Books » Adoption Books

The go-to guide for everything you want to know about international adoption



From the initial decision-Is adoption right for you?-through returning home with your child-How can you ease the transition?-The Complete Book of International Adoption takes parents step by step through the entire process of adopting a child from another country.


You will find:

• An easy-to-understand analysis of the differences between domestic and international adoption

• Advice on choosing a country, including 25 important factors to consider, such as the waiting times involved and the estimated costs for each of the top placing countries, with charts for easy comparison

• A detailed discussion of the potential health issues based on the latest research and interviews with doctors who specialize in international adoption

• Worksheets and a suggested system for preparing and organizing the extensive paperwork involved

• Parenting tips to enhance attachment and suggestions for addressing the issues that come up in raising an internationally adopted child

• Real parents' stories and advice at every stage of the process

• Plus all of the information you need to select your agency, plan financially, prepare for the home study, travel sensibly, evaluate your child's health and integrate your new family


More than just provide the facts, TheComplete Book of International Adoption also helps parents manage the emotional rollercoaster that comes with the territory. Sensitive, wise, and often witty, this book is a must-have for any parent considering building their family through adoption.

Twenty-two writers-from Tama Janowitz and Peter Carey to Amy Hempel and Bob Shacochis-share their complicated journeys to parenthood, whether they involve surrogacy, in vitro fertilization, or adoption. Included are inspiring accounts of families that defy the traditional definition, from homes with same-sex partners to those with single parents or stepparents. The first book of its kind, Wanting a Child finally gives voice to the heartbreak, hope, and elation experienced by the many who discover that parenthood cannot be taken for granted.

Counselors who deal with women in crisis pregnancies are frequently hindered by fear, negative preconceptions, and ignorance regarding one of the positive, life-affirming options available to women: adoption. Many counselors are unaware of the wide array of choices now available to clients seeking to place. Sadly, the failure to inform a woman about her alternativesƒincluding the possibility of placing in an open adoptionƒcan prove detrimental to both mother and child. Recognizing the needs of its clients, the Calgary Pregnancy Care Centre has embraced the adoption option. In addition to addressing volunteers' fears and equipping them to present the alternative in a positive, non-threatening manner, the Centre (based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) provides clients with ongoing support. The results have been striking: whereas the American adoption rate is one percent and the Canadian rate is two percent, Alberta's rate is four percent. The Centre itself has seen years in which up to ten percent of clients carrying to term have placed. Taken from the birth mother's perspective, and written for counselors, this book explains how Pregnancy Centers can support clients through the complex adoption and grief process. Its aim is to help counselors present the adoption option; enable clients to choose adoptive parents and nurture long-term relationships; support women through the grief process; run a successful birth mothers' support group; and contend with other pertinent issues. Included are extensive interviews with birth mothers and other members of the adoption constellation. Open adoption is a positive option. We have walked with birth mothers through decision-making, grief, and joy. We have seen their children thrive in relationships with both the biological and adoptive families. We have watched adoptive couples become advocates for open adoption. Our hope now is to equip other Centers to give clients this life-changing opportunity.

Cooperative Adoption is a Handbook for birth parents and adopting parents to include the birth family in the child's life. It details ways to negotiate relationships, protect the child's heritage information and best interests. Includes sample letters and forms for requesting information from agencies, courts, hospitals etc. Personal stories of families creating and preserving open/cooperative adoptions are included with photos.

Families don't just "happen"; they come together through God's plan-and ours-sometimes in unexpected ways. Called by God to adopt, and guided in the process by the Holy Spirit, Jaymie Stuart Wolfe takes us with her and her family on an extraordinary journey of faith and love.

The adoption lifebook of choice by more adoptive parents, This is Me! offers a classically-styled, traditional "baby book" look and feel to the popular lifebook format that's suitable for all adoptive families and their children -- whether adopted from the US or internationally as infants, toddlers, or even older children.

For this version, This is Me! also includes an information page on Russia incorporating a map and flag in color - plus additional pages to document your trip to Russia and information about your child's life in Russia before being adopted.

** Suitable for one and two parent adoptive families, traditional and alternative;

** Gender-neutral presentation, perfect for a boy or girl;

** Quality 9" x 12" padded white cover imprinted in gold;

** Unique post binding allows pages to be added and removed easily;

** Printed on acid-free parchment paper;

** 76 total pages - 37 information pages, 39 lined information-ready pages;

** Includes medical information pages and immunization schedules;

** 1 document sleeve and 2 sheets of vinyl photo pages to get you started;

** standard 3-hole format makes it easy to add additional photo sleeves and pages;

** Additional pages for birthdays up to age 18 and school through Grade 12;

** Also suitable for adoptive parents living outside the US

The adoption lifebook of choice by more adoptive parents, This is Me! offers a classically-styled, traditional "baby book" look and feel to the popular lifebook format that's suitable for all adoptive families and their children -- whether adopted from the US or internationally as infants, toddlers, or even older children.

For this version, This is Me! also includes an information page on China incorporating a map and flag in color - plus additional pages to document your trip to Russia and information about your child's life in Russia before being adopted.

** Suitable for one and two parent adoptive families, traditional and alternative;

** Gender-neutral presentation, perfect for a boy or girl;

** Quality 9" x 12" padded white cover imprinted in gold;

** Unique post binding allows pages to be added and removed easily;

** Printed on acid-free parchment paper;

** 76 total pages - 37 information pages, 39 lined information-ready pages;

** Includes medical information pages and immunization schedules;

** 1 document sleeve and 2 sheets of vinyl photo pages to get you started;

** standard 3-hole format makes it easy to add additional photo sleeves and pages;

** Additional pages for birthdays up to age 18 and school through Grade 12;

** Also suitable for adoptive parents living outside the US

Whether it's the joy-filled decision to welcome a child into your arms or the difficult decision to give your child another home-adoption is making the choice to love unselfishly and unconditionally.

Loved by Choice offers a clear and uplifting look at adoption through true stories told from virtually every perspective. Birth parents, adoptive parents, grandparents, adopted children, families working out an overseas adoption, and those creating interracial families are among those who share their joys and difficulties. The collection is a tender celebration of adoption, led by those who understand it best.

A wee one is found, softly whimpering, on a small patch of dirt in the heart of southern Vietnam. At the orphanage, they discover her name and birthdate scrawled on her arm. Although her physical deformity is glaringly obtrusive, her eyes reveal a wise soul full of desperation and a longing for acceptance.

The Greatest Gift is an exploration of the feelings and issues surrounding adoption. In a compelling, engaging narrative, Betsy Buckley interweaves an account of her experience with infertility and adoption with the stories of other adoptive parents, representing 27 different states and Canada. She provides practical information about all aspects of the process, from deciding to adopt to considering the social and cultural realities into which the child will be brought, using discussions with social workers and other professionals to expand and illuminate her anecdotal wisdom.