Pact an Adoption Alliance's Favorite Books

Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections
edited by Jean MacLeod and Sheena McRae
A manual for adoptive parents that covers the ages from "birth through pre-adolescence," this book offers articles (most of which are relatively brief) from many different contributors on a very wide variety of topics relevant to parenting an adopted child, with an emphasis on topics relevant to parenting the internationally adopted child. Many of the articles are accompanied by a list of resources for further reading.

Pact says: A wonderful tool, easy to read and the suggestions are on target, making this a perfect gift for extended family.

After Tupac and D Foster
by Jacqueline Woodson
After Tupac is a deeply felt novel about the power of friendship. Two 11-year-old African American girls are suddenly joined by D, a girl in foster care who talks about the need to find your Big Purpose. When D is unexpectedly reunited with her mother, she is lost to them without warning. The book tells the story of their two year relationship and how changed they are by their connection to one another.

Pact says: A very well-written novel that does a unusually good job of depicting the depth and power of friendship between tweens moving toward the teen years. The foster/adoption aspect of D’s story is a bonus..

All Families Are Special
by Norma Simon
Beginning with an adoptive family, Norma Simon does a great job of describing the wide variety that exists among families. Big and small, one parent or two, adoptive or kinship, two mom's or none, she has made sure there is variety and validation for each and every constellation she describes and those she does not. With vivid illustrations, each family is talked about in terms that young schoolagers will relate to. Simon ends the book by talking about the ways families support each other during good times and bad.

Pact says: A very sweet book that affirms the differences between us while underscoring the significance of families. Ideal for classroom use or to curl up in a big chair and read with that child who needs to be reminded that his or her family is very special.
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American Eyes
Edited by Lori Colson
Short stories that burn with the conflicts and choices that occur when two cultures come together. The search for identity that is depicted in many of the stories sometimes leads back to Asian roots: in one selection, an adopted person journeys to her native Korea to find her biological parents. The many stories of culture clash and identity seeking, are relevant to all adopted youth, especially those of Asian descent.

Pact says: This book acknowledges racism for Asian youth and gives adopted Asians a context for seeing their own struggles toward identity in a larger context —opening the door to commonalities with non-adopted kids.

Antonio's Card/La Tarjeta de Antonio
by Rigoberto Gonzalez and Cecilia Alvarez
Antonio loves his routine-being dropped off at school by his mother in the morning and picked up by her partner, Leslie, in the afternoon. Some of the children in his class begin to make comments about Leslie's unusual height, her masculine appearance, and her paint-splattered overalls. It takes sharing a love of art and of family with Leslie for Antonio to feel ready to claim his family publicly. Sensitively written in English, with an excellent translation by Jorge Argueta, the narrative captures the social worries and concerns that children in all kinds of "nontraditional families" may experience.

Pact says: This story deals brilliantly with issues of inclusion.

An-Ya and Her Diary
by Diane Christian
An-Ya and Her Diary is a novel about an 11-year-old Chinese girl struggling to adjust to her new life in America with her adoptive family. Through the pages of her diary, the reader feels her confusion, her anger, and her slowly dawning understanding of what it means to be part of a family. This is a girl, and a family, who are going to make it. Written by an adoptive mother, there is compassion and understanding for the experience of an adopted girl that is both welcome and surprising.

Pact says: This is a well-written novel with a strong main character that depicts the complex emotional experience of someone adopted in middle childhood.

An-Ya and her Diary Workbook (Reader and Parent Guide)
by Diane René Christian
An-Ya and Her Diary is a novel about an 11-year-old Chinese girl struggling to adjust to her new life in America with her adoptive family. Through the pages of her diary, the reader feels her confusion, her anger, and her slowly dawning understanding of what it means to be part of a family. This is a girl, and a family, who are going to make it. Written by an adoptive mother, there is compassion and understanding for the experience of an adopted girl that is both welcome and surprising.

Pact says: The Reader and Parent Guide is a wonderful addition to the book and includes suggestions from adult adoptees and professionals.

Baby
by Patricia Maclachlan
Larkin and her friend Lalo find a baby in a basket with this note: “This is Sophie. She is good…. I love her. I will come back for her one day.” Larkin’s family welcomes Sophie, but her arrival forces them to come to terms with a secret loss. Some are afraid to love Sophie, always wondering if her mother will return for her. In time, though, Larkin learns to make peace with love and loss. This story of a family’s responses to an abandoned baby is told with a child’s voice and focuses on the child’s role.

Pact says: Holding the reader captive from start to finish, BABY is sure to inspire discussion about family building through adoption and foster families.

Because I Loved You: A Birthmother's View of Open Adoption
by Patricia Dischler
This unique blend of Patricia's personal story (20 years post-placement) combined with her advice and research as to what expectant parents considering an adoption can anticipate at each stage of the process is very helpful because it goes beyond the placement to adulthood of the child placed for adoption. Patricia is careful to a fault not to overstep her boundaries by trespassing on her son's adoptive mother's territory, and she is thoughtful and articulate in her advice and insight.

Pact says: by a welcome voice that is too often under represented in the world of adoption.
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Becoming Naomi Leon
by Pam Munoz Ryan
Naomi is biracial, Mexican and white, the only one in the family who looks like a person of color. Her mother left Naomi and her little brother with her grandmother when she was quite young. When Naomi's mother reappears after seven years, the family conflict that ensues pushes Naomi's grandmother to bring the kids to Oaxaca to search for Naomi's Mexican father. Naomi gets a chance to learn about and become a part of her Mexican extended family. While in Mexico, Naomi finds her cultural heritage and her own voice.

Pact says: This book explores many issues that are relevant to adopted children - particularly those adopted transracially. The book's themes of bridging several families, connecting different cultures, and forging a personal identity gives transracially adopted kids much to think about.

Becoming the Parent You Want to Be
A Sourcebook of Strategies for the First Five Years
By Laura Davis & Janis Keyser
A sourcebook of strategies for the first five years, this book offers a developmental approach for both children and parents. Provides parents with energy to explore, experiment and grow along with their kids. The authors examine both the needs of children and the feelings of parents. Dealing particularly well with the topic of kids who push limits, the authors suggest practical means for responding calmly and effectively.

Pact says: Thought-provoking, challenging and enriching, a great resource for every new and not-so-new parent's shelf.

Below the Surface
$6.50
A self-assessment guide for adoptive families considering adoption across racial or cultural lines. This learning tool will help pre-adoptive parents decide for themselves if transracial adoption is the right choice for their family. It is designed to give parents feedback as to how challenging this form of parenting is likely to be for them depending on their personality, lifestyle, attitude about race and knowledge of races other than their own Professionals will find this tool invaluable.

Comments from the field: "This was a useful tool for increasing our awareness of our experience as a transracial couple and family and for opening areas of exploration for us as a couple, as parents and prospective adoptive parents. For example, completing the survey helped us to recognize some important differences in our individual responses and contributions to parenting, given that one of us is Caucasian and the other Hispanic. Until now, we had focused on our simlar interests and shared bilinguality, but we had missed that for one of us transracial issues have been central to learning to be a parent, while for the other these issues have not arisen at all. Thanks for helping us dig deeper."

Susan McKenna & Rafael Coto

Bulk pricing is available at the rate of $5.00 for 11-100, $3.50 for more than 100. Please email us for more information.
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Beneath the Mask: Understanding Adopted Teens
By Debbie Riley & John Meeks
This book gives clinicians and therapists insight into adopted teens and is an important new contribution to the field of adoption. Adopted teens are facing complex issues that require therapists and clinicians who are educated about their unique struggles. The authors identify six adolescent "stuck spots" and discuss some of the ways that therapists and parents can help children process the issues when they arise.

Pact says: Directed to clinicians, this book is very useful to parents as well - offering insight into what adopted teens are feeling. Excellent resource!

Beyond Good Intentions
by Cheri Register
Cheri, the white mother of two adult daughters adopted from Korea, has written ten essays about pitfalls that well-meaning parents like herself can easily slip into. The author’s advice is based on her own experience of raising her daughters, her daughters’ reflections on their childhoods, and the experiences of many other adult international adoptees. She is direct and honest in looking at herself and what worked as well as what did not work for her daughters and the many other adoptees she has worked with and interviewed.

Pact says: These essays offer a thoughtful, candid look at the intersection between parental feelings and expectations and an adopted child’s emotional needs, whether they were adopted internationally or domestically.

Black Baby White Hands: A View from the Crib
by Jaiya John
Transracial adoption remains a potent and charged idea in American social life. Now, the children of these adoptions are coming of age as adults. Dr. Jaiya John, through his honest memoir, presents us with a voice from deep within the heart of this cultural and psychological phenomenon. The first Black child in the history of New Mexico to be adopted by a white family, John’s story is a landmark. John’s adoptive parents taught him how to love; hence, he could readily accept and envelope his biological family. He takes a spiritual view of his path through adoption and life.

Pact says: A heartfelt memoir with a spiritual viewpoint.

The Black Male Handbook
by Kevin Powell
In his collection of essays for Black males on surviving, living, and winning. Kevin Powell taps into the social and political climate rising in the Black community, particularly as it relates to Black males. The Black Male Handbook creates a different kind of conversation—man-to-man and with Black male voices, all of the hiphop generation. The book tackles issues related to political, practical, cultural, and spiritual matters, and ending violence against women and girls.

