If your browser does not support our flash navigation, click the orange site map image on the top of the page.

Reactive Attachment Disorder: Resources: Books for Radishes

The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illustrator).

Since its publication in 1942, The Runaway Bunny has never been out of print. Generations of sleepy children and grateful parents have loved the classics of Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd, including Goodnight Moon. The Runaway Bunny begins with a young bunny who decides to run away: “‘If you run away,’ said his mother, ‘I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.'” And so begins a delightful, imaginary game of chase. No matter how many forms the little bunny takes – a fish in a stream, a crocus in a hidden garden, a rock on a mountain – his steadfast, adoring, protective mother finds a way of retrieving him. The soothing rhythm of the bunny banter – along with the surreal, dream-like pictures – never fail to infuse young readers with a complete sense of security and peace. For any small child who has toyed with the idea of running away or testing the strength of Mom’s love, this old favorite will comfort and reassure. Baby-Preschool. 34 pages.

The Mulberry Bird: An Adoption Story, by Anne Braff Brodzinsky, Diana L. Stanley (Illustrator).

Relinquishment is the hardest part of adoption to talk about and is often glossed over in children’s books. Brodzinsky has chosen to tell the story using birds to represent the people involved. A young mother bird feeds and protects her baby, noticing that other mothers have mates to help them. Her baby’s father has flown away. Then a storm breaks her nest, and the baby falls to the ground. She goes to the wise owl for help, and he says the only way to solve her problem is to find a family to love and care for her child. She refuses at first, but then relents, and the owl carries the baby to the chosen shorebird couple. The young mother sees that her child is safe and loved, and sadly flies away forever. The baby hears from its adoptive parents the story of its first mother’s love and care. This revision of the 1986 story is longer, newly illustrated in watercolors, and reflects changes in adoption practice. Language has been made more inclusive: the baby’s need for “a mother and father” becomes its need for “a family.” More of the youngster’s feelings are included: anger and confusion as well as happiness and sadness. Ages 4-8. 47 pages.

Never Never Never Will She Stop Loving You, by Jolene Durrant, Steve Allred (Photographer).

Thousands of readers enjoyed the original story! This revised edition combines the original children’s book with an eight page guide for adults, including adoptive parents, birth parents, and the general public. Written by an adoptive parent, this true story lovingly connects birth mom and child while stressing the importance of the adoptive parents. “. Wherever you are Annie’s Child, she loved you before you were born. She loves you now. Never, never, never will she stop loving you.” Illustrations for the text are a combination of drawings by adopted children and photographs. Both text and illustrations are a chocolate colored ink on cream paper. Jolene Durrant is an adoptive parent and a former elementary school teacher. Annie, the young woman in the story, was Durrant’s foster daughter during Annie’s pregnancy. Ages 4-8. 40 pages.

Did My First Mother Love Me?: A Story for an Adopted Child, by Kathryn Ann Miller, Jami Moffett (Illustrator).

A book that helps a family consider an important, difficult question. Even though Morgan knows all about her adoption, the preschooler sometimes wonders about her “other mother.” When she asks, “Did my first mother love me?” her mother reads the letter her birthmother wrote to her. It relates the woman’s wishes to be the one to give her child a safe and happy home, but acknowledges sadly that this is not possible. The adoptive family’s openness and love are evident. Pen-and-ink drawings realistically illustrate the story. A note for parents about “Talking with Your Child About Adoption” is appended. This slim volume will be of value to adoptive parents, especially those fortunate enough to have letters from a birthmother. Ages 4-8. 47 pages.

Mama, Do You Love Me?, by Barbara M. Joosse, Barbara Lavallee (Illustrator).

This exceptional board-book tells a beautiful and timeless story about a daughter’s attempt to find the limit of her mother’s love. Barbara Lavallee’s exquisite illustrations of Alaska, with their exaggeratedly foreshortened perspective and rich tones of violet, blue-gray, and gray-green, tell of an easy declaration (“I love you more than the raven loves his treasure, more than the dog loves his tail, more than the whale loves his spout”) that is pushed, and pushed, and (“What if I put salmon in your parka . and ermine in your mukluks?”) pushed. There’s a quiet joyfulness in both the antics of the Inuit mother and daughter and in the animals – including a polar bear and a musk ox – that the daughter imagines she might become. A charming story for mothers and daughters of all ages. Baby-Preschool. 24 pages.

