Adoption can be a difficult topic to explain to your child initially, but Choco's search for his mother can help. Choco learns that his mother is not necessarily the one who looks the most like him - but she is the one who accepts and loves him for who he is. Delicate water color pictures depict the darling little yellow bird, Choco interacting with many different animals; a giraffe, penguins, bear, pig, alligator, and hippo. The sentences are short and straightforward, but the message is much bigger.
Choco's story may inspire questions from your child, and certainly opens the door for you to start discussing topics like adoption or family situations different from your own. On a lighter note, your child can also enjoy the humor in the story, like when Mrs. Bear and Choco imagine how silly Mrs. Bear would look if she was yellow with a feathers and big cheeks like Choco.
My three-year-old friend, Sam, may not have fully understood the underlying message of adoption when we read about Choco, but he did love the pictures. He kept puffing out his cheeks to look like Choco and waiting for me to notice when I stopped reading to turn the page. He loves to make me laugh - and is pretty good at it!
--Audra
