Ten Days and Nine Nights
Excitement over the pending arrival of a new sibling has a welcome twist in Yumi Heo’s child-centered story: The baby is being adopted. A little girl getting ready for her new sibling details the preparations in a simple countdown narrative (“I wash my old teddy bear. I have four days and three nights”). Brightly colored illustrations show the girl, her dad, and her grandparents as the girl describes the preparations. Occasional wordless spreads in a more subdued palette follow her mother, who is shown leaving on an airplane for Korea, completing the adoption paperwork, taking custody of the baby, and then flying back home with the newest member of their family. Repeated readings of a story that concludes with a happy union/reunion will surely be requested. Heo invites readers to imagine whatever possibility they wish regarding the little girl’s own background: She could be adopted herself, or she could be the biological child of her parents, whose heritage, like hers, appears Korean. What is clear is that they are a joyful family. ©2009 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Yumi Heo
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 3-6
Age Range:
Babies/Toddlers (birth – 3)
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Adoption
Anticipation
Asian Americans
Koreans and Korean Americans
Siblings
Diversity subject:
Asian
Publisher:
Schwartz & Wade
Publish Year: 2009
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780375847189
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Heo