ALA Booklist (Fri May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Another collaboration by the team behind God Gave Us You (2000), this book will resonate with many adopted children as well as their adoptive parents. The story is presented as a cherished and much-repeated bit of bedtime conversation between Mama Fox and Little Fox. Asked about "the day I came home," Mama talks about how long she dreamed about and waited for Little Fox. Little Fox asks, "You were lonely for me?" and Mama's affirmative response, for which several spreads of illustrations are provided, makes them cuddle all the closer: her pain is simultaneously shared and assuaged by Little Fox. Little Fox also asks about why he couldn't stay "with the mother who had me," and Mama responds in a warm and assuring tone. Bryant's appealing images, mostly gentle pastels, are sweet but not saccharine, portraying these anthropomorphous animals as intelligent, loving, and wonderfully matched. A nice introduction to adoption for any child, adopted or not.

Horn Book (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

A mother fox tells her child about waiting for God to find her the right pup and of eventually adopting him. Religious families might find this to be a useful book about the topic of adoption. While the friendly illustrations have child appeal, the sentimental text has none.

Kirkus Reviews

Bergren and Bryant continue their popular God Gave Us series with this entry that addresses adoption from a religious perspective. The characters are a mother fox with traditional rust coloring and her adopted son, a young white fox. The gentle text tells of the adult fox's longing to become a mother, her long period of waiting and her prayers and faith in God, with the birth mother and her place in the story also gracefully acknowledged. Though the text is lyrical and smooth, the unusual syntax of the repeated refrain "God found us you" interferes with the flow of the story at first reading, though this usage is a focal point of the series. The use of "us" in that phrase is deliberately left ambiguous, as no father fox is shown, making this story suitable for single adoptive mothers or for adoptive families with same-sex parents. Bryant's appealing watercolor illustrations show the tender love between mother and child against soft-focus backgrounds of a cozy forest and with borders of twining vines. (Religion/picture book. 2-5)

School Library Journal (Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

PreS-Gr 1 In this story about adoption, a little white fox asks his rust-colored mama, "tell me again about the day I came home." She begins by describing how she dreamed of holding him in her arms. Seeing other mothers with their babies, she explains, made her lonely, so she prayed and waited patiently for God to answer her prayers. Little Fox wonders why he couldn't stay with the mother who had him, and Mama assures him that "she must have had very big reasons to give you up." Little Fox's mother promises to be his "forever mama," and tells him she will always celebrate "the day that God found us you." After she tucks him in, Little Fox says his prayers and falls into a contented sleep to dream about the day he came to his cozy home in the big woods. Bryant's delicate illustrations in pastel shades augment the heartfelt message of Bergren's simple story. Scenic paintings portray the loving relationship between Mama Fox and her child, and are framed with decorative flowers, vines, and stars. This woodland tale answers many questions adopted children may ask their parents. Rose Lewis's I Love You Like Crazy Cakes (Little, Brown, 2002) is a more traditional story on the subject. Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA