Finding Joy

Written by Marion Coste, Illustrated by Yong Chen
Published by Boyds Mills Press, a Highlights Company, October 2006 
ISBN-13: 978-1-59078-192-0
ISBN-10: 1-59078-192-9

A picture book for all ages. Full color illustrations in watercolor. 32 pages.

Book Summary: When Shu-li is born, her mother and father wrap her in a blanket and take her to town. The government says that a family is allowed to have only one child. So they lay shu-li on the ground beneath a bridge. On her blanket they pin a note that reads This is our Shu-li. Please take care of her. No room for girls. Fortunately, She-li is found and taken to an orphanage. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a husband and wife in North America hope to adopt a baby from China. Marion Coste's moving story of a mother who makes the long journey to a faraway land to meet her new baby is tenderly illustrated by Yong Chen. Read More Reviews.

Awards

* Featured in MOSAIC 2007, an annual multicultural literature exhibit hosted by Lincoln (NE) Public Schools Library Media Services. The exhibit featured the best and most current multicultural titles from 2006-2007.

Reviews

"Beautiful double-page watercolor paintings."
—Booklist

"Chen's painterly watercolor spreads are appealing, with realistic depictions of both races. They complement the simple elegance of the text. The author's note offers an explanation of China's policies and traditions that cause parents to prefer boy babies. It is both comprehensive and easy for even young children to understand. ...Its handling of the harsh reality of the abandonment of baby girls in China is both accurate and sensitive."
—School Library Journal

"The cover of this book is a great enticement. The watercolor illustrations by Yong Chen are breathtaking yet realistic. Each page of the book draws you to turn the pages. ...It is a great way to explain the concept of multi-racial adoption to young children."
—Children's Literature

Wonderful entry into a difficult topic

"I purchased this book on recommendation from a fellow adoptive parent. We have all of the other popular picture books on this topic. I have been introducing my daughter's story to her slowly, without much interest on her behalf until we saw the opening pages of this book. She was totally facinated by the story and while the details from then on are different, she is able to comprehend how they apply to her own start in this life. In turn, it has started to unlock some of her questions and early conversations about our familyh. This book brings it front and center and has opened up a lot of great dialog and interest in the other pieces in our library.

It is beautifully and sensitively written and the illustrations are gorgeous watercolor drawing."

— Reviewed by an Amazon.com customer, K. Pollinger