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Hey friends! I am so excited to share with you today a new children’s book with an adoption theme.
As I am sure many of you know, I LOVE finding new adoption books especially children’s books. This particular book I can say my boys LOVED!
Please read the below book description and then I will get right into my review.
A MOM FOR UMANDE by Maria Faulconer
The heart-tugging true story of how a baby gorilla found love in the arms of a surrogate mom.
When Umande was born, his mother didn’t know how to take care of him. So, he was hand-reared by keepers at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. For eight months, the keepers crawled on the ground with him to show him how to walk; coughed in his face to teach him discipline; and gave him happy gorilla grumbles to encourage him. But for Umande, something was still missing. Luckily, a thousand miles away at the Columbus Zoo, a mom was waiting just for him.
This touching true story about finding a family will resonate with animal lovers and adoptive families alike.
Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung
A Mom for Umande: Goodreads | Amazon
ADOPTION MAMA BOOK REVIEW-A MOM FOR UMANDE:
How cool is it that this is a true story!?!?
This book has become a new favorite in our home. When I suggested to my boys that we donate our copy to a silent auction I am in the midst of planning (for our local adoption agency) they both fought me on that one! Seems this book will be a fixture in our evening reading rotation for a good long time 
Something I appreciated from this book is that the mother gorilla, who gave birth to baby Umande was too young to care for him. All she wanted to do was play with him but she had no idea how to be a mother. This is not something that I have read in other children’s books on adoption. Yet both my boys came from situations where this was true. What a blessing it was to be able to have this book start the conversation up about how my children came to me.
Another key spot in the story was when they took baby Umande on a plane to go to another zoo so he could meet his surrogate mother. Since we also had to fly to pick up our children it was another great opportunity for me to talk adoption with my boys a bit more in depth then we have previously with other adoption books.
When I first started reading this book to Teo our 6yr old, I didn’t tell him that the story had an adoption theme in it. What made me so excited was how he connected the dots on his own and interrupted the story to tell me how the baby gorilla needed a family. When I was finished the story and asked my son what his favorite part was he said “when the baby got to have a mom!” Warm my heart much!?!?
This story is written with such care. It was wonderful to find a book that went just a little bit more into the details of an “adoption” story. Sure it is a story of a baby gorilla but the way the author explains how things came about was a great way to begin a more in depth conversation with my boys about Adoption.
I highly recommend this book. What an amazing read and the illustrations were just as captivating!
About Maria Faulconer:
Maria Faulconer has published fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She loves writing stories, especially ones that tug at the heartstrings. A huge animal lover, and an adoptive mom herself, she knew when she saw a photo of a baby gorilla snuggling with his surrogate mom that she had to tell their story – A Mom for Umande. Her first children’s book, Arianna and the Strawberry Tea, was used for a statewide literacy program. She currently writes for Colorado Springs Style magazine and is working on a YA novel. She lives in Colorado with her husband and two children.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
GIVEAWAY:
Winner will receive a gift basket that includes a $50 Amazