Let's Talk About It: Adoption

Fred Rogers opens the door for adopted children and their parents to safely talk about their good and sometimes not-so-good feelings in a book about the joy of belonging and the love that unites families. 'Rogers' unaffected delivery has a way of making scary things unscary, which should help parents as much as kids.? —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 'The premise of this book-that it is good for families to talk about feelings-is a welcome one to apply to the subject of adoption.' —School Library Journal

Discusses what it means to be part of a family and examines some feelings that adopted children may have.

Fred Rogers opens the door for adopted children and their parents to safely talk about their good and sometimes not-so-good feelings in a book about the joy of belonging and the love that unites families.

Publishers Weekly

In tackling another difficult subject for children, Mr. Rogers of PBS-TV fame stresses that this photo-essay is intended as a jumping-off point to spark family discussions. However-perhaps as a result of providing such leeway-Rogers's text is vague and lacking specific information. He emphasizes the basic need for a loving family unit: "Being in a family means belonging. You could belong in your family by being born into it, or you could belong in your family by being adopted into it.'' The "how'' and "why'' questions sure to arise from this simplified presentation are thrown into the reader's court. Rogers also suggests helpful ways for children to deal with feelings that commonly accompany discussions about adoption. Though they seem somewhat posed, Judkis's photos of three ethnically diverse families gives this treatment a believable universality. Ages 3-6. (May)

Producer, magician, writer, puppeteer, minister, husband, father, Fred Rogers started out in children's television thirty years ago. The direction he trailblazed was the "creation of television programming that spoke, with respect, to the concerns of early childhood, not as adults see it but as children feel it."

He has received virtually every major award in the television industry for work in his field, and dozens of others from special-interest groups.

Fred Rogers lives in Pennsylvania.