Amy Angel Goes Home: A Spiritual Tale of Adoption

Amy Angel Goes Home is such a reassuring story about a baby in the waiting-to-be-born heaven. It is merely one prespective of how we can explain to our children the fateful course that brings children and adoptive parents together, and it is very reassuring. I read one review from a birth mother who didn't like the brief commentary on the birthlady, as she's termed in the book. But honestly, I think the book's purpose isn't to purposely downplay her role at all. The purpose of the book is to reassure the child that there was a divine plan, and does briefly mention that this birthlady did God's will. The intention is to be reassuring to the child and emphasize the love the his adoptive parents have for him or her. . .and it achieves this in a beautiful story. Not so well-suited for the child who is adopted past infancy, unfortunately. But I think the author does a wonderful job a telling the heavenly tale of adoption!

This is the best adoption book I've seen for explaining adoption to children! It focuses on the adoption being part of God's plan. It starts in heaven where baby angels are learning baby skills to earn their stars and be born. The Great Guardian Angel shows each child the parents "God wants YOU to have". The babies instantly love the parents they are shown. Amy, a soon to be adopted child, sees her parents and sees the "Light of Love" - shining from their hearts. Charlie, who will live with his biological parents, sees the Light of Love in his parents plus the "Glow of Life" in his mommy. Amy is sad because she does not think her parents are ready for her, as her mommy does not have the Glow of Life in her tummy. The Great Guardian explains that her parents have been praying for her arrival for a long time and are more than ready. Amy is also shown her birthmother, who is described as having ..."love so dear to do God's will for Amy here. She (birthmother) is God's messenger who will deliver you to your parents." When Charlie is born, he goes to his parents by train. The Great Guardian Angel tells Amy she will arrive by boat. "I don't care how I get there. I just want to go HOME", replies Amy. When Amy is ready to be born the sailboat is surrounded by angels, which the Great Guardian Angel explains as angels wanting to "feel the special joy of your parents' love too." Amy falls asleep in the sailboat and wakes up with her adoptive parents.

My almost 5 year old really likes this book, and I like it also because it discusses adoption from a spiritual perspective. However, I was left uncomfortable with how it only lightly touches on the important role of the birthmother (and doesn't mention birthfathers at all). The use of the words "birth lady" felt awkward to me, since I think birthmothers deserve more recognition than that. Besides that point, I would highly recommend it for adopted children.

When my wife and I were "soon to be" adoptive parents I read the reviews for this book, smiled and cried, then ordered it immediately. This is the most heart warming book I've read about adoption, described and illustrated in a somewhat spiritual way that children (and adults alike) can understand. I've recommended and bought the book as a present for other adoptive parents as well. And, through a twist of fate later discovered that my wife and I know the author! Our 18 month old adopted daughter will soon be understanding this wondrous story of how God planned for her to be our child, and the journey that she took to be with us.

I bought this book when my daughter was about 8 and asking me a lot of "why" questions about adoption. She knew her cousin and several friends had been adopted. We read it together, snuggled in bed, and enjoyed the author's view on adoption, which in essence is that things have worked out exactly as they should have, according to God's plan. And that parental love, whether those parents are birth parents or adoptive parents, is heavenly. The photographs are lovely, too, and it's a great book to read with your child.