Top 5 Books You Must Read When Adopting from International Adoption or Foster Care

1. The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family by Dr. Karyn Purvis

The hands-down winner in our survey of best book to read if you are adopting from foster care or through international adoption was The Connected Child by the late great Dr. Karyn Purvis. This book is often the first book that parents read when adopting a child past infancy or a child “from a hard place”. What I appreciate as much as Dr. Purvis’s wisdom is her warmth and compassion for both the child and the parents.

2. Adopting the Hurt Child by Drs. Gregory Keck and Regina Kupecky

I was so glad that this often overlooked classic made the list. It is packed full of great information on understanding children who have been abused and neglected. The companion book, Parenting the Hurt Child, is also a must read.

3. Toddler Adoption: The Weaver’s Craft by Mary Hopkins-Best

Adopting a toddler or preschooler presents unique challenges (and opportunities) to adoptive parents. If you are adopting a child 4 or under, this is a thought provoking book with practical ideas.

4. Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew by Sherrie Eldridge

This book, written by an adoptee, gives insight to understanding the nature of adoption from the adoptees perspective, which can be quite different than the adoptive parent perspective.

5. Beyond Consequences, Logic, and Control: A Love-Based Approach to Helping Attachment-Challenged Children With Severe Behaviors by Heather T. Forbes

Another great book which goes beyond the theory of why some children struggle to attach and offers a guiding hand and a heavy dose of hope for loving and parenting these children.

Honorable Mentions

Attaching in Adoption: Practical Tools for Today’s Parents and Attaching Through Love, Hugs, and Play by Deborah Gray

The Adoptive & Foster Parent Guide: How to Heal Your Child’s Trauma and Loss by Carol Lozier

Blog Credit: Creating A Family