencing abuse, neglect, multiple foster care moves, sibling separation, and eventually adoption. The goal of this workbook is to open the door to discuss difficult topics; issues like abuse, neglect, birth parents, and loyalty conflicts. It can be used as an aid in helping children heal; one that allows them to read about “kids like me.” Youngsters can color the pictures as they wish and share their feelings as they go along. This workbook will be a useful therapeutic tool to help children process their experiences and grief along the path to healing.

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About the Author: Regina Kupecky has Masters Degree from John Carroll University. She has worked in the field of adoption for over thirty years. She currently works with children with attachment disorder and their families at The Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio (www.abcofohio.net) and conducts training nationally and internationally on many adoption and attachment-related topics. Her services to children were recognized by the Ohio Dept. of Human Services in 1990 when she received the “Adoption Worker of the Year Award.” Ms. Kupecky is the co-author with Dr. Gregory C. Keck of Adopting the Hurt Child and Parenting the Hurt Child. Her other publications include: My Brother My Sister: Sibling Relations in Adoption and Foster Care curriculum “Siblings Are Family Too,” published by the Three Rivers Adoption Council; a chapter on infertility issues, co-authored with Karen Anderson, in Clinical and Practice Issues in Adoption (Groza and Rosenberg editors); Abroad and Back: Parenting and International Adoption, a curriculum co-authored with Arleta James and Gregory C. Keck, Ph.D.

Christine Mitchell lives in California with her husband and two children: one through the miracle of birth, one through the miracle of adoption.

From the Publisher: This colourful and informative booklet follows a similar format to Adoption: What it is and what it means and fulfills a similar need. It describes in accessible and jargon-free language:

• what fostering is;

• how fostering is different from adoption;

• the different types of fostering;

• how children come to be fostered;

• what foster carers do;

• identifying and then moving in with the right foster family;

• care plans;

• birth parents and contact; and

• school and health matters.

It includes poems from young people who have been fostered plus quizzes about famous people and well-known fictional characters who were fostered which will entertain children and hold their attention. There are also useful addresses and phone numbers and space for agencies to add their own local information at the back.

From Publishers Weekly: Thomas, et al., direct this sequel to Free to Be ... You and Me toward concerns of the ’80s, with an emphasis on the different configurations of the “ideal“ nuclear family caused by divorce, remarriage and other factors. Freedom here means being able to talk about negative emotions: worries about nuclear war, missing a long-absent father or anxiety about being adopted (shown in a simulated “Superman” comic). But the blissful moments that are also a part of children’s lives seem missing from this book, almost as if the editors believe there are enough happy endings in the world, and that kids need ways to “work through problems.” Admirable goals, but they make for a somewhat sobering outlook on childhood. The almanac-style book features stories, poems and songs by such authors as Shel Silverstein, Charlotte Zolotow and John Steptoe, and such celebrity contributors as The Fat Boys, Kermit the Frog, Carly Simon and Whoopi Goldberg. It’s a rarity in today’s market, and one to be embraced by parents who believe that this perspective is a realistic one—one that may help their children along the bumpy road of growing up. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher: Friendship is so complicated! The children of The Adoption Club think they are friends—they go to the same school and belong to The Adoption Club. But what does it mean? What is the difference between a casual and a close friend? How should you respond to teasing? It’s time for The Adoption Club to explore friendship. Written for counsellors and therapists working with children aged 5-11, as well as adoptive parents, this workbook is designed to help explore friendship, staying safe and social skills. It is one of a set of five interactive therapeutic workbooks featuring The Adoption Club written to address the key emotional and psychological challenges adopted children often experience. Together, they provide an approachable, interactive and playful way to help children to learn about themselves and have fun at the same time.

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About the Author: Regina M. Kupecky, LSW, has worked in the adoption arena for more than thirty years as an adoption placement worker and therapist. She was named “Adoption Worker of the Year” in 1990 by the Ohio Department of Human Services. She is currently a therapist with Dr. Keck at the Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio, where she works with children who have attachment disorders. She trains nationally and internationally on adoption issues, sibling issues, and attachment. Ms. Kupecky authored a resource guide, Siblings Are Family Too, which is available through the Three Rivers Adoption Council in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has coauthored a curriculum with Dr. Keck and Arleta James called Abroad and Back: Parenting and International Adoption and has written a curriculum on sibling issues titled My Brother, My Sister: Sibling Relations in Adoption and Foster Care.

From the Back Cover: Greenhaven Press’s At Issue series includes a wide range of opinions on a single controversial issue. Each volume includes both primary and secondary sources from a variety of perspectives—eyewitnesses, scientific journals, government officials, and many others. Extensive bibliographies and annotated lists of relevant organizations to contact offer a gateway to further research. Each inexpensive volume enhances critical thinking skills and is an excellent research tool for reports.

