Review: Red In The Flower Bed

Red In The Flower Bed
By: Andrea Nepa
ISBN: 978-0981461991

Summary via Tribute Books
The journey of adoption is beautifully depicted with 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. Children and adults will enjoy this simple yet meaningful story and homespun illustrations. The book's loving approach helps children to understand adoption. Andrea Nepa has captured the essence of adoption and family, and has illustrated it beautifully with images and poetry that even a small child can comprehend and enjoy.

Review
The first thing I noticed about this book is the beautiful simplicity of the images. As I started to read my heart absolutely melted. Andrea Nepa did a wonderful job at explaining adoption without actually going into confusing detail. I really appreciated that because I have no background on this topic or how it can be for parents and children. I also love how the poppy (child) found their place in a diverse garden (family) who was happy to welcome her.

Another good thing about this book is that it lends itself to parents or teachers for arts and crafts. I think having an application in the classroom or in the home as a project is important because it helps bring the subject into reality for kids. As a project I would suggest have the kids make flowers of themselves (parents or teachers too!) and bring them all together so the diversity can be seen and appreciated. Overall, I give this book a four and mark it as a must read for adopted children.

Favorite Page
This is the page that best represented this book and the idea behind the book for me.

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. Andrea dedicated her book 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 and 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.