Tell Me Again About The Night I Was Born Book Review

As the parent of an internationally-adopted child, I find it easy to locate books that address the subject when I want to read to my daughter. But books for children that address domestic adoption aren’t as common, which is why I want to tell you about a book by Jamie Lee Curtis called Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born.

I picked this book up at a garage sale and had no idea that it addressed adoption until the first time I sat down to read it to my then-two year old. It comes in a chunky board book version and a paperback version. The book was written by Jamie Lee Curtis and illustrated by Laura Cornell.

The Positives About Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born

Affirms the Adoption Story: The adoption community advocates telling your child their adoption story often. This book is an adoption story come to life, from the first phone call to the frantic rush to the hospital to the late night diaper changes and that first rush of love.

Simple Language: The story is told from the child’s perspective, making it language-appropriate for any child ages 2 and beyond. Using simple words and concepts, the book tells the adoption story of a little girl adopted at birth.

Sweet, Funny Graphics: The pictures are the perfect accompianment to the story, with a little something thrown in for the parents as well. Bright colors, simple line drawings, and a jumble of activity on each page make the book a fun ‘Seek and Find’. Appealing to this mom’s sense of humor are the ‘real life details’, like the Dad staring into the nursery window while trying to read the operator’s manual for his camcorder, or the Mom falling asleep in her chair while reading ‘Slim Thighs in 30 Days’.

The Downside to Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born

Critics will point out that the birthmother is barely touched upon in the story. I don’t see this as a huge downside because the book is aimed toward a young audience that is probably not ready for a detailed discussion about their birthmother. The book mentions the birthmother as someone ‘too young to take care of’ the child, and moves on. However, in what I think is remarkably clever, the page includes a ‘family tree’ with birthmother and birthdad on the same line as the adoptive parents. If you don’t think this is remarkably clever, then you haven’t been in on the ‘family tree project in elementary schools’ discussion … count your blessings!

This book won’t answer all of your child’s questions about adoption, but it does introduce the concept of the adoption story in a simple, age-appropriate way. I hope you enjoy Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born as much as my family does!

Dianna blogs about life and adoption at Mama in Pajamas.

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