Our Wish for You

This was a super cute book. Beautiful message as well as pictures. This is one of those every library needs. There are not enough books on adoption and same sex parents on the shelf.

Just get this and read this book. It’s so moving. When one child gets adopted to a family, what the family wishes for the child is so well expressed in this book. Yes, you are loved even before you are adopted, dear child. Let’s never doubt about it.

Love the illustrations. The writing is so good. Hope this book finds a wide audience. It definitely deserves it.

Thank you, Charlesbridge, for the advance reading copy.

This book is so special and so needed. More books are needed about adoption and this book shows how much love goes into an open adoption. I loved how much diversity was included.

Thank you, Netgalley and Charlesbridge, for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a wonderful and needed picture book about open adoption! Every child deserves a loving home. It follows a woman who is pregnant and is looking for the right parents to adopt her child who want the same things she wants for her child. She finds two men looking to adopt who will be the perfect parents because they want the child to be happy and with a loving family like she does.
Inspiration was taken from the author and his husband's experience of adopting a son.
This book is filled with charming text and lovely illustrations. Do yourself a favor and order this book!
#OurWishforYou #NetGalley

The illustrations throughout the book were stunning and I think this would help younger children understand the process of adoption.

Our Wish for You by Dano Moreno and illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke is a sweet and calm book that introduces people to open adoption and the emotions that may be behind the decisions that pave the way. The illustrations feature diverse people throughout and focus on a bi-racial gay couple and the biological mother of their child. The writing is moving and beautiful.

What a wonderful book for families about open adoption. It gives a simple reason why someone may give their child up for adoption. It also talks about the love it takes to do that! I also liked that it featured diverse characters specifically same sex couples.

A beautiful book celebrating (and explaining a bit) open adoption. Perfect for families who have been through the experience, but also great for families who haven't. I will definitely buy and share this story with my own children so they understand more about the amazing families in the world. I will also recommend it for my friend who recently adopted a sweet baby girl. The illustrations are sweet and complement the story beautifully!

This book was so sweet. As someone who recently adopted a baby this book put so many of my feeling into words. I love that it was about open adoption and it not only showed the love of the adoptive parents but the birth parents as well. Adoption is such a selfless act on the birth parents part and I love that this book didn’t over look that. This will definitely be a book that I read to my son over and over again.

There is also a section at the end of the book that describes what open adoption means and gives a little more insight into open adoption. I felt that it was very informative on a topic that not a ton of people really know too much about.

I enjoyed this explanation of open adoption intended for children. It was thoughtful of both sets of parents and had a diverse set of characters.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is a sweet story introducing children to the concept of open adoption. This book used the illustrations a lot to capture the story, which was nice and cute. And though I did find the book sweet and lovely, I didn't think it was anything groundbreaking or a must-read for families going through open adoptions. I will recommend it if I get a RA question about open adoption.

What a beautiful, moving picture book on open adoption. I love how it depicts same-sex parents, and how it explains adoption to the child. There's only one sentence I'm not so sure of, "She searched for people who were ready for a baby" (about the birth mother), implying the reason she gives baby up is her not being ready. I'm not sure a child can understand that. But overall, a lovely and important book.

This story absolutely tugged on the heartstrings.

The adoption rules in the USA and New Zealand are very different, but the emotion and the story span across the oceans. Having a baby for any person feels like a monumental task and I related to the biological mother in this story, feeling like a mountain was creeping up behind her with the responsibility of looking after a small human. The idea of trying to find someone to raise this baby, but not exclude her was very real and the anxiety of finding the right people for the job made me feel a lot of empathy for her.

Enter the Dads, and gosh I have seen some Dads wanting children desperately, and all have been the most deserving people, and all the hopes and dreams they have for the children they cant biologically can must be so hard. What a blessing it must be to find a baby to fill that family gap they most desperately want.

This book made me so happy. Knowing families made up of fathers (and just mothers!) and knowing surrogates personally (or people opting to adopt out), this story was about inclusion and love, working together, dreams for the future and happiness shared across all parties. A delight to read and a book I will happily purchase for any of my friends that might find themselves in this position or for a child of such world. Thankyou for accepting my ARC read and it was a beautiful story.

A sweet and much-needed addition to the very limited selection of picture books focused specifically on open adoption. The sparse story follows an unnamed woman ("your birth mom") whose loving wishes for her unborn baby lead her to choose adoption, as she "didn't feel she could fulfill her wish on her own." The adoptive family, who present as an interracial gay couple, share her loving wishes for the baby and are depicted raising the child from birth. The story ends with the child's 5th birthday, where he is shown surrounded by his adoptive parents, birth mother, and other friends and family. An author's note discusses open vs. closed adoptions and shares that the authors became fathers through open adoption themselves.

There's a lot to like about this book, from the cheerful illustrations to the text's emphasis on "how many people love you." Unfortunately though, I think it misses the mark as a book that children will actually enjoy. The repetition of birth mom and adoptive dads putting their hands over their chest to feel their hearts fill with love seems a bit forced, and the shared wish for "giggles throughout the day, for hugs when there are tears, for dreams that lead to new adventures, for wonder in every step" again seems like something a parent will appreciate more than an actual kid.

I'm also not quite sure how I feel about the story being written as the adoptive parents talking to the child, leaving out the birth mom's own voice. While I appreciate that this is in fact the position of the authors - and certainly wouldn't want them to speak for her - I'd love to see a collaboration that includes a birth parent's perspective.

Rating 4/5 stars more for the idea than the execution, and hoping to see more books like this in the future! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing book about open adoption! I am on my on adoption journey and i have seen many adoption books but i think this is only the second ive seen about open adoption. Also one of the very few books who paint bio parents in a positive light. I love it.

This book beautifully tackles open adoption and how each person. The parent/s adopting the ones participating in giving their child for adoption. Both sets of biological and adopted parent/s have the same wish for the sweet little one. Shows that you don’t have to be a biological parent to wish the best for your child.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

I am reviewing this book as a therapist who specializes in trauma, adoption, and behavioral struggles. I follow a template for all books reviewed in this role.

Who do I recommend this book for? I feel that this is a phenomenal book for parents who have adopted through an agency with minimal complications. It introduces the concept of adoption appropriately and shows love on both sides of the equation. I do not feel that this book would be appropriate for kids adopted after being removed from biological parents. I feel children kindergarten and below will benefit most.

What does it add? This adds a relatable story to kids who are learning about adoption.

Will I use as a resource? Yes, I will use this as a resource for those who will benefit from it.

Any criticism? No, I feel that this is a great book and is beneficial to parents who have engaged in an open adoption.

Our Wish for You is a touching book about open adoption. Beautiful message, beautiful illustrations. We need more books about adoption in 'non-traditional' families in our libraries. Wonderful book for kids!

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this advanced review copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review on the book!

Wonderful illustrations and beautifully written. The topic of open adoption is not often written about in children’s literature. I appreciate the message and reminder that children are loved even before they are adopted.