Pact says: A welcome addition to any parent of Black children. Note: The book largely takes a traditional Christian viewpoint.

Black Stats: African Americans by the Numbers in the Twenty-First Century
by Monique W. Morris
Black Stats—a comprehensive guide filled with contemporary facts and figures on African Americans—is an essential reference for anyone who wants to check their facts about the African American population in 2014. With fascinating and often surprising information on everything from incarceration rates, lending practices, and the arts to marriage, voting habits, and green jobs, the contextualized material in this book will better attune readers to telling trends while challenging commonly held, yet often misguided, perceptions.

Pact says: Bravo to Ms. Morris. This book should be a reference in every school, every library and every family who cares about the well-being of Black children and families in America.

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Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life, A
by Dana Reinhardt
Simone has always felt different. As a member of a middle class professional family, studying for her SATs, facing dilemma’s about choosing to get drunk, having sex with boyfriends and smoking dope, she also happens to be adopted. Her parents ask her to consider meeting with and having contact for the first time ever with her birth mother, something that at 16 she isn’t sure about. She eventually agrees and finds that it really matters to her to find out her story.

Pact says: This book reads very true to upper- middle class teens who may be afraid to stir the emotional pot of search but in fact struggle to feel whole without information. A really good read.

Can We Talk About Race: And Other Coversations in an Era of School
By Beverly Daniel Tatum
Tatum starts with a warning call about increasing but underreported resegregation of America. A self-described “integration baby” born in 1954, Tatum believes that schools can be key to forging connections across the racial divide. Her strong voice calls into question many of the assumptions and approaches that schools have taken in addressing (or not) the success of children of color (and particularly Black children).

Pact says: We consider Beverly Daniel Tatum to be one of the truth-tellers about our current state of race relations and issues.

Caucasia
by Danzy Senna
Explores the internal cultural tug of war of a multiracial family. When their family breaks up, Birdie's Black father and sister move to Brazil to find racial equality, while Birdie and her white mother take on new identities and move to a small New Hampshire town where Birdie passes for white. Birdie tries to fit in but struggles to find a way to make both her white and black heritage to count. Her search for her sister leads to a search for her own identity.

Pact says: This is a well written book about the struggle for racial identity that multiracial youth face, particularly highlighting the differences between growing up with a strong African American influence versus living in a predominantly white environment.

Chocloate Me!
by Taye Diggs & Shavne Evans
Chocolate Me! tackles the topic of racially motivated teasing using simple text appropriate for even very young readers. The author notes that he spent part of his childhood is a predominately white community where he was constantly asked why his skin was dark and his hair kinky. The boy in the story is having the same experience. An appealing book with an affirming message about feeling good about one’s self - no matter what others might say. The book specifically affirms the beauty of African American skin and hair.

Pact says: A book that can offer a way to open the conversation with young children about a difficult experience.

Colorblind
byTim Wise
Wise presents a very good argument that we are in no way living in a post-racial era. He takes the arguments often put forth by the liberal left and the conservative right and picks them apart one by one, using facts, details and statistics that are hard to argue with. If you already agree that we are a very long way from being “beyond” the issue of race, Wise will give you a detailed analysis to support that claim and a very nuanced picture of the many ways in which race impacts politics and public policy.

Pact says: Very interesting, well-written and accessible. If you are a reader who does believe in being “colorblind” Wise will give you a great deal to think about. Highly recommended.

Daughter of the Ganges
by Asha Miro
Daughter of the Ganges is a moving, 2-part account of the author’s search for her roots in India, from where she was taken as an almost 7- year old to be adopted by a loving couple from Barcelona, Spain. The first part of the book details her first trip back to India as a 27-year-old, yearning to find the missing pieces in what little information she has about her first seven years of life. It is in the second part of her book, detailing her second return to India and her search for biological family, that her story takes some surprising turns, and where her simple language is used to greatest effect in describing what she discovers, and how it impacts her.

Pact says: She writes eloquently about the importance to her of searching and finding that connection, of seeing herself reflected in biological family members and of finally being able to imagine what her life would have been like had her circumstances been different. This last is a question that she had struggled with throughout her life in Barcelona.

Dave The Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave
by Laban Carrick Hill, Illustrated by Brian Collier
Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave.

Pact says: Dave The Potter, is a beautifully written book about an enslaved African man who was a talented potter. The book paints a lovely picture of Dave's artwork and how his pieces were crafted, but it seems to gloss over the fact that it was a brutal system that stole people’s freedom, families, and lives. As part of a collection this book is a great addition, as a stand-alone book to explain slavery this book is not enough.

Day of Tears: A Novel In Dialogue
by Julius Lester
This powerful and engaging historical novel is told in dialogue and through monologues. It also moves around in time, from the period when the story takes place to "interludes," in which the various characters look back on these events years later. It begins with a factual event-the largest slave auction in United States history that took place in 1859 on Pierce Butler's plantation in Georgia. Each character is well drawn and believable. Both blacks and whites liberally use the word "nigger," which can be jarring. The text itself is easy to read and flows nicely. Different typefaces distinguish the characters' monologues, their dialogues with one another, and their memories.

Pact says: Lester has done an admirable job of portraying the simmering anger and aching sadness that the slaves must have felt. Altogether this novel does a superb job of showing the inhumanity of slavery. It begs to be read aloud.

Dear Primo, A Letter to My Cousin
By - Tonatiuh, Duncan
From first-time author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh comes the story of two cousins, one in NY City, America and one in Mexico, and how their daily lives are different yet similar. Dear Primo covers the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of two very different childhoods, while also emphasizing how alike Charlie and Carlitos are at heart.

Pacts Says: Spanish words are scattered among the English text, providing a wonderful way to introduce the language and culture of Mexico to young children. A nice book for adoptees who are thinking about what life might have been in their country of birth vs what it is like in their American home.

Debating Race
by Michael Eric Dyson
Having risen from poverty to become an ordained minister and a tenured professor, Dyson has been called the Voice of Black America because of his ability to combine intellectual rigor with popular culture. Collecting 27 transcribed conversations with 27 thinkers, scholars and pop-political commentators, Dyson and company tackle practically every angle in America’s experience of race, including the legacy of the civil rights movustement, immigration reform, affirmative action, urban poverty and the war on terror.

Pact says: Dyson is controversial and provocative, offering real insight into the state of race in America.

Dim Sum, Bagels and Grits: A Sourcebook for Multicultural Families
by Myra Alperson
Alperson will take you on a thoughtful, provocative and cheerful personal journey into the identity issues of multicultural adoptive families through her own experience of adopting her daughter Sadie from China as a single mother. This fascinating introduction to the diversity of approaches and attitudes among such families is enriched by voices not often heard from. Including lively stories from transracial adoptees and adoptive parents along with the author's own straightforward views.

Pact says: Alperson's approach provides a wonderful jump start to the thinking of anyone considering transracial adoption.

Dona Flor
by Pact Mora, Illustrated by Raoul Colon
Un cuento de una mujer gigante con un gran corazon / A tall tale about a giant woman with a great big heart. A combination of color washes, etchings and pencils along with the expansive story and imagination of Mora, give Dona Flor a brilliant intensity that is representative of Latino lore. Spanish words and glossary. n a charming tale set in the American Southwest, Dona Flor is larger than life. At first the children are intimidated, but they grow used to Flor, who is always willing to help them out and learn that people’s hearts are more important than their looks.

Pact says:A beautiful book; a story with heart and imagination.

Dreamer, The
by Pam Munoz Ryan, Illustrated by Peter Sís
The Dreamer is a fictionalized biography of the life of Chilean poet, activist and Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda. It is a beautifully written book that contains elements of magical realism and poetry. The story is of Neruda’s childhood with a harsh, critical father who belittles his son’s imagination and sensitive nature. He struggles both to understand his father’s criticism and meet his demands and to find a way to be himself. Neruda’s life is changed by a kind uncle who appreciates Neruda’s gifts and provides an example of someone who stands up for his beliefs in the face of threats and adversity.

Pact says: There are many wonderful themes in the book and Ryan’s lyrical prose is a pleasure to read.

Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It Like It Is
by Abigail Garner
The author, who was herself raised by her gay dad and his partner interviewed over fifty adults in their 20's and 30's who had gay or lesbian parents. She offers an insiders' perspective on what it is like to grow up in an LGBT family, covering topics like coming out, how kids talk about (or hide) their LGBT parents, kids' experiences at school, how the children develop their own sexual identity, HIV/AIDS, and family breakup.

Pact says: This book is a must read for LGBT parents. he refreshingly acknowledges the challenges as well as the joys faced by kids and gives their parents and others who work with them some invaluable information.

Finding Miracles
by Julia Alvarez
In spite of her family's openness, Milly Kaufman has never wanted to talk about her adoption. However, during ninth grade, Pablo Bolívar, a refugee from an unnamed Central American country, joins her class and immediately identifies her as someone who might have come from his family's hometown. The strength of this book lies in its description of adoption issues-Milly's feelings of abandonment and difference and her sister's fear that Milly's increased identification as Latina will destroy their close relationship.

Pact says: This book explores adoption and race in a way that will satisfy many teenagers who are thinking about these issues themselves and of course Alvarez is a really good writer.

First Part Last
by Angela Johnson
A Coretta Scott King award winner, this novel tells the story of a young father struggling to raise an infant. His parents are supportive but refuse to take over the child-care duties, so he struggles to balance parenting, school, and friends who don’t comprehend his new role. As one teen reviewer says; “You can’t go out and have fun all the time; you would have to stay in the house and take care of your child.”

Pact says: An opportunity for teens to concretely think about what it means to be a parent that includes real honesty about the struggles not just the glamour and appeal.

Girl Who Fell from the Sky, The
by Heidi Durrow
In her first novel, Durrow draws her own experience of growing up biracial through Rachel who, like Durrow, is the daughter of an African American man and a Danish woman. Rachel struggles with racial identity when her family moves from Europe back to the United States, as she responds to peoples expectations of her and how they expect her to act out her blackness.

Pact says: This is a great read that explores the intersection of race and class as well as the challenges and assumptions from both the white and black communities about how education, speech and her looks place her within the racialized continuum of her identity as a member of the African Diaspora.

Hank Zipzer Collection
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Includes 4 titles: Niagara Falls, or does It?; I Got A "D" in Salmi; Day of the Iguana; The Zippity Zinger. These are laugh outloud books, as Hank and his friends (who just happen to be Chinese and African American, from middle class professional families) romp together through various antics and funny situations mostly created by Hank's struggles in school. Hank has learning differences which are really coming to the fore now that he is in fourth grade. Any child facing these issues will feel better about themselves and their struggles because of Hank and his fantastic ideas and adventures.

Pact says: This is a great series and a wonderful read, especially for kids facing learning challenges.

Hank Zipzer Series: A Brand-New Me!
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
It’s graduation time for Hank and all his friends— time to move on to middle school. The only problem is that there are tests that Hank has to pass in order to get into the same middle school as his friends.

Pact Says: This series is filled with laugh-out-lout reads that highlights the challenges of kids facing learning disabilities and ADHD, reminding us with humor and clever storytelling that for all the struggles there can be positives to having a “different kind of brain” as well. Really useful for kids who struggle with learning challenges and the diverse friend group portrayed in the books is a great bonus!

Hank Zipzer Series: A Tale of Two Tails
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
When Hank decides to train his dog Cheerio to become the schools’ mascot, he thought it was a great idea. The only problem is Cheerio would rather slide in the mud in the park than practice his walk and jumps.

Hank Zipzer Series: Barfing In The Back Seat
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank's Dad decides to enter a crossword-puzzle tournament, and wants to make a family road trip of it. The only caveat is that Hank has a homework packet to finish before they get there...which he somehow manages to lose at one of the stops along the way.

This series is filled with laugh-out-lout reads that highlights the challenges of kids facing learning disabilities and ADHD, reminding us with humor and clever storytelling that for all the struggles there can be positives to having a “different kind of brain” as well. Really useful for kids who struggle with learning challenges and the diverse friend group portrayed in the books is a great bonus!

Hank Zipzer Series: Day of the Iguana
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
It's science project time in Ms. Adolf's class. This is good news and bad news for Hank-he loves science, but he hates the report part. So Hank turns to TV to take his mind off things. That is when he discovers his sister's iguana laid eggs in the cable box!

Hank Zipzer Series: Dump Trucks and Dogsleds: I’m on my way, Mom!
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank's mom is having a baby and Hank is not thrilled about having to share his room. To cheer him up, his Dad takes him on a ‘pre-baby” ski trip but when his Mom calls to say the baby is coming early, Hank and his Dad have to find a way home from the trip, even though a freak snowstorm has hit.

Hank Zipzer Series: Help! Somebody Get Me Out of Fourth Grade!
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank's Parent-teacher conferences are coming up, and his teacher might tell his parents some awful things; like that He will have to repeat the fourth grade! What is Hank going to do?

Hank Zipzer Series: Holy Enchilda!
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank's class is putting on a Multi-Cultural Day lunch; He is so excited – no reading, no writing-just cooking! Hank decides to make enchiladas but after his teacher takes a bite, her face looked like it was on fire!

Hank Zipzer Series: I Got a "D" in Salami
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
The most dreaded day of Hank Zipzer’s school year is report card day. When He finally gets it, it shows a D in spelling, a D in reading, and a D in math. Hank needs help, and he needs it fast!

Hank Zipzer Series: My Dog’s a Scaredy-Cat: A Halloween Tail
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank decides to create the scariest haunted house ever and invite the school bully over to show him what scary really is. The only problem is Hank's dog Cheerio, is so scared of the haunted house that when Hank tries to find him, he's nowhere in sight!

Hank Zipzer Series: My Secret Life as a Ping-Pong Wizard
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
When Papa suggests that Hank takes up Ping-Pong, he decides to give it a try but keeps it top secret because he thinks the other kids will tease him about it not being a "real" sport. But as it turns out, Hank is so good that he manages to get all the way to the Ping-Pong championship!

Hank Zipzer Series: Niagara Falls, or Does It?
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank Zipzer, he’s smart, he’s creative, and he’s funny. He wants to do well in school – he really does. Hank tries not to be lazy, like his parents claim. So why is he always getting into trouble?

Hank Zipzer Series: Summer School! What Genius Thought That Up?
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Summer’s finally here and Hank's best friends are going to this really cool summer camp. And what is Hank doing? He is going to summer school!

Hank Zipzer Series: The Curtain Went Up, My Pants Fell Down
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank's school is putting on the play "Anna and the King of Siam" and Hank is trying out for the part of the King. There’s only one small problem; his Dad tells him that in order to be in the play, Hank has to get a B-plus on his math test!

Hank Zipzer Series: The Life of Me (Enter at your own risk)
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Life was looking pretty good for Hank when Mr. Rock became his substitute teacher. But when he tells Hank he should go to his special after-school reading program, Hank is not so happy. That is until a really good thing happens: He meets this really cool (and cute) girl in the program.

Hank Zipzer Series: The Night I Flunked My Field Trip
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
For a field trip, Hank's class is spending the night on a replica of a tall-masted sailing ship. It all sounded great until it turns out to be the worst field trip of the year!

Hank Zipzer Series: The Zippity Zinger
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
When Hank Zipzer is chosen as his team’s softball pitcher, the pressure is on. Can Hank lead his team to victory-even though he thinks he is the worst athlete in the history of the world?

Harris Narratives, The
by Sue Harris O'Conner
Sue is rare in her ability to create narratives that are both raw and honest while also being instructive in the deepest sense. If you pay attention, you will gain insight into the truest aspects of the intersection of race, adoption and humanity in the context of transracial adoption. Take the opportunity to be moved and educated about how to be a better parent and better child welfare advocate.

Pact Says: These intimate narratives address the deepest experiences of race, culture, identity and self esteem in a very personal way that is both brilliant and joyful. Every person, parent and professional working in or touched by adoption should read this.

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans
by Kadir Nelson
This book is unique in it’s telling of American History from the perspective of African Americans. It is more of an overview than an in depth work of history, but contains details that one often doesn’t learn in school. The story is told in the voice of an old man passing along the story of African Americans to the younger generation, giving it a conversational feel that reads much more like a story than a textbook. The book is greatly enriched by Nelson’s incredible artwork.

Pact says: A wonderful introduction to African American history for younger children that is engaging and very readable..

Heart of Parenting, The: Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child
by John Gottman
This book is a guide to teaching children to understand and regulate their emotions, a skill the author calls “emotional intelligence.” On the basis of two ten-year studies of more than 120 families, the author argues that children who learn to acknowledge and master their emotions are more self-confident, physically healthier, do better in school and are more likely grow into emotionally healthy adults.

Pact says: In adoptive families, being able to express and deal with difficult emotions is extremely important, for both parents and kids. The book’s guide for how to empathize with your kids and how to talk with them about hard feelings like fear, sadness and anger is a tremendously helpful tool. Be aware that the book’s chapter titled “The Father’s Crucial Role” is dated and weak.

Heaven
by Angela Johnson
"Last night Momma and Pops kept saying they should have told me what they had to tell me sooner. It's what people who haven't told the truth always say...." At fourteen, Marley is shocked to find out she was adopted. The truth seems to change everything. How could her parents have lied? Is her brother really her brother? Does she belong? As she processes the disclosure, Marley finds peace, realizing that her relationships with her family remain the same. She comes to understand both that they belong to each other as they always have and that it is important to know about her birth family and her birth heritage.

Pact says: A compelling book that expresses some of the fears and uncertainty adopted kids can feel at this age with a positive resolution for all.

Henry's Freedom Box
by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
The story recounts the true story of Henry Brown, a slave who was separated from his family and eventually meets and has three children with another slave. In a heart wrenching scene depicted in a dramatically shaded pencil, watercolor and oil illustration, Henry watches as his family—suddenly sold in the slave market—disappears down the road. Henry then enlists the help of an abolitionist doctor and mails himself in a wooden crate “to a place where there are no slaves!”

Pact says: the story depicts the evolution of a self-possessed child into a determined and fearless young man. A good way to help parents talk with their children about slavery and other losses (like adoption) that have to be overcome.

How To Open An Adoption
by Patricia Martinez Dorner
A guide toward opening adoptions for adoptive parents, birth parents of minors and professionals. This book covers the benefits of opening adoptions; the issues raised if the request is initiated by adoptive parents or birth parents; professional help; preparation for contact; the first visit; the role of commitment of all the adults; when there is inequality among adoptive siblings; reopening open adoptions and more.

Pact says: Adopted children shouldn’t have to wait until they are eighteen to have their questions answered. Contact allows children to receive answers directly.

How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk
by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
An excellent communication tool kit based on a series of workshops developed by the authors. Faber and Mazlish provide a step-by-step approach to improving relationships with your child. The “Reminder” pages, helpful cartoon illustrations, and excellent exercises will improve your ability as a parent to talk and problem-solve with your children. The book can be used alone or in parenting groups, and the solid tools provided are appropriate for kids of all ages.

Pact says: This book has great practical suggestions and models conversations and scenarios for practice.

Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited
Paula Bernstein and Elyse Schein
What Begins as an Adult Adoptee’s search for a birthmother, transforms to a search for an Identical Twin and the mysterious circumstances surrounding their separation as infants. After discovering they were part of a “Nature vs. Nurture” social experiment that resulted in the authors separation and placements into different Adoptive families.

Pact says: A fascinating story told in 1st person about the twins' life experiences having been adopted into separate families and then reuniting more than 30 years later. Themes include the problems of sealed adoption records, the potential for unethical practices by adoption agencies, and adoptees' unique perspective of the world.

Identity Trap: Saving Our Teens from Themselves
By Joseph Nowinski
Violent behavior, eating disorders., drug use and drinking; these are just some of the scary behaviors that are explored in this book. What is particularly relevant to adopted teens is the author’s premise that the solution to problematic behavior in children lies in their quest for identity. Dr. Nowinski offers solutions for parents seeking to help their children get to the root of their search and stop harmful behavior

Pact says: This book is highly relevant to adoptive families of teens and pre-teens because it focuses on one of the core issues of adoption: identity.

In God's Name
by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, Illustrated by Phoebe Stone
Everyone and everything in the world has a name. What is God’s name? In this appealing book relaying God’s many names, the energetic illustrations enhance the feeling of celebration. The visual elements of this book elicit a sense of wonder in the reader, all the more moving because people from many cultures share the belief in a higher power.

Pact says: This book can be particularly comforting to adopted children trying to make sense of their personal journey in a spiritual context. Non-deonominational, written by a Jewish Rabbi with an eye to interfaith sensitivity.

In On It: What Adoptive Parents Would Like You to Know About Adoption
by Elisabeth O'Toole
A book written forextended family and friends of adoptive families, In On It provides as solid introduction to the world of adoption. There are some great explanations about why new families might need space at first and the very particular kinds of support that parents adopting older children might need. And the way O’Toole addresses the need to respect a child’s privacy and a child’s birth family/country of origin were probably the best part of the book.

Pact Says: O'Toole gets a major ding for her discussion of adoption records, where she states that adoption records were sealed and legally inaccessible IN THE PAST, unfortunately this is still true in most states in 2013! To the authors credit, she has changed this for the 2nd printing.

In Their Own Voices
by Rita Simon & Rhonda Roorda
In this collection of interviews conducted with Black and biracial young adults who were adopted by white parents, the authors present the personal stories of two dozen individuals who hail from a wide range of religious, economic, political, and professional backgrounds. How does the experience affect their racial and social identities, their choice of friends and marital partners, and their lifestyles? In addition to interviews, the book includes overviews of both the history and current legal status of transracial adoption.

Pact says: This book should be in the library of every transracial adoptive family. Rhonda’s personal experience as an African American woman raised by white parents makes this volume compassionate and real.

In Their Siblings Voices
by Rita J. Simon & Rhonda M. Roorda
A companion collection of interviews conducted with the white siblings of black and biracial adult adoptees who were interviewed for In Their Own Voices. The narratives collected here detail the many sides of the transracial adoption experiment. The book offers more balanced insights from individuals whose parents made the decision for them but now offer their insights and reactions to the expeirence from their unique point of view.

Pact Says: This volume is the capstone in a landmark trilogy. There is no other work like it. It is historic, important, and provocative, with many findings that will be the primary source for scholars, as well as anyone interested in this complex subject.

Inside Transracial Adoption, Second Edition
by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg
Completely revised in 2013, this rewritten classic "moves beyond the debate to offer real solutions to real challenges. Reinforces the message that race matters, racism is alive, and families built transracially can develop binding ties." “Eloquent, interesting, and intensely practical, you can’t read this book without thinking differently about your own life as a child, a parent, and a member of our diverse society.” “Brimming with facts, examples, challenge and inspiration, and plenty of hard-nosed practical advice.” “Every adoption professional and transracial parent should read this book.”

Pact says: Humbly, since Pact’s co-founders wrote it, we think it’s pretty good!

Is That Me Yelling? A Parent’s Guide to Getting Your Kids to Cooperate Without Losing Your Cool
Rona Renner, RN

Unlike other parenting books on the topic written by psychologists and doctors, this one is written by a registered nurse who includes her personal experience alongside her professional experience, making it more useful to the busy lay person who may not have the patience or inclination to wade through clinical jargon. Part one focuses on understanding why parents yell and we think is the most interesting to me, while part two offers strategies to reduce yelling.

Pact says: Renner writes, “Calming your own state of mind is at the core of communicating with your children with love and respect.” All in all, this is a very good and helpful book that offers a nice view of mindfulness as it relates to discipline and family life.

It's All Good Hair: The Guide to Styling and Grooming Black Children's Hair
by Michele Collinson
Learn how to do coils, knots, twists, and more. Featuring hair-care and styling tips from a variety of experts, and learn the secrets to braiding, relaxing, and locking,. Detailed instruction on how to care for a variety of hair textures from bone straight to wavy, to tightly coiled and everything in between. This book covers parting to combing to cornrows, twists and braiding. It also covers some basic style for boys.

Pact says: Nice reminders for readers about the importance of telling their children that they are beautiful and smart as they spend time together combing and styling.

It's Okay To Be Different
by Todd Parr
The colorful illustrations are integral to the text, often the "funny" is in the image. “It’s okay to have wheels” shows a kid in a wheel chair. “It’s okay to be a different color" shows a horse with a rainbow coat. “It’s okay to be adopted" shows a small yellow creature with a big blue eye and a big smile peeking out of a smiling big brown creature’s pouch.

Pact says: The central idea of acceptance, understanding and confidence is the unstated message of every page, but the book is not sappy or sugar coated. Good job! Funny and upbeat, this bright book delivers through a series of one-liners kids will relate to.

It's Perfectly Normal
by Robbie Harris & Michael Emberley
Changing bodies, growing up, sex, and sexual health

Pact says: This is an informative, well crafted guide that addresses kids’ concerns about their changing bodies and how they function. Best of all, it includes multicultural models and promotes an acceptance of difference beyond the norm, including wheelchair-bound people, aged people, Gay and Lesbian people, skinny people, fat people, people of all races — in short, a great diversity, and all treated with respect. Both physiological and psychological aspects of the issues are covered. Though topics of sexuality and sexual development are difficult for some, this book provides a positive foundation for discussion. This honest, trustworthy and highly entertaining book about sexuality and growing up is notable for its nonjudgmental section on homosexuality and for including same-sex couples throughout its illustrations. Truly excellent, on all counts.

Jacket, The
by Andrew Clements, Illustrated by McDavid Henderson
Story of a young white boy who begins to realize that he has assumptions and no intimate dealings with African Americans. At one point he says to his mom, “I realize I am prejudiced, why didn’t you tell me that I was?” As the story progresses he begins to realize that his mother and father and friends are, too, as they live in an all white neighborhood and don’t interact with Black people except superficially. He makes a visit to the young boy who was given his brother’s old jacket and comes to the realization that Black people aren’t really any different than he is, it was his stereotypes that were different.

Pact says: An exploratory novel told from the point of view of the white boy, this is a direct and simple story about race-based assumptions.

Kids Like Me In China
by Ying-Ying Fry
“Hi! My name is Ying Ying,” this book begins. “I am eight years old and I live in San Francisco. Like lots of kids in my city, I’m Chinese American. But I wasn’t born that way. When I was really small, I was just Chinese. Then my American parents came and adopted me, and that’s how I got the American part.” Ying Ying was adopted from an orphanage in Changsha, Hunan province, when she was a tiny baby. She speaks both Mandarin and English and is in third grade at the Chinese American International School in San Francisco where all of her studies are in both languages.

Pact says: Her parents have lived and worked in China and are also able to manage in Mandarin without an interpreter. The families’ language ability allowed them to interact on their own during this first visit to the “Social Welfare Institution” where Ying Ying spent her first weeks of life. Ying Ying was able to get to know the children and caregivers and really observe what orphanage life was like.

Kimchi & Calamari
by Rose Kent
This one is a definite keeper. Joseph is a 14-year-old boy with a great sense of humor, a love of candy and comic books, and some anxiety about asking a girl to the school dance. Joseph was adopted from Korea as an infant by his very Italian parents. They are supportive, loving parents but bad at talking with him about his adoption. Joseph is left in a quandary when he’s assigned an essay at school about his heritage and his parents just assume that writing about their Italian ancestors will suffice. He does some investigating on his own with the help of his best friend and a new boy who recently moved to the area from Korea. And in the end, Joseph’s parents do come through for him.

Pact says: A beautifully written and engaging story about learning trust and becoming part of a family that has great appeal..

