"Child of Sorrow" is based on a true story of one 17-year-old girl's struggle to survive an unplanned pregnancy in a time when abortion was not a legal option. Like many in 1959, she was secreted away to a home for unwed mothers and forced to surrender her baby for adoption. Most who endured such a heart-rending experience were scarred by it for life, and their future relationships suffered as a result. This book is dedicated to all of them.

What happens when all that is familiar disappears...when everything you see, taste, smell, feel, hear....is suddenly gone and lost to the other side of the world? Enter the world of An-Ya and Her Diary... An-Ya and Her Diary chronicles the journey of an 11 year old adoptee from China. Written in diary format, young An-Ya reveals her emotional journey as she is catapulted from a Chinese orphanage into a middle class home in America. The diary, into which she journals, was the only item left with An-Ya when she was found as an infant. For 11 years An-Ya has left the diary blank as she patiently waited in China for her biological family to return. Ultimately, after her adoption to America, she feels compelled to write her story down. Inside her diary she strives to connect the two severed worlds in which she has lived. An-Ya's story is one of incredible loss, filled with painful transitions and longed for hope. It is a story that will linger with you after its final page is turned. AN-YA AND HER DIARY: READER AND PARENT GUIDE...NOW AVAILABLE

Many families want to adopt, but do not have the large amount of money it takes to complete a private domestic or international adoption. Some quickly give up the idea of adopting and are left feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and discouraged. Those who choose to proceed often take out large loans or borrow from family and friends which adds to the financial pressure on the family. Author Julie Gumm shares proven strategies from her own experience as well as from others that include applying for grants, creative budgeting, and fundraising that prospective adoptive parents can use to prepare for and avoid those high costs associated with adoption.

An-Ya and Her Diary: Reader & Parent Guide is a ground breaking collaborative work and the first of its kind to be published under the An-Ya Project. Inside you will find the wisdom and artistry of professional adoptees who discuss all aspects of the novel An-Ya and Her Diary. Included are lessons on how to lead an adoption discussion, how a parent can use the novel to emotionally guide their child through the book, as well as writers who eloquently express their own complex journeys as adoptees. Readers will also find: the 'Reflections' of young adoptees and their siblings and an in-depth interview with the author of An-Ya and Her Diary conducted by members of the CAL One World Chinese Adoptee Program. Contributors Include: Stephanie Kripa Cooper-Lewter, Ph.D., L.M.S.W. Lee Herrick Amanda H.L. Transue-Woolston, BSW Jennifer Bao Yu "Precious Jade" Jue-Steuck Susan Branco Alvarado, MA Ed, LPC Matthew Salesses

Our Furry Son is a short story about Lio, a little kitten lost in the city, who is taken to an animal shelter, where there are only two alternatives: adoption or death. Just when he was losing hope, he is adopted by a woman and her husband who become his saving angels. The kitten has a special charisma, and some mysterious behaviors. He shows his gratitude by a profound love, so much so, that his parents cannot help but feel moved. They share emotions and experiences that make them a real family. The parents learn to understand his language and how to take care of him. Lio becomes the child that they never had and are grateful to life for this wonderful gift.

Scott Starkey and his wife Jennifer were determined after marrying that their household should never grow beyond the two of them - and however many dogs and cats occupied the premises at the time - when, in 2004, a chance encounter with a television program called "China's Lost Girls" set in motion a series of events that eventually led them to China and a thirteen month old little girl - their precious daughter Hope - in August, 2010. "You've Come a Long Way, Baby: A China Adoption Story" is a poignant, heartfelt, and frequently humorous chronicle of one couple's emotional adoption journey, including the decision to adopt, persistence through years of waiting, an anxiety filled two-week "adventure" in China where they met their little girl for the first time, and the challenges faced along the way. More importantly, it's a unique look at family, and what it really means to make one.

Gentle, imaginative Hetty feels at home with her kindly parents but struggles to find her place in a new school. She takes refuge in her secret forest hideaway. When an accident forces her to rely on others, will Hetty find what it takes to grow up and fit in? And is a mysterious stranger watching over her?

This book was inspired by a fellow teacher, Kate, and her husband, John, as they went through this process to adopt their son, Ethan. During our lunchtime, we discussed when and how to tell a child that they are adopted, and this book seemed to be a gentle and natural way of telling the story of one family on their special quest. The book also shows how one little life can complete a family. I wish everyone on the path toward adoption or living as an adopted child love, strength, and compassion toward everyone concerned.