Having once been a school library media specialist, years ago referred to as a librarian, simply because I adore books, I was more than pleased to be sent a delightful children’s book on Russian older child adoption to review.

I’ve taken several courses in Children’s Literature over the years and reviewed such books for a now defunct Georgia magazine at one point, doing so just for the free books. I’m telling you, I love books.

I won’t sit through a bad one though, I’ll shut it and move on, so many books so little time.

I was particularly overjoyed to discover this delightful addition to what I feel is a scant lot of children’s books about adoption. Mishka: An Adoption Tale was written by Adrienne Ehlert Bashista and it’s wonderful.

She’s a media specialist and adoptive mother, something we both have in common, but I know nothing about Russian adoptions. I’ve not internationally adopted since 1987 and I prefer the Third World yet I was immediately drawn into this tale that supersedes its specific locale.

Played out through the eyes of a teddy bear without over dramatizing the clear connections between this once lonely bear and the young child being adopted, the book never insulted the reader with obvious superficialities.

Indeed I read it aloud to my youngest daughter, now five, adopted as the youngest of her sibling group three years ago; she lives here with her two birth brothers and a birth sister. My little darling was transfixed and interested, later turning pages and admiring the really nice, warm illustrations by Miranda R. Mueller. Our family is Mexican, not Russian, and the story spoke to us all.

I left the book laying on our oversized coffee table, knowing most of my children would pick it up to peruse. Exotic and not specific to our own adoptions at all, it still imparted the usual feelings and perfectly portrayed the many insecurities in an adoption.

This was a happy story in contrast to some adoptions that implode or disrupt, and I’m glad to read a positive missive here that promotes attachment and moving into a new forever family.

An excellent book that provides a connection between adoptive parents and their children, a snuggle up and read aloud bedtime story for all.

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