Learning the Dance of Attachment
by Holly van Gulden & Charlotte Vick
A small book that packs a huge punch. Filled with practical advice and specific suggestions for how to enhance attachment in children of all ages, this books is popular for all families that have worked with Holly or know her work. As a parent herself, Holly understands that attachment is a lifelong process of learning to trust and believe in the relationship of adoption.

Pact says: The book gives parents and children real encouragement as they solidify their mutual attachment, which leads to children behaving better and parents feeling confident. Really helpful, especially for families with challenging children.

Let's Talk About Race
by Julius Lester, Illustrated by Karen Barbour
Lester does a great job of talking about race and racism in terms that young children can absorb. “Why would some people say their race is better than another? Because they feel bad about themselves. Because they are afraid..." Using simple words interspersed with bold pictures of people with different skin colors, Lester gives children language with which to understand how race matters and how it doesn’t; “Beneath everyone’s skin are the same hard bones,” in the end, offering the opportunity to understand race as one, but not the only or the defining, characteristic of one’s self.

Pact says: Gives parents a way to talk about a topic that they are sometimes fearful to tackle. Every family should have this book.

Liberation of Gabriel King, The
by K. L. Going
Frita Wilson and Gabriel King, Frita also happens to be the only Black child in their 4th grade class and Gabriel happens to be afraid of almost everything that takes courage. In the summer between their 4th and 5th grade year, Frita and Gabriel embark on a plan to overcome their fears that turns out to include some powerful lessons about oppression and standing up to racism.

Pact says: Frita and her family are a wonderful model of a strong African American family, Gabriel and his family learn what it means to be white allies against racism in a backdrop of the 1976 South including members of the Ku Klux Klan. A great book to introduce the need to speak out and band together against racism.

Lifebooks; Creating A Treasure For Your Child
by Beth O'Malley
This book offers clear advice about how to create a lifebook with your child stressing its importance in strengthening self esteem and identity. Filled with examples and suggestions for difficult subject matter.

Pact says: Because there has been a disconnection in the life of every adopted child, even if adopted at birth, it is very helpful to have recorded information about children’s personal history. And remember, it is never too late to create a lifebook with your child and this book has great suggestions for conversations and activities that will promote further discussion and insight for children.

Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges
By Patty Wipfler & Tosha Schore
$17.95
Behavior is the language of children, and Wipfler and Schore echo this in their terrific parenting book. This book is a fantastic tool that helps illuminate how parents can act skillfully in the face of this truth and remind us that our children are completely precious and good and—get ready for this one—so are mothers and fathers. Listen includes a short review in an early chapter of what we know about how the brain works and heals from hurts. This neurological outline draws from and overlaps nicely with what has been popularized by authors and speakers that may be familiar to a Pact audience. This chapter is followed by a longer section that names, explains and illustrates the five tools promised in the book title.

Pact says: Overall, this book is an incredible resource for any parent, and can be cherry-picked as needed by Pact families. Definitely recommended.
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Love Me, Feed Me: The Adoptive Parent's Guide to Ending the Worry about Weight, Picky Eating, Power Struggles and More
by Katja Rowell, MD
Feed Me, Love Me is accessibly written, well-organized, and encyclopedic in the breadth of the feeding issues it tackles and the strategies it suggests. Rowell covers a wide range of topics including an overview of factors that can cause feeding challenges, a review of various therapeutic interventions families may encounter, and strategies for moving towards the Trust Model of Feeding.

Pact says: Rowell's book is based upon her experiences helping hundreds of adoptive and fostering families. Their stories, often told in their own words, are useful and inspiring.

Lucky Girl
by Mei-Long Hopgood
Mei-Ling Hopgood has written a wonderful memoir, Lucky Girl, about her reunion with her birth family in Taiwan. With her clear prose and journalist’s eye for detail, she creates a compelling story of how the relationship begins and how it develops over the years through visits and letters.

Pact says: One of the strongest aspects of Lucky Girl is the way Hopgood captures the complexity of reunion. As their relationships develop beyond first impressions, she learns some of the secrets and painful events that have shaped her birth family and the lives of her siblings. This inevitable evolution takes her readers on a rollercoaster ride of joy and sorrow, disillusionment and acceptance.

Making Room in Our Hearts: Keeping Family Ties Through Open Adoption
by Micky Duxbury
Micky, a therapist as well as an adoptive parent (and Pact member!), interviewed hundreds of triad members about their life stories and experiences with open adoption. Based on interviews with over one hundred adopted children, birth and adoptive parents, extended family, professionals and experts, this book is an effective and invaluable resource.

Pact says: There is no other book that offers a compilation of first hand stories of families living with open adoption. It is especially useful for those considering open adoption as it demystifies and offers a realistic model for what is best for kids. Kudos!

Mama Miti
by Donna Jo Napoli
A lyrical and beautifully illustrated book inspired by the life of Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai that describes the importance of the greenbelt movement in a very personal way, through the experiences of women who come to her for help. The text is simple and lyrical (She ends each encounter with, “Thayu nyumba – Peace, my people.”) and depicts the greenbelt movement and it’s importance from a very personal standpoint.

Pact says: A beautiful and inspiring book. Kadir Nelson did the book’s illustrations – these are a mix of paint and collage – and they are as powerful and beautiful as the rest of his work..

Just knowing about books is not enough. We all hear that reading is good for children but many parents don't know how to start or how to make reading fun for their kids. They are looking for help in deciding how to choose books for themselves and particularly their children. Parents as well as clinicians and educators are often looking for strategies for how to use books to jumpstart important conversations with children about their feelings and concerns about race and adoption. An excellent resource on these topics is Mirrors & Windows, a booklet about using books with young children written by Pact for parents and teachers. Topics Include: Book Facts, Helping Children Love to Read at Different Ages and Stages, Choosing Books, How Reading Helps Children Process Feelings, Suggestions for Teachers with Adopted Students.

Monster
by Walter Dean Myers
Monster is a gripping, complex novel about a 16-year-old boy on trial for his life. Steven Harmon is a “good” boy from a loving family—a good student who agrees to be the lookout in a drugstore robbery. In the course of the robbery, a man is killed. We see Steven’s absolute terror, both of losing his future to prison and of the violence surrounding him in jail. We see the grief of his parents and his guilt at being the cause. We also get a look at the racial dynamics at play in the criminal system.

Pact says: A multi-faceted novel about how we are defined both by our choices and by the way others see us.

My Name is Maria Isabel
By Alma Flor Ada
Maria Isabel is hurt when her teacher decides to call her Mary to distinguish her from two other Maria’s in the class, but it interferes with her performance in school. Maria is proud of her name and heritage. Eventually her teacher understands.

Pact says: When shy Maria Isabel finally finds a way to tell the truth about her feelings she acknowledges that she isn’t comfortable trying to be someone else with a different name. The story speaks to experience of anyone who has felt insecure when authority figures seem to want to change their identity - the parallel to adoption is obvious.

My Sisters' Voices: Teenage Girls of Color Speak
Edited by Iris Jacob
This book is a compilation of writing from girls of color aged 11 to 19. The author/editor describes her journey to deciding to create such a book: "I felt my struggle had not been truly identifies. I felt as though girls of color had a unique and rarely validated struggle. I believed that in adoption to bearing the weight of being teenagers and female, we also carry the enormous issues of race and ethnicity. " Each piece is preceded by an often empathetic reflection by Ms. Jacob herself. Bravo!

Pact says: A wonderful contribution to the field that gives insight to adults and validation to girls as they journey towards womanhood.

Ninth Ward
by Jewell Parker Rhodes
New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina is the setting for this tense novel that blends the drama of the catastrophic storm with magical realism. Twelve-year-old Lanesha's teenage mother died while giving birth to her, and, because her mother's wealthy uptown family won't have anything to do with her, she is raised in the Ninth Ward by loving Mama Ya-Ya, 82, who feels like her "mother and grandmother both." This book has strong female characters and is well written with engaging characters and has a strong message about facing fear and adversity.

Pact says: There is an adoption theme: at the end, a vision of Lanesha’s birth mother appears to help her survive a crisis after having died in childbirth.

No Biking In The House Without A Helmet
by Melissa Fay Greene
This book was a light, funny read that appeals to a broad audience. Anyone raising children can appreciate Greene’s description of her family life. She writes about all of her children with a lot of love and genuine appreciation for them as people. The book is definitely about adoption – specifically international adoption of older children – but it is also about life in a big family. She talks about good (and not so good) reasons to adopt and the importance of open adoption as well as the importance of cultural connections.

Pact says: Where the book deals specifically with adoption-related issues, Greene hits the right notes.

Nurturing Adoptions: Creating Resilience after Neglect and Trauma
by Deborah Gray
With higher and higher percentages of children joining their families through adoption, both parents and the professionals with whom they consult need new skills. From the author of Attaching in Adoption (a former Pact favorite!) comes this new tool designed to help placement professionals and therapists understand adoption, attachment and research on the impact of neglect, abuse, early trauma, and institutionalization on the developing brains of children can guide their practices in new directions.

Pact says: We recommend it for parents who want to practice therapeutic parenting strategies as well.

Of Thee I Sing, A Letter to My Daughters
By Barack Obama, Illustrated by Loren Lon
A tender letter to his daughters, President Barack Obama has written a moving tribute to 13 historically important Americans and the ideals that have shaped our nation; from the artistry of Georgia O’Keeffe, to the courage of Jackie Robinson and the patriotism of George Washington, President Obama sees the traits of these heroes within his own children, and within all of America’s children. Illustrated by a best-selling, award-winning artist whose images capture the personalities and achievements of these great Americans and the innocence and promise of childhood.

