Saturday, June 09, 2007

A Beautiful Adoption Story

I just finished reading an incredible book for grades 4-6. I plan to use this as a literature circle book in my classroom. Here is a review from the School Library Journal:

From School Library JournalGrade 4-6: For as long as he can remember, Dillon wondered, "What kind of parents would name their child Dillon Dillon?- Parents who had forgotten that a name was the first thing you wore against your raw naked skin?- Dillon's parents were smart.- They would not do a thing like that. Not on purpose." He turns 10 on the family's annual summer vacation at the lake and feels bold enough to ask about his name. He discovers that his birth parents, his dad's sister and brother-in-law, died in a plane accident when he was 18 months old. He had been named Dillon McDermott and when he was adopted, his parents gave him their last name: Dillon. As the youngster comes to terms with this new reality, he becomes fascinated by a loon and her mate that nest in one of his sneakers on a nearby island. Soon after their chick hatches, he realizes that both parent birds have been shot and he wonders how the orphan will survive, until a few days later when he sees that another loon has stepped in to raise the chick. Symbolism that could overwhelm the plot is sensitively tempered by Dillon's emotional journey, the development of strong secondary characters, and engaging subplots. Reminiscent of Kevin Henkes's gentle novels, this introspective, somewhat magical story is perfect for all children who wonder about their place in the universe.
Ellen Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

In our continued effort to raise money for the trip back to Kazakhstan to bring home our son...I am offering a brand new copy of this book to anyone who donates $5.00 or more. Please remember that any amount you can offer will help a great deal. We spent our entire savings on this adoption and the first trip exhausted those funds when we encountered difficulties. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP & SUPPORT!!!

6 comments:

The Cook said...

hey girl, I am totally going to donate something but I have to replenish our savings first. We are depleted after Kaz. I hope you can go soon. Any news?

Corey said...

Any news??????
I wish I could give more...
We lost 40,000 with Vietnam

Karla said...

I would like to contribute $10.00...let me know where to send you a check. Love, Karla

wish it could be more...sorry.

Farrah said...

Hi you don't really know me but I read your blog until you went private..I'm sorry you are going through this, I just made a donation to you.. Good luck to you and your family

The Cook said...

What's goping on? I called you. Are you still teaching?

Suz and Matt said...

Hi Dawn,
I think about you every day and wonder how its going. Is there any word at all about a timeline or if and what you may need to do to move forward? I can't imagine how you must feel.

Know people are thinking and praying for you.