A Bear Named Song: The Gift of a Lifetime (A New Family Classic)

Kimberly Anne Shope was a young teenager when she wrote this book, and yet it is the best book for adopted children I have ever read. Told in a tender, loving way, it tells the adoption story from the point of view of the birth mother, and also the adoptee. As the mother of two adopted daughters, I treasure this book, and hope my daughters will pass it down to their children.

My 3 year old adopted daughter from Korea checked this book out from our church library. I had no idea it was about adoption. It appeared to be just another story about Christmas. When I read it aloud to her, I cried. First the little girl has a special doll named Amy, the same name as my daughter's special doll. Then 8 year old Robin gives away Amy to a less fortunate girl whom she visited on Christmas Eve(tears). The empty doll bed that night brings a mixture of sorrow and joy(more tears). On Christmas morning, Robin receives the toy bear that she wanted and names him Song to remind her of the song of joy in her heart when she gave away Amy(tears again). Lastly when Robin grows up and finds that she cannot have children of her own, she applies the lesson she learned long ago: When you give away something valuable, you get something precious in return. Robin and her husband turn to adoption to find their something precious. They find it in Kimberly, the little girl who is the author of this book(many tears now). Truly a wonderful book with many emotions and a great way to tell children about adoption.

A Bear Named Song--The Gift of a Lifetime is one of, if not the best book for children on the sub- ject of adoption that I have ever read. The first part of the book, in which a girl sacrifices a favorite doll so that a less advantaged girl can have it puts us in touch with the birth mother's perspective. In my own experience with open adopt ion, my daughter's birth mother had the exact same feelings described in the book. The second half of the book is from the perspective of the adoptive parent and the adoptee, and it is a very accurate account of the feelings of all concerned. It is all very touching and I must admit that no matter how many times I read it, I always cry.