Pact says: We can all be inspired by America’s first Black president to see ourselves in the many positive traditions and heroes that are part of our collective heritage.

One Wonderful You
by Francie Portnoy
"You are unique because you are a wonderful blend of both your families." This straightforward, clear and entertaining book talks in language kids can understand about genetics, heritage and what adoption really means. The simple message reinforces basic information in an appealing way. Multicultural cartoon-like illustrations add appeal.

Pact says: We love the inherent message of completeness, helping children from the beginning feel great about BOTH their family legacies. Written by an adoptee, there is no question that the book's validating message will help children feel comfortable in their skin as they process the facts of their adoption. And it has some humor as a bonus!

Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption
by Jane Jeong Tranka, Julia Chinyere Oparah and Sun Yung Shin, Editors
Although transracial adoption is generally considered win-win, it has too often exacted a heavy toll on children when white parents approach it from a color blind or child-saving mentality. Through gripping essays, poetry and are, transracially adopted writers and artists from around the world carefully explore explore this most intimate aspect of globalization.

Pact says: Experts on their own experience, the writers of Outsiders Within offer an illuminating and provocative glimpse in to the world of transracial adoption that will make many of us uncomfortable but validates the lives of those children currently placed for adoption across racial and cultural lines. A must read!

Pablo's Tree
by Pat Mora
Five-year-old Pablo can hardly wait to see how Abuelito, his grandfather, has decorated Pablo's tree for his birthday. When Mama first told her father that she was going to adopt a baby and name it after him if it were a boy, Lito went out and bought the tree for his grandson. He moved the tree from place to place and watered it, but he waited to plant it until the day that Mama finally brought Pablo home. And every year since then, Lito has decorated the tree for Pablo's birthday.

Pact says: This book is a powerful tool for all adoptive families, at any stage of pre or post-adoption. Illustrates a family ritual and how it promotes deep and enduring attachments for a child as he grows.

Parenting Adopted Adolescents: Understanding & Appreciating Their Journeys
By Gregory Keck, Edited by Lynda Mansfield
Written in a casual, accessible style, Keck's underlying point is that all children who are adopted into their families must deal with the developmental issues of adolescence as well as adoption-related issues, either simultaneously or alternately. Keck mines his experience as a clinician and includes stories from his many years of practice. Keck's personal and professional experience allow him to write with expertise and a special sensitivity to teens who come from chaotic beginnings and have lived in multiple foster homes, and to the issues of young men, in particular.

Pact says: Beth Hall, Pact’s Director, her children and several other Pact teens contributed to this volume.

Parenting as Adoptees
by Adam Chau & Kevin Ost-Vollmers
Through fourteen chapters, the authors of Parenting As Adoptees give readers a glimpse into a pivotal phase in life that touches the experiences of many domestic and international adoptees—that of parenting. The authors, who are all adoptees from various walks of life, intertwine their personal narratives and professional experiences, and the results of their efforts are insightful, emotive, and powerful.Includes contributions by: Bert Ballard, Susan Branco Alvarado, Stephanie Kripa Cooper-Lewter, Lorial Crowder, Shannon Gibney, Astrid Dabbeni, Mark Hagland, Hei Kyong Kim, JaeRan Kim, Jennifer Lauck, Mary Mason, Robert O’Connor, John Raible, and Sandy White Hawk.

Pact says: Most, though not all, of the adoptees were adopted transracially.

Parenting From the Inside Out
by Daniel Siegel and Mary Hartzell
The authors explore the extent to which our childhood experiences shape the way that we parent. Drawing upon stunning new findings in neuro-biology and attachment research, they explain how interpersonal relationships directly impact the development of the brain, and offer parents a step-by-step approach to forming a deeper understanding of their own life stories that will help them raise compassionate and resilient children.

Pact says: Highly relevant to adoptive families, because it guides parents through creating the necessary foundations for a loving and secure relationship with their children.

Parents Wanted
by George Harrar
Andy is twelve years old and was removed from his parents several years before. He meets a couple at his 5th adoption party whom he chooses to adopt him and they do. Parents Wanted chronicles Andy’s experience as he moves in with them and becomes their son. It includes very telling passages as he copes with loyalty issues regarding his birth parents, ADD, shame about being adopted and fear of being rejected again.

Pact says: What is wonderful about this book is that it is written from a twelve-year-old’s voice giving kids and parents alike a window into how a kid who has been through several placements and group homes views the world and the actions of the adults who are SUPPOSED to be caring for him. Really insightful.

Peace, Locomotion
by Jacqueline Woodson
Through letters to his little sister, who is in a different foster home, Lonnie, 11 years old, also known as "Locomotion," keeps a record of their lives while they are apart. Jacqueline Woodson is a children's lit goddess who takes incredibly complicated emotions and presses them down to diamonds. An example of some of the heartfelt writing includes: You one of us now; When the relatives stop coming; When you don't know where your sister is anymore; When every sign around you says; Group Home Rules: Don't do this and don't do that until it sinks in one rainy Saturday afternoon; while you're sitting at the Group Home window; reading a beat-up Group Home book; wearing a Group Home hand-me-down shirt; hearing all the Group Home loudness; that you are a Throwaway Boy; And the news just sits in your stomach; hard and heavy as Group Home food.

Pact says: Do yourself a favor and get your hands on this book. Now.

People Could Fly, The: American Black Folktales
by Virginia Hamilton
Virginia Hamilton, Newbery Medal winner and recipient of the National Book Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award, teams up with two-time Caldecott Medal winners, Leo and Diane Dillon, in this classic collection of American black folktales, winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. By turns droll, grisly, and spine-tingling, the 24 stories celebrate the indomitable human spirit, surviving under the most crushing circumstances of slavery. Four groups of stories: Animal Tales; Tales of the Real, Extravagant and Fanciful; Tales of the Supernatural; and Slave Tales of Freedom.

Pact says: An excellent of stories rooted in the African American experience.

Perpetual Child: Dismantling The Stereotype
by Diane Rene Christian & Amanda Transue-Woolston
Filled with significant moments in the lives of the authors, these essays give us sometimes raw and always gripping insight into the complex loyalties and feelings of adopted people; the writing is excellent and clearly conveys the strengths of adult adoptees who are the only group in present-day American who are treated as children because they cannot obtain personal information about their birth identity.

Without a doubt, we can learn more about adoption from listening to adult adoptees than from anyone else. This book gives all of us a welcome chance to deepen our understanding of our families and of ourselves.

Pinballs, The
by Betsy Byars
Coming to terms with Living in foster care. You can't always decide where life will take you when you're stuck in foster care. Three kids in foster care - Pinballs, as wisecracking Carly dubs them - collide in a warm and caring home and learn to pin their hopes on each other. This books engages these three children in many conversations and also enlightens us about their real feelings as they struggle to feel good about themselves in the face of the loss of their birth family and placement in foster care.

Pact says: A hopeful story that will give all adopted and foster children a vehicle to explore their feelings whether they were placed at older ages or as infants.

Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in School
By Monique W. Morris, EdD.
$26.95
Pushout begins to fill the gap in the literature with a deeply intersectional analysis of Black girls and the school-to-prison pipeline. Drawing on interviews and focus groups with Black girls in four states (CA, NY, LA, and IL), as well as observations of classrooms in alternative school and juvenile detention settings, Morris explores the experiences of some of the most vulnerable Black girls as they navigate school settings that are poorly equipped to support Black girls but well-equipped to punish them.

Pact says: There is much to like about the book, particularly its intersectional approach to this long-neglected subject.
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Raising Your Spirited Child
by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
Children who are more intense, perceptive and persistent may also be less adaptable, have more energy, and exhibit more difficult behavior. This optimistic book offers support and practical advice to parents raising spirited children. The author advises “progress, not perfection”.

Pact says: The engaging writing clearly presents practical skills for parenting. Highly recommended to parents of adopted children, many of whom act out their feelings about their core experiences by having difficulty with transitions, testing authority, fighting bedtime, and other challenging behaviors.

Red Dust Road
by Jackie Kay
From the moment when, as a little girl, she realizes that her skin is a different color from that of her beloved mum and dad, to the tracing and finding of her birth parents, her Highland mother and Nigerian father, the journey that Jackie Kay undertakes is full of unexpected twists, turns and deep emotions. Taking the reader from Glasgow to Lagos and beyond, Red Dust Road is revelatory, redemptive and courageous, unique in its voice and universal in its reach. It is a heart-stopping story of parents and siblings, friends and strangers, belonging and beliefs, biology and destiny, and love.

Pact says: Jackie had wonderful adoptive parents who did everything to support their daughter's identity, racially and in adoption - this book underscores the reality that adoption is truly a lifelong issue. Susan Ito says, "Red Dust Road is the best adoption memoir I have ever read!"

Ruby Lu: Empress of Everything
by Lenore Look, Illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf
Sequel to Ruby Lu, Brave and True. When Flying Duck comes from China to live with her family, Ruby Lu's happy world is turned upside down as suddenly everyone is speaking in a foreign language at home, their evening dinners are greatly altered, and she is suddenly mandated by her family to become Flying Duck's guide at school. More adventures and realizations about what it means to immigrate and how to communicate ensue when you don't speak the same language ensue.

