Sam’s Sister, by Juliet C. Bond is a book we have read many times in our house. In fact, I could probably read it without actually looking at the words.

The story opens with Rosa, a young girl, wondering why her mom is so easily upset these days. Her mom shares with her that she is going to have a baby, and that the baby is going to be placed with an adoptive family. The story progresses, with Rosa meeting the prospective adoptive family before the baby was born, and then visiting her younger brother, Sam. The message it conveys is simple–that even though Sam was placed for adoption, Rosa is still his sister.

Does it wrap up nicely? Of course. Does it make open adoption seem easy-peasy? Of course. It’s a children’s book.

It’s a children’s book that works nicely for families in open adoption–both birth families and adoptive families. It is a book that I know Macey and Junior’s birth brother was given at the time of Macey’s placement, and a book I ordered for Macey shortly after she came home. It’s also a good book to introduce the concept of open adoption to cousins, school mates and neighbors who may wonder who Macey is talking about when she mentions Z, or going to see Jane.

It’s always interesting to read this book to Macey–it’s on her bookshelf with dozens of other books, but she does go through phases where she requests it frequently. I can’t wait to see how Junior responds to it.