MishkaIn this reassuring new storybook, a stuffed bear and a little boy in Russia wait for the day they’ll go home with a family.DRT Press; $16.95
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A pot-bellied bear named Mo sits on the shelf in an airport gift shop, gathering dust. One day, his dreams come true when a man and woman buy him and take him on a journey. Mo realizes that he is a gift for the shy little boy in a dingy gray building, but he is confused when the man and woman leave.
Mo likes his new life with the boy, who is named Yuri, but he misses the man and woman and wonders if they will ever return. Finally, as the seasons change, the man and woman come back and, this time, they take him and Yuri with them. As he sits on Yuri’s lap on the airplane, nestled between his new parents, Mo knows he is finally where he belongs. He is going home.
Through Mo, Adrienne Ehlert Bashista expresses the longing and confusion that may surround an older child’s adoption, particularly during the wait between meeting his new parents and going home. Mishka: An Adoption Tale (DRT Press), with illustrations by Miranda Mueller, will be a wonderful addition to your bookshelf, and it is an excellent companion to Bashista’s first book, When I Met You.
Reviewed by Sue Gainor, who serves on the national board of Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption (FRUA). She lives with her family in the Washington, DC, area. Back To Home Page ©2013 Adoptive Families. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. |
Comments
As a local representative of the FRUA, Inc. I highly recommend this book to families. Through Mishka, children are able to relate to their own struggles and confusion around adoption and deal with the feelings surrounding the initial meeting with the parents and the time when they all go home together forever. This is one of my son's favorite books now.
Posted by: Cecilia Brennan at 9:47pm Mar 26
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