Pact says: Great books for American kids of Chinese descent, and for anyone else who wants to read about a little girl whose family has figured out how to live two heritages -- the one of their parents and grandparents, and the one here in the US.

Sam's Sister
by Juliet C. Bond
Finally -- a book that acknowledges the birth siblings of adopted children. Sam's Sister follows six-year-old Rosa as she comes to understand her mother's dilemma, learns about adoption, experiences his birth and placement with Sarah and Joe. We are delighted that Rosa and her family are Latino.

Pact says: We hope this book makes it into every adoptive and birth family home as well as becoming a staple for agency personnel to use with their prospective clients. Buy a copy for your own children and your adopted children's birth siblings. Even if your child doesn't know his or her birth family, this story delivers a terrifically positive message. Four stars.

Secret of Me, The
by Meg Kearney
Being adopted is a fact of life for fourteen-year-old Lizzie: she and her older brother and sister are all adopted. Lizzie struggles with telling her boyfriend that she is adopted for fear he will think there is something wrong with her and she especially struggles with explaining to her family that she would like to know more about her birth parents. A tender, sometimes intense, look at the inner life of an adopted teen. Autobiographical.

Pact says: This book or poems expresses a range of emotions that will be familiar to all teens, and especially to those who have been adopted and are secretly wondering if their questions are "normal."

Setting Limits WIth Your Strong Willed Child
by Robert J. Mackenzie
A well-written and helpful guide to raising strong-willed children that is centered around clear and respectful communication between parents and children. The first half of the book examines temperamental traits that are commonly found in children who will repeatedly test the rules; the second half details several strategies parents can use that are firm and will short circuit power struggles, while staying respectful of children’s feelings.

Pact says: This book encourages parents to take a look at the messages we may inadvertently be sending our children with our words and actions. A book many parents will want to read keep by their bedside table..

Slant
by Laura Williams
Williams, a Korean adoptee herself, tells the story of thirteen-year-old Lauren Wallace, a Korean adoptee who is the only Asian-American in her suburban Connecticut middle school. Taunted by a pair of classmates who call her "gook," "chink," and "slant," Lauren is saving her money to pay for eye surgery. Anyone who has been thirteen will relate to Lauren's everyday problems and concerns. During the course of the novel, she gets her ears pierced, buys her first bra, argues with her emotionally distant father, and longs to be asked to the school dance. Ultimately, Lauren does decide against the eye surgery.

Pact says: We commend Williams for dealing with difficult issues in Slant. We hope that more "tween" novels will take on transracial adoption, racism, and belonging.

Soul Looks Back In Wonder
by Tom Feelings
Included in the anthology are verses by Margaret Walker, Maya Angelou, Lucille Clifton, and Eugene B. Redmond, and a previously unpublished poem by Langston Hughes. This is a unique and moving collaboration that celebrates the sustaining spirit of African creativity. Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration.

Pact says: A beautiful book, filled with compelling words and pictures that inspire. This is a great book to have on your shelf for this age range as they look for information for class projects and inspirational historical figures of color they can admire and study.

Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time
by Lisa Yee
Stanford Wong is a middle school basketball star who has just found out that he’ll need to go to summer school if he wants to pass 6th grade. He spends the summer sneaking to school so that his friends don’t find out and trying to connect to his distant and disappointed father. Along the way, he finds out who his friends are and learns a lot about himself. This is a very entertaining, well-written book with an interesting cast of characters.

Pact Says: An excellent book that looks at peer pressure and stereotypes of Asian American kids. Yee is a talented writer who has given us a very engaging, fun book with good messages about the power of persistence and believing in one’s self..

Sugar Plum Ballerinas: #3 Perfectly Prima
by Whoopi Goldberg, Deborah Underwood and Maryn Roos
Perfectionistic Jerzey Mae desperately wants to be a ballet dancer. But she's frustrated by her own lack of talent--and by her friends' jokes about her terrible dancing. Things get even worse when her little brother Mason attends her ballet class, totally embarrassing Jerzey in front of her prima ballerina idol, Miss Camilla Freeman. (Hardcover)

Pact says: Fast paced and entertaining, with unique, multicultural characters and positive messages about friendship, honesty, materialism, and forgiveness as well as the challenges of life for girls, these books are fun to read and give a positive message to girls of color in particular.

Sugar Plum Ballerinas: #1 Plum Fantastic
by Whoopi Goldberg, Deborah Underwood and Maryn Roos
Moving is never easy, but for Alexandrea Petrakova Johnson, the move from a small southern town to Harlem is unbearable. Al's winning personality leads her to make a few friends, but just as things seem to be getting better she courts jealousy by being cast as the Sugar Plum Fairy in the annual performance of The Nutcracker. This first book in a series earnestly addresses the effects of moving, making friends, and settling into a new routine.

Sugar Plum Ballerinas: #4 Terrible Terrel
by Whoopi Goldberg, Deborah Underwood and Maryn Roos
Terrel is always in charge, whether she's making lists for grocery shopping (her favorite hobby, AFTER ballet), keeping her brothers in line, or organizing father-daughter time in with her dad. Lately, though, her dad's been acting a little strange--wearing new clothes and way too much aftershave. Things get even weirder when he surprises Terrel with his new girlfriend during a night out at the ballet - a night that was supposed to be father-daughter time.

Sugar Plum Ballerinas: #2 Toeshoe Trouble
by Whoopi Goldberg, Deborah Underwood and Maryn Roos
Nine-year-old Brenda Black is a budding ballet dancer and wannabe doctor. Brenda and her friends hatch a plan to "borrow" their ballet teacher's prized ballet shoes, autographed by a famous prima ballerina. The plan goes awry when Tiffany's pooch chews them to shreds, and the Sugar Plum Sisters must fix the unfixable.

Tell Me Again about the Night I Was Born
by Jamie Lee Curtis, Illustrator Laura Cornell
A heartwarming story with real-life details your child can connect to — about how the phone rang in the middle of the night and the scream you let out when they said I was born; how Grandma and Grampa slept through it like logs; how the airplane had no movies and no peanuts; how you couldn’t grow a baby in your tummy; how you went to the hospital and felt very small; how tiny and perfect I was; about how I didn’t like my first diaper change — and all those lively memories of specificity and love.

Pact says: A good book although we are sorry no mention is made of birth parents.

Temperament Tools
Working With Your Child's Inborn Traits
By Helen Nelville & Diane Clark Johnson, Illustrated by Dave Garbot
Working with your child’s inborn traits can be challenging. Research shows that temperament is something we are born with. When you understand what makes your adopted child tick, you can adapt your parenting style to your child’s individual needs, making your job much easier.

Pact says: This book is a very hands-on practical approach to understanding children’s temperament and how it influences their behavior, giving parents really helpful tools for understanding and responding to what often feels like challenging behavior.

Tequila Worm, The
by Viola Canales
This story of family and community is an affectionate picture of the life of a Mexican American family. The book is rich with details about celebrating el dia de los Muertos, preparing for a quinceanera, rejoicing in the Christmas nacimiento, and the lore of the tequila worm. Sofia celebrates festivals and rituals with her family throughout the year as she grows into a young woman, and faces a decision about how to leave home to attend a private boarding school that will open the world to her, but take her away from her family.

Pact says: The novel describes not only how these traditions are celebrated, but also their role in tying together the Mexican American family and community. Sofia's struggle with how to hold onto the values of her heritage and family while becoming her own person is sure to resonate with teens exploring identity.

Trainer's Guide for Transracial Adoption
$60.00
Includes:

The Trainer's Guide A manual filled with practical outlines and exercises designed for professionals working with pre-and post-adoptive transracial families.
Handouts & Overhead Guides Handouts & Overhead Guides in 3-ring-binder designed for handout replication (permission to duplicate granted with purchase).
Below The Surface by Beth Hall & Gail Steinberg A Self-Assessment Guide For Anyone Considering Adoption Across Racial Or Cultural Lines.

A Transracial Curriculum Guide for professionals working with pre- and post-adoptive families includes sections for use with Below The Surface, a self-assessment for families considering adoption across racial and cultural lines. The videotapes "Visible Differences" and "Struggle for Identity" are described for usage in the curriculum although the videotapes themselves are not included with the Trainer's Guide. This kit offers step-by-step outlines and instructions for planning workshops using Pact materials and two instructional videotapes exploring transracial adoption issues. The trainer's guide includes advice on how to use the materials, how to establish topic priorities and suggested exercises for pre- and post- placement families. Instructions include goals, trainer preparation, agendas and handouts. Modules for 12 individual workshops as well as all-day sessions are described. Pre-Adopt Series and Post-Adopt Series Planners as well as Full-Day and Half-Day Workshop Planners are suggested.

Comments from the field: “For two decades, Pact has offered outstanding services to children of color in need of adoption…. Pact has consistently demonstrated its ability to develop and provide the highest quality of services to effectively meet the needs of these special children and their families."

Winna Davis, San Francisco Mayor's Office of Children, Youth and Their Families

Quantity

Transnational Adoption: A Cultural Economy of Race, Gender and Kinship
by Sara Dorow
Dorow provides an honest and intriguing look at hard topics, discussing the children who are available for adoption, for example, Dorow describes how the “industry” of adoption encourages the invisibility of special-needs children, while the “healthiest,” and thus most “salable” children get the best care in orphanages. Also addresses institutional racism, gender and class issues in adoption.