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Table of Contents:

Introduction

1. Gay Marriage Threatens Families by Stanley Kurtz

2. Homophobia Threatens Families by Sharon Underwood

3. Gay Parenting Places Children at Risk by Tim Dailey

4. Gay Parenting Does Not Place Children at Risk by American Civil Liberties Union

5. Gay Adoption Is Commonly Accepted by Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute

6. Gay Adoption Should Not Be Accepted by Paul Cameron

7. More Gay and Lesbian Teens Are Telling Others They Are Homosexual by Robert E. Owens Jr.

8. Parents Should Be Supportive of Their Gay and Lesbian Children by Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays

9. Parents Should Encourage Their Gay and Lesbian Children to Become Heterosexual by Mark Hartzell

10. Canada Leads North in Gay Marriage Rights by DeNeen L. Brown

11. Gay Marriage in Canada Is a Form of Religious Persecution by Deborah Gyapong

12. Christians Should Support Gay Marriage in Canada by Vaughn Roste

13. The Massachusetts Ruling Endorsing Gay Marriage Is Misguided by Stuart Taylor Jr.

14. Gay Families Are Gaining Greater Recognition by David Crary

Organizations to Contact

Bibliography

Index

From the Dust Jacket: • Are you bothered by some trouble that will not go away?

• Do you think it is so big, or so unusual, or so complicated that it can’t be solved?

• Would you like to get help but don’t know how to begin or where to look?

If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’ve already taken an important step in solving the problems in your life—you’ve picked up this book.

Get Help is a comprehensive guide to the helping organizations that exist and the types of aid that are available for the most common—and complex—teen difficulties. Listed are more than one hundred national groups that can help you directly or through referrals, usually at little or no cost, and with confidentiality guaranteed.

Arranged by thirteen of the most prevalent teen troubles—from abuse and alcoholism to eating disorders, from sexual health to financial and legal problems—it describes each organization’s expertise and capacities to help, and details what to expect once contact has been made. It also shows how to evaluate the type of help offered and get the most benefit from it.

So whatever your problem, you can find help—with Get Help.

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About the Author: Sara Gilbert adds Get Help to her growing list of highly praised self-help books for teenagers. Her previous works have covered weight control, living with a single parent, job-hunting strategies, and successful test-taking practices. The author was born in Washington, D.C., and now lives in New York City.

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Compiler’s Note: The book includes a brief chapter entitled “Adoption” (pp. 30-34), which includes contact information for the New York Headquarters of the ALMA Society, as well as another, Minneapolis-based group called “OURS,” which is described by Personal Finance columnist Diana Cole in an article in the Sunday, August 16, 1987 edition of the New York Times, entitled “The Cost of Pursuing a Private Adoption,” as a “clearinghouse for information on adoptive families’ support groups.” Additionally, some groups to whom a pregnant teen might turn for “counseling on every aspect of pregnancy—from temporary housing through placing a baby for adoption or support in parenting skills” are listed in the chapter entitled “Sexual Health” (pp. 87-94).

This high quality resource for young people in foster care is a companion resource to the training course Teenagers in Foster Care Promoting Positive Relationships. Packed with quotes from young people, foster carers and social workers it explores issues related to promoting positive relationships for young people in foster care. It covers: moving, trust, school, friends, social workers, living in foster families, health, sex, risky business and much more!

From the Publisher: Nothing raises a child’s anxiety more than the unknown. My Adoption Workbook carefully guides the child and social worker through the entire process from separation to post-adoption. Exercises are designed to reduce fears and to promote a healthy child-to-parent relationship. Special emphasis is given to helping the child:

• Explore fears or fantasies

• Work through abuse, trust and love issues

• Build self-esteem

• Handle new situations

• Adjust to change

Also included: Commitment Ceremony, Candle Ceremony, Adoption Pledges.

Fun games include: Family Trivia and Who Decides?

