Our Wish for You

A Story About Open Adoption

By:Dano Moreno/ Illustrated by: Ryan O’Rourke

This moving picture book about open adoption shares all parents wish for a childs life to be full of love and family.

One birth mother is pregnant with a baby and wants to find parents to adopt the child. Eventually she finds two dads who will be just the right parents, because they, too, share her same wishes of love and happiness for the baby. Author Dano Moreno drew from his and his husband’s experience with adopting their son to write a gentle, universal story about all the hopes, dreams, and wishes parents have for their children to live happy lives.

Sweet and tender, Our Wish For You is the perfect gift for growing families, baby showers, or adoption day celebrations.

If you like this book, youll enjoy these:
Brand-New Bubbe
Shh! The Baby’s Asleep
Forever Cousins

[TABS]

Look Inside

Downloadables

Download the Cover

Author & Illustrator

Dano Moreno, author

Dano Moreno started writing for kids when he became a father. When not writing, he works as a public health advocate and enjoys time with his husband and son in Portland, Oregon. He is also the author of Hope for Ryan White.

Read more aboutDano.

Ryan O’Rourke,illustrator

Ryan ORourke is the illustrator of many books for children, including Alphabet Trucks; Alphabet Trains; and Night, Night Curiosity. cargocollective.com/ryanorourke

Read more about Ryan.

Awards & Honors

• Coming soon!

Editorial Reviews

Booklist

Adoptive parents reflect on the hopes and wishes they share for their son with the childs birth mother, whose sustained relationship with the family unites the parents in love. Addressing the reader as the adopted child, the fathers emphasize the solidarity and unified vision of their open adoption. Before you were born, we wished for you. . . . We hoped and waited. The childs birth mother also made a wish just for you [but] . . . didnt feel she could fulfill her wish on her own. Through the matchmaking process, birth, and playful milestones, tenderly rendered in warm digital illustrations, the adults celebrate the growing childs emotional health and successes. Unadorned language and repetition of themes are heartfelt and gentle, with an emphasis placed on small moments and simple joys. An authors note briefly explains adoption types as well as his familys experience with open adoption. A welcome addition to the growing cannon of adoption stories, where open adoption is underrepresented, and an affirming message of love.

Children’s Literature

The unique scenario of open adoption gets a child-friendly overview in this picture book. Sometimes open adoption is the best possible option for some families. It allows for a child to maintain a connection with their biological family, alongside aspects of their identity and original culture. Writing based on his own experiences as an adoptive father, the author of the book describes the entire process in an accessible way. The story provides a close look at the birth mothers uncertainty, openly depicting her hopes and fears as she faces this momentous decision. It is very clear that she wants to do what is best for the child, even if she herself cannot provide for him directly. The adoptive parents serve as a positive portrayal of an especially underrepresented demographic, as an interracial gay couple. The fathers love and support their child, playing and exploring the world together as he grows. Illustrated in a bright cartoon-style, the pages are packed with warm depictions of the loving family. The text itself is very conversational, taking the perspective of an adoptive parent speaking to their child. An authors note further discusses the concept of open adoption. This unique variation on the typical adoption story is a great way to diversify a collections offerings about diverse family structures.

Details

Hardcover
ISBN:978-1-62354-355-6

Ages:37
Page count: 32
9 x 9

[/TABS]