The Forever Child: A Tale of Lies and Love, by Nancy A. Clark, Bryan Post.

Bryan Post, PhD, LCSW is the founder of the Post Institute for Family-Centered Therapy based in Oklahoma, and is the author of “For All Things A Season”, “Dr. Post?s New Family Revolution System”, and co-author of “The Forever Child” series. He is an internationally recognized specialist in the treatment of emotional and behavioral disturbance in children and families. Dr. Post specializes in a holistic family-based treatment approach that addresses the underlying interactive dynamics of the entire family, a neurophysiologic process he refers to as, ?The secret life of the family.? 22 pages.

The Forever Child: A Tale of Anger and Fear, by Nancy A. Clark, B. Bryan Post.

A tool for parents and therapists to use with traumatized and unattached children. 27 pages.

For All Things a Season: An Essential Guide to a Peaceful Parent/Child Relationship, by B. Bryan Post.

“For All Things A Season” is for all parents seeking to raise emotionally healthy and intelligent children; a guide to a peaceful parent-child relationship. The author is an adopted, and well-known disruptive child himself (?I?ve set fires, killed animals, and stolen compulsively. There is great benefit in learning through the painful lessons of others.?), Dr. Post?s has made it his primary work to speak to parents and professionals from a perspective of true-life experience, and in the ?trenches? therapeutic work. Dr. Post has lectured and provided expert consultation regarding adoption, trauma, attachment and bonding, throughout the United States and abroad. 95 pages.

Guess How Much I Love You, by Sam McBratney, Anita Jeram (Illustrator).

All children want reassurance that their parents’ love runs wide and deep. In “Guess How Much I Love You,” a young rabbit named Little Nutbrown Hare thinks he’s found a way to measure the boundaries of love. In a heartwarming twist on the “I-can-do-anything-you-can-do-better” theme, Little Nutbrown Hare goes through a series of declarations regarding the breadth of his love for Big Nutbrown Hare. But even when his feelings stretch as long as his arms, or as high as his hops, Little Nutbrown Hare is fondly one-upped by the elder rabbit’s more expansive love. Anita Jeram’s illustrations are bound to elicit an “aw” from even the sternest of readers; these loving rabbits are expressive, endearing, and never cloying. In turn, Sam McBratney tells a simple bedtime story of sweet familial love with humor, insight, and a delightful surprise at the end. Children and parents will love snuggling up for this one – a treat to be read again and again, just before the lights are turned out. Ages 4 to 8. 32 pages.

The Little Green Goose, by Adele Sansone, J. Alison James (Translator), Alan Marks (Illustrator).

Mr. Goose longs for a baby, and the barnyard hens are in an uproar over his constant requests for an egg to hatch. When Daisy the dog unearths a gigantic one, Mr. Goose lovingly builds a nest and hatches a scaly-skinned, spiky-tailed “green goose” who calls him Mama. While the illustrations reveal that the baby is a dinosaur, young listeners will delight in the fact that the text never discloses his identity. Mr. Goose is a wonderful parent and showers his child with unconditional love and acceptance. However, the other chicks quickly point out the baby’s differences and taunt him with “Mr. Goose can’t be your real mother.” Despondent, the little green goose tries to find a mother who looks like him, but soon comes to realize where he truly belongs. Marks’s sketches are expressive and poignant in their simplicity. The little green goose, illustrated with a blue-and-green watercolor wash, dominates the pages. A wonderful story with a clear message: families are created from love. Ages 4-8.

I Am Adopted, by Mark Dicken-Bradshaw

As can only be seen through the eyes of an adoptive child, this faith-filled book shows how, through trust in God, adoptive families can overcome fears and differences to bond as members of both an earthly family and Gods heavenly family. I Am Adopted is a testimony that God has a purpose for all. If you are adopted, or ever considered adopting, join author Mark Dicken-Bradshaw on his journey from birth family to foster family and finally to loving forever family. Paperback. 24 pages.

Note: When available, and when money is an object, please consider purchasing a used book rather than a new one. While I don’t earn nearly as much of a commission on the sale of used books, the difference in cost to you is worth considering. With the money you’ve saved, go out and buy yourself something. — ken

Last Modified on: Saturday, August 08, 2009