What happens in the household when a family with three children adopts another child into their home? Gifts To Each Other is the tender and true story of one family’s tale before they adopted and the changes that occurred after, with the “gift” referring to the family members themselves. Not only does it honor the adopted child, but it is also a tribute to those who are already in the family. Preschool and early elementary-school-age children will enjoy discovering the reasons why this family was so eager to adopt. The beautiful watercolor pictures come full circle to complete the story, captivating both youngsters and adults alike. Gifts To Each Other is an excellent introduction to the concept of adoption, for both adoptive and traditional families. With a Christian emphasis, Gifts To Each Other encourages the belief that God cares and wants to be involved in our lives. About the Author: Andrea Stephens and her husband, Kendell, live in northern Indiana. They are the parents of four children: two who attend Greenville College, and two still living at home. The Stephens family enjoys music, snow skiing, and the beauty of nature. Andrea loves being involved in the lives and activities of her family, as well as volunteering in her church and community. In her spare time she enjoys teaching piano lessons, participating in group Bible studies, decorating, and most of all, sewing Quilts. Gifts To Each Other is Andrea’s first book and a small part of the story her family has experienced.

From the Back Cover: At the vulnerable age of 12, Lara McDonnell was picked out by a gang of men who befriended her, showered her with attention and gained her trust. Impressionable, she was easily manipulated and groomed by the gang, who deliberately kept her compliant with drink and drugs. It wasn’t long before she was being trafficked around the country and her life spiraled out of control.

Deeply disturbed and terrified of what the gang would do to her if she tried to escape their evil clutches, it would take over five years for Lara to find the strength to fight back.

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About the Author: This book is a work of non-fiction based on the life, experiences and recollections of the author. The names of people, places, dates, sequences or the details of any events may have been changed to protect the privacy of others.

Following Lara’s horrifying ordeal, she found the strength to become a key witness in the trial of Britain’s most evil sex ring and has since rebuilt her life with her son and adoptive mother.

From the Publisher: “We ‘gotcha’ in hot, hot July, when fireworks are aglow. We ‘gotcha’ in sultry August, when back to school we go.” What are “gotcha days”? Those are the days when the circle of a family widens to embrace a child. Those are the days when adoptive parents finally get to welcome their new children into their forever home. All adopted children are sure to feel special and loved when they learn about the day they joined their families-a story parents will never tire of telling and kids will never tire of hearing. In this warm, whimsical book, kids are adopted from around the world; all children can see that there are other families just like theirs. Regardless of race or nationality, one thing is clear: love is what makes a family. Kids will love the repetition of the “gotcha” rhyme, and parents will appreciate the chance to start talking with them about their adoption and their own gotcha day. As a bonus, kids will learn about the months and seasons of the year! Whether you want to give a gift to an adoptive family or celebrate your own child’s gotcha day, Gotcha Day is sure to win a special place in the homes and hearts of families everywhere.

From the Back Cover: Why was I abandoned?
Why did my parents adopt me?
What if I want to meet my biological parents?

Children who find out they are adopted have many questions that are difficult for a parent to answer. This book explores children’s thoughts and feelings and provides parents with guidance on how to respond to difficult questions.

The author covers all the common questions that children ask and provides sensitive, candid answers in a way that children will be able to understand and relate to. Each chapter is devoted to a particular issue, such as why a child is adopted, who the child’s birth parents are, and what happens when the child grows up. The book recognizes the emotions and reactions of everyone in the family and includes separate conclusions for parents and children.

This handy guide offers useful advice for parents and will also be of interest to counselors and other professionals working with children.

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About the Author: Fanny Cohen Herlem is a child psychiatrist and medical director of the adoption service, Doctors of the World. She has been helping children and their parents in her practice for the past 25 years.

The Green Book is a story for the adopted child and parents too! As a parent facing the idea of telling your child that they are adopted, can be challenging this book will help guide you. The book itself means a great deal to me. I am an adopted child and this book represents how I was told as a toddler and what being adopted meant to me.

From the Dust Jacket: How does it feel to grow up with parents other than those responsible for your birth? How do you explain your adoption to others? Does adoption cause special problems or does it make a family even stronger? What would you say to your birth parents if you met them?

Author Maxine B. Rosenberg posed these questions and more to fourteen adoptees—eight children and six adults. Their answers and their life stories make a moving documentary on the adoption experience—in the present and recent past. While youthful adoptees speak of knowing about their adoption forever, many adults describe their beginnings as closely guarded secrets. Although each story is unique, family—what it means, its strength, and the human need for it—is the common denominator.

Like its companion, Not My Family, Growing Up Adopted is an illuminating resource for children and adults alike.

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About the Author: Maxine B. Rosenberg’s tenth children’s book is a logical follow-up to her ALA Notable Book for younger readers, Being Adopted, which featured her Korean-born daughter, Karin. For Growing Up Adopted, Ms. Rosenberg interviewed dozens of adoptees, representing a variety of ages and adoptive situations. From these conversations, she selected the stories, insights, and wishes that seemed most meaningful to children, like her daughter, who have grown up with the facts of their adoption but who have yet to face the complexities of search or raising their own families. As with all her compelling and deeply personal books, Ms. Rosenberg writes, “In the end, both the subjects and I have grown from this project. They learned things about themselves that in many instances they had not put into words before. And I learned more about what it means to be adopted. I hope others—adoptees young and old, parents, and social service workers—will equally benefit from these candid conversations.”

