Kirkus Reviews
An adoption story told from the point of view of two parents about the love they have for their adopted child.As this father and mother prepare a room and toys for their child, readers learn through words and detailed pictures that their child will be loved. Once the child is home, the parents learn what treats the child likes, introduce the child to the extended family, take the child to preschool. Throughout the book, it is evident that the characters live in an affluent community. Thanks to details such as multistory houses, massive amounts of plants and decorations, clothing, and accessories, readers know that this child lives well. The story is illustration-heavy with one to two sentences per double-page spread, encouraging readers to carefully view each page to understand the characters' emotions. Both parents have pale skin, he with brown hair and she with black; one double-page spread in which they speculate about the child they have not yet met depicts pictures of children of many different races, but the "you" of the text is a pale-skinned child with a black pageboy. Though this is an adoption book, the focus of the book is not always on the child's homecoming; at times it is about how much she is loved and what her childhood experiences are, illustrating that an adoption is an event that happens, not an ongoing process.A tender, beautifully illustrated picture book depicting adoption as a way to grow a family. (Picture book. 4-6)
Publishers Weekly
(Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
Two parents-to-be eagerly await their adoptive child in this loving tale. In sparse prose addressed to the anticipated addition, Brown conveys the impatience and abstraction of expectation: -We did not know what your name was,/ or if your eyes were brown or blue.- As the two affectionately prepare for the child, tidying a room and providing a stuffed bunny (-A rabbit always makes winter warmer-), Dalvand-s delicate, heavily patterned art shows toys waiting restlessly at a window, sweeping the floor, and cozying the bed and bath. And when the parents meet their child at last, the muted, springlike palette shifts into saturated reds, yellows, and greens, invoking the joy and warmth of contented family life. Tender and contemplative, this volume is an apt ode to the process of welcoming any lovingly awaited child. Ages 4-9. (Oct.)