Pact says: This is a challenging read. Dorow brings her sociologist’s sensibility to this academic text. She insists that we look at the whole truth, including who benefits and who is served when adoptions happen.

Transracial Adoption and Foster Care: Practice Issues for Professionals
By Joseph Crumbley
This book describes specific ways practitioners can work with transracial families to ensure that children develop positive racial and cultural identities. Dr. Crumbley also addresses such concerns as cultural competence and recruitment of adoptive and foster parents of color. Case studies and “myths” of transracial adoption provide valuable background information.

Pact says: Joe Crumbley is one of the adoption world’s clearest thinkers about transracial placements. Informed by his expertise as a clinician and his experience as a Black American, he has created an important book for anyone interested in the identity development of adopted children of color.

Voices from Another Place
edited by Susan Soon Keum Cox
Voices from Another Place is a from-the-heart collection of poetry, fiction, memoir, essay, photography and artwork, created by adopted Koreans after adulthood. Their diverse and unmistakably honest voices cast light on issues common to all adoptees, to those who were internationally adopted in particular and to Koreans who have grown up in American or European cultures. The importance of connecting to one’s full identity, including culture and country of origin is made clear through their open sharing of works expressing their deepest experiences.

Pact says: Highly recommended.

Voices in First Person: Reflections on Latino Identity
by Lori Marie Carelson, Photos by Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, Illustrated by Flavio Morais
Carlson has drawn from both established and new writers, focusing on finding Latino voices that speak to contemporary readers. Collected here are poems and short stories whose subjects range from finding God in the clouds to a lust for eating chicken, from someone’s fingers on the hole in your jeans in a crowded café to someone asking, once again, “So, where are you from?” This collection sparkles

Pact says: The entire package encourages endless browsing, flipping, and double-dipping. Great reading and resources for all readers.

Walk Two Moons
by Sharon Creech
Sal, trying to deal with the fact that her mother left her, tells the story of her friend Pheobe whose own mother is gone. While dealing with the painfully realistic reactions children have to such departures, it also gives us glimpses into families that are rock solid in their love and devotion. Creech is able to repeatedly bring up the motif of “Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins”, without ever becoming preachy or didactic. A Newberry Book Award winner.

Pact says: This great read gets straight to the heart of how children find resolution to the loss of connections.

We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
by Kadir Nelson
Describes the glory years of Negro league baseball in the early 1900s, profiling its star athletes and highlighting the challenges faced by the players and the sacrifices made to live out their dreams and play the game they loved. The narrative is divided into nine innings, beginning with Rube Foster and his formation of the first Negro League in 1920 and closing with Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier into white major league baseball. In between are fascinating snippets of the events and men who formed the Negro Leagues. Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, who began playing with the Negro Leagues, provides the foreword.

Pact says: The incredible artwork along with the stories makes this book a valuable collectors’ item for every family library.

Whale Talk
by Chris Cutcher
A group of misfits brought together by T. J. Jones to find their places in a school that has no place for them. T. J. is convinced that earning the varsity letter jacketâ013unattainable for most, exclusive, revered, the symbol (as far as T. J. is concerned) of all that is screwed up at Cutter Highâ013will prove that they have found their niche. Heâ019s right. Heâ019s also wrong. A multi-layered plot includes the history behind T. J.â019s personal rage, his foster fatherâ019s bizarre karmic destiny, and an alumnus who makes his mixed-race daughter scrub away her blackness with a Brillo pad. Crutcher captures perfectly the emotions and humor of teens facing injustices. His sensitive treatment imparts dignity and depth to kids that are different while telling an entertaining story.

Pact says: Nice to have a story that has a male adopted teen as the main character.

What Are You?
by Pearl Gaskins
Through the lively voices of 45 young people, ages 14-26, speaking of the shame and pride that fill their own lives, this book helps us begin to understand how it feels to grow up outside traditional racial boundaries. Their views about the challenges of coming-of-age when the complexities of race are part of each milestone are honest, to-the-point, inspirational, and remarkably insightful. Includes extensive resource lists.

Pact says: This collection of authentic writing conveys the emotional impact of being of mixed race in a time of identity politics. The more you read, the better you can see both the common issues they share and the unique human qualities of each writer.

What Color is My World?
by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Raymond Obstfield, Illustrated by Ben Boss
The simple story that brings the book together is of a brother and sister helping a handyman fix up their new house. But while they work, this “handyman” starts to tell them about all of the things around them, from their cell phones and computers to the foods they are eating that were improved by the inventions or innovations of African American scientists and inventors. Pact says: The information is just a glimpse at each person, but the message of the book is that African Americans have made significant contributions to every aspect of our lives and it is presented in a way that is enjoyable rather than dry or didactic.

What's Going On Down There
by Karen Gravelle
This book is forthright without being sober or scary. Facts about puberty, sex, and sexually transmitted diseases, and also what happens to girls during puberty are presented clearly and completely, along with answers to an assortment of related questions. The authors also manage to slip in some counsel about wise decision making, though the emphasis is on information, not values. Illustrations are multicultural.

Pact says: Part manual, part trusted friend, this book takes a straight forward approach to sexual development for boys. This down to earth, practical and positive book provides comprehensive information in a friendly and supportive way and will provide a broad overview inclusive of both father and son’s questions and experiences. Extremely useful!

W.I.S.E. UP Powerbook
by Marilyn Schoettle
This child friendly book gives children easy to remember tools to cope with uncomfortable comments from others. They learn to think about their options, and make wise choices based on the word W-I-S-E:(W)alk away, say (I)t’s private, (S)hare something, or (E)ducate. This book offers practical advice and has parent suggestions for helping children handle questions from outsiders.

Pact says: A must-read written in a kid friendly cartoon like style, filled with practical advice, this book is an ideal conversation starter for parents and children to develop strategies about handling adoption questions. This book is without a doubt the best book available to help kids work through ways to respond to friends and strangers questions.

Wounded Children, Healing Homes: How Traumatized Children Impact Adoptive and Foster Families
by Jayne Schooler, Betsy Keefer & Timothy Callahan
The book offers a detailed look at the importance of attachment and what happens to a child cognitively, psychologically and behaviorally when it does not take place. While the book is not without optimism, it is realistic about what parenting a traumatized child can be like and the impact it has on parents and families.

Pact says: The books strongest function is in providing an overall picture and a wealth of information about the possible issues and their root causes, as well as pointing out red flags, both in a child’s behavior and in the dynamics of potential adoptive families.

Yellow: Race in America beyond Black and White
by Frank Wu
A leading voice in the Asian American community tackles what is means to be Asian American in contemporary America. Wu suggests that the widespread stereotyping of Asian Americans, while "superficially positive," is inherently damaging. Mixing personal anecdotes, current events, academic studies, and court cases, Wu not only debunks the myth of a "model minority" but also makes discomfiting observations about attitudes toward affirmative action, what he calls "rational" discrimination, mixed marriages, racial profiling, and assimilation versus multiculturalism.

Pact says: A fascinating and clearly presented discussion of the Asian American experience.

Yes, Your Teen is Crazy! Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind
by Michael Bradley
A funny, blunt, and reassuring book. psychologist Bradley uses current brain research, he points out that the most sophisticated parts of the mind are not developed until the end of adolescence and that parents are still the most influential force in their kids' lives. Overall, the message is that kids can become fine people even if they screw up a lot,Using crisp, believable anecdotes that are alternately poignant and hysterically funny, Bradley homes in on real-life scenarios, showing parents, for instance, how to respond when their teen is "raging," and how to set curfews and limits.

Pact says: Bradley draws a vivid picture of what the teen is going through, and gives parents the tools to be effective parents.

You Hear Me? Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys
edited by Betsy Franco
Through these mostly free-verse lines, the hopes, dreams, fears, and desires of young men from different cultures and races shine through. They pull no punches with their words in these openly honest, raw, and sometimes tender selections. They talk about what youâ019d expect-drugs, girls, AIDS, sex, parents-sometimes in unexpected ways.

Pact says: The poetry is fresh and gives the reader insight into what todayâ019s youths have to say, and itâ019s refreshing that the words came straight from them. Teens will recognize themselves in the words.

Young People's History of the United States, A
by Howard Zinn, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff
Includes Volume II: Class Struggle to the War on Terrorism

History told from the viewpoints of slaves, workers, immigrants, women, and Native Americans with color images, a glossary, and primary sources. Begins with a look at Christopher Columbus' arrival through the eyes of the Arawak Indians and leads the reader through the strikes and rebellions of the industrial age.

Pact says: While the title is not catchy the information is an important counterpoint to the information too often presented in school textbooks, particularly for people of color.

Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs: #1 The Burried Bones Mystery
By Sharon M. Draper
When Ziggy gets the word that the trip to Camp Caesar is on, he can't wait to tell his friends, the Black Dinosaurs. But the four pals couldn't know what excitement awaited them. In this third adventure, the boys learn a lot about American, Native American, and African-American history.

Pact says: Great books about a group of four boys who just happen to be African American, good friends and prone to adventures and mystery. Great reads that will especially inspire young boys. These books are fun but also teach history and pride rooted in the African American community.

All of Our Favorite Books