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By the Same Author: Being Adopted (1984, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard) and Talking About Stepfamilies (1990), among others.

Guess Who’s Adopted? is a fun-filled book celebrating the lives and achievements of famous adoptees! You will discover fun facts and trivia about adopted celebrities, including Faith Hill, Bill Clinton, Steve Jobs, football great Daunte Culpepper and even the one and only Superman! There is also a special page reserved for your “superstar” adoptee! Just follow the directions on our website www.guesswhosadopted.com and you can add a personalized page to your copy of the book honoring your very own celebrity! Guess Who’s Adopted? celebrates diversity. It’s pages are filled with positive facts, trivia and heartwarming adoption quotes. Children and adults will marvel at all of the “superstars” in our world who are adopted...including themselves! Your child will enjoy learning about a variety of famous adoptees and their personal successes...and may even dream of what his or her own future holds! About the Author: Laura Kowalczyk Richards is a former elementary school teacher and the blessed mother of four children Jolie, Caroline, Caelin and Jake. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with a minor in Marketing and a Master’s degree in Education with a Teacher Certification for grades Preschool through 8th. As an adoptive mother, Guess Who’s Adopted? was a labor of love created for the sole purpose of celebrating the world of adoption. What began as a verbal game of “guess who else is adopted” with Laura’s firstborn and adopted daughter, Jolie, Guess Who’s Adopted? evolved into a fun-filled, positive book for children and adults alike! Not only will they marvel at such a variety of superstar adoptees, they will also be thrilled when they see their very own personalized page right there along with the celebrities! In her family and in her classroom, Laura believes teaching children to celebrate and honor diversity is the first step in creating a more peaceful, accepting world. Guess Who’s Adopted? is not only a fun-filled book for pleasure, it is also a tool that can be used to teach children that diversity is a beautiful thing and it really does make the world an exciting place!

From the Back Cover: With over 500 hand-picked titles, Healing Stories recommends carefully selected books essential for any adult looking to help children cope with their growing pains through reading. Annotated with helpful commentary, this book discusses children’s titles covering everything from kids’ everyday trials (losing baby teeth, starting school, having a bad day) to more emotionally stressful events (death of a pet, moving, illness), giving adults all the information they need to choose the right books. Healing Stories features useful tips to make reading fun and helpful for both adults and children.

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About the Author: Jacqueline Golding, PhD, is a psychologist who works with children in private practice. She is an adjunct professor at the University of California, San Francisco and a fellow of the American Psychological Association. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

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Compiler’s Note: See, particularly, Chapter 16: Adoption (pp.139-147).

From the Dust Jacket: Growing up gay often means growing up confused and in search of information. It can mean growing up isolated and desperate. In candid first-person interviews and photographs, this book proves that being gay can mean something else. Speaking from many perspectives, from that of a young teen to that of a grandmother, the nineteen people profiled here describe some of their most compelling, and often painful, stories. They talk about coming out to family and friends, about being closeted in the army, about reconciling their religion and homosexuality, about being kicked out of home and out of school, about fighting AIDS and fighting prejudice and fighting to save their families.

This is a book for many people. It is for the gay teen who needs to believe there is something to look forward to. It is for the straight brother, friend, daughter, or neighbor who needs to understand that gay people are “just like me” but that they also have a culture and community all their own. Perhaps most important, the voices in this book will help everyone more clearly see the gay and lesbian community as proud and diverse people with their own history, stories, and future.

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About the Author: Roger Sutton is editor of The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. He is a well-known critic and teacher in the field of children’s books and formerly worked as a children’s and young adult librarian. As he says in the introduction to this book, he set out to create a work of nonfiction that would “show teenage gays and lesbians that life goes on past junior-high humiliation and high-school ostracism” and that would give teens a sense of gays and lesbians as a community, “united in history, culture, political goals, and perpetual disagreement.” He lives in Chicago.

Lisa Ebright has been working as a professional photographer for more than eighteen years. She has done many kinds of photography, including portraiture, theatrical photography, documentary work, and fine art photography. Her work has appeared in books, magazines, and newspapers, including Newsweek, the Advocate, Personal Property, and the Chicago Tribune. She lives in Chicago.

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Compiler’s Note: See, particularly, Chapter Eleven: Carol Sadtler and Jackie Taylor (a lesbian couple who adopted two children from Peru).