Kindergarten-Grade 4-With sensitivity and honesty, this book explores the feelings and questions a young Chinese girl has about having been adopted into an American family. She learns why her birth mother had to give her up and why her parents chose to adopt her and her younger sister. She plays games to help her adjust such as pretending to have a phone conversation with her "China mommy" about her current life. Elizabeth's healthy exploration of what it means to be adopted evolves naturally over time. The text and illustrations are printed on brown speckled paper. Confident brush strokes create fluid family scenes and thoughtful facial expressions. The illustrations make Elizabeth's intermittent vulnerability even more obvious.
Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Although Elizabeth, a young Chinese girl, is secure in the love of her adoptive Caucasian American family, she still has questions. Why, if China is such a big country, wasn't there room for all the babies? Didn't her mother love her? Such questions surface in games with her younger Chinese sister, in loving give-and-take with her American mother, and in hurt feelings after seeing a Chinese mother and daughter at the playground. Decorated in floral patterns and colored in lush, velvety hues, the thickly stroked, realistic artwork expands on the text while heightening the emotions it conveys. Elizabeth's misgivings are met head-on by her adoptive mother's reassurance, love, and thoughtful responses. The mother's tender support not only reassures Elizabeth but will also benefit other adoptees, especially those from Third World countries, as it reinforces the efforts of all loving, adoptive parents. Ellen Mandel

Card catalog description
Elizabeth, who was born in China, describes the family who has adopted her and tries to sort out her feelings for her unknown mother.

Sensitive, Touching Adoption Story From Child's Viewpoint, November 7, 2001

In this sensitive, intelligent and witty account of a girl from China being adopted by U.S. parents, the author has successfully related both the emotional and factual elements of the adoption process. I especially liked the fact that the book has been written from the child's point of view. My wife and I adopted a girl from China several years ago, and this book has been a godsend to us. As we read the book to our daughter, Sarah, we realized that the author was saying all those things we had been feeling and wanting to say, yet couldn't find the words for.

I might also add that although the child in this book, Elizabeth, is from China, I feel the story is universal and applies equally well to kids from the United States or other countries.

I can not recommend this book highly enough for parents who have adopted or are considering adopting. You are truly undertaking a journey of love... a journey that is described accurately and poignantly by the author.