At the end of a month filled with new and old friends, parents and love, we tucked the kids in and read them this book. We seek out books that allow us to talk about love, family, adoption and connection. Usually, the books we find handle one of those aspects well. We’ve never found one that handles all. 

After all of the drama and disappointment of the last year followed by the exhilaration of becoming Griffin’s family, I found myself almost in tears over these pages. The voicing is incredibly inclusive. On the first few pages, I thought of Kat and Spencer, of Kerna and Bianca, of Micky and Claudia. The next pages made me think of all of our kids’ grandparents and our lost grandparents. Then I recognized Dave and I. Really, all of our love is described in this book.

Beyond the words, we could spend hours talking about the beautiful, layered images that juxtapose landscapes, animals and everything that excites little kids, like trains hidden in a sunset.

Reading is like breathing for our family; we can’t stop. But this book was so good, it took the kids from hyper excited to calm and reflective. We just had to share. If you have a child you love and don’t get to see every day, or do, please pick this one up. It’s lovely.

We took a small break to bond, settle in, and survive the flurry of paperwork and doctor’s visits Remy’s broken leg and Griffin’s arrival inspired. This Father’s Day has so much meaning as we become a family of five. As Dave said so well,

Even at 5 am, I love being a dad.

As we celebrate all of the dads who enrich our lives and keep us honest, let’s revel in the unlimited love we all got from those who showed us how to parent in the first place. Happy Father’s Day!