For this year’s 7th annual Read Around The World Summer Series for Multicultural Kid Blogs with great multicultural books for all ages. It runs from June 15 – August 14 this year. You can find all the recommended books on social media with the hashtag #readaroundtheworld. For our book, we’ve selected A Mom: What is an Adoptive Mom? by our friends, Betsy and Carolyn Wilhelm.
A Gift To Her Adoptive Mom
Betsy wrote this book for her mom, Carolyn, as a Mother’s Day card, and Carolyn had illustrator, Pieter Els create the pictures and turned the story into a collaborative book. What a brilliant show of love between family. Carolyn previously wrote about Betsy’s adoption in Alex Asks About Auntie’s Airplane Day: An Adoption Day Story (you can read our review of Airplane Day here), and in the anthology, Adoption Matters: Orphan Train to Modern Day Nonfiction Short Stories of Adoption & Foster Care.
What Is A Mom?
In this book, Betsy answers the question, “What is a mother?”
“A mother is the most beautiful person in the world, no matter the color of her skin, eyes, or hair. Or whether you look like her.”
“A mother encourages your dreams even if they are in Cloud Cuckoo Land.” “A mother understands what your different looks mean without words.”
The illustrations use simple, bold, drawings with pastel colours. Pieter has obviously used photos of the characters as inspiration as I can see the individual personalities shine through (we met Betsy, Carolyn, and Gary in Northern Ireland).
I happen to know that the book is now available in its updated version after feedback in reviews. You’ll see Betsy is wearing a bike helmet, for example, because it’s the safe thing to do…however, back in the ’80s I don’t think anyone wore a helmet, just as seat belts were uncommon 20 years prior to that, but things evolve, just as the book has, and indeed, families do, too.
Watch the book trailer on Carolyn’s author’s page, you’ll hear her say that “An adoptive mom is the same as a mom, and that’s true. A mom is one who takes care of you and looks after you. A mom does not have to be through birth, but can be through formal adoption or even someone close who treats you like their own child, which is why the ‘adoptive angle’ isn’t stressed in this book. “A mother loves you even if you do something naughty because…she always loves you!”
A Mom would make a lovely addition to any child’s home library, as well as those at nurseries, daycares, primary schools, and public libraries. Why not get one for yourself and gift one?
A Mom is available in both paperback and Kindle versions for your convenience or preference.
Enter For Your Chance To Win
Enter below for your chance to win one of two copies of A Mom: What is an Adoptive Mom? in either Kindle or soft-cover format. (I’m trying a new widget for this giveaway – if it glitches and you don’t see it, please refresh your page.
- This contest is open to residents of the USA and the UK.
- The prize will consist of one copy of A Mom: What is an Adoptive Mom for two winners.
- This contest opens on August 03 2020 and closes at 11:59pm on August 17, 2020 BST
- The winner will be contacted via email within 72 hours of the contest closing. Failure to reply within 30 days will result in forfeiture.
- The winner will be announced within 7 days on the the giveaway page.
- The prize will be provided via The Wise Owl Factory. The winner will need to provide me with a mailing address that I can forward to Wise Owl Factory and further arrangements will then be made for them to fulfill the prize.
- Facebook, Twitter, & Pinterest, have no affiliation with this product or the giveaway.
Good luck to everyone!
Carolyn Wilhelm is the author of The Wise Owl Factory site and blog. She has an MS in Gifted Education, a MA in Curriculum and Instruction K-12, and has finished the KHT Montessori 12 month program. She makes mostly free resources for teachers and parents.
I.Reid is Betsy Wilhelm’s pen name. She is an insatiably curious, over-educated homo sapiens sapiens who much to the dismay of family and friends has never outgrown the why phase (or how phase if applied to how a thing works). As I.Reid is gainfully employed and considered a productive adult in polite society, I. Reid guest blogs on occasion guided by whatever is the curiosity of the nanosecond.
