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Red in the Flower Bed (An Illustrated Children’s Story About Interracial Adoption) by Andrea Nepa

Reviewed by: Chris Singer

About the author:

Andrea Nepa is the mother of an adopted Vietnamese daughter named Leah. In 2001, Adoptions from the Heart assisted with the international adoption. Her book is dedicated to her daughter: “For my dear Leah, whose journey in her young life has already taken her to far away and unexpected places.” In 2006, Leah was diagnosed with cancer. She is currently in remission. Andrea lives with Leah and her husband, David, in Haddonfield, New Jersey. She is a registered dietitian for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

About the book:

The journey of adoption is beautifully depicted through the comforting imagery of a poppy flower who is welcomed into a garden family. It is a charming story of seeds being planted in the perfect place – exactly where they belong.

Watch the book trailer:

My take on the book:

Red in the Flower Bed is a charming and elegant rhyming poem telling the story of a lone poppy seed floating through the air in search of a place to call home. The poppy seed and gardening motif serves very nicely as a subtle yet stirring metaphor for interracial adoption.

I loved the simplicity in the pictures in this book. They reminded me of a homemade collage project and left me and imagine other readers with a warm feeling as you can see the love which has gone into the creation of this book. I was struck by the powerful emotions I felt while reading this book as well. I was in awe of this and found it to be quite a powerful and touching tribute (appropriate since it’s published by Tribute Books!!) to the infinite bounds of a parent’s love for a child.

I’m a huge supporter/proponent of adoption as I have had the opportunity to spend time overseas working with orphans of AIDS and also visiting orphanages. I will definitely be recommending this book to people I know who have adopted or who work with adopted children.

I also want to give Tribute Books a great deal of credit here as well by having the book available in so many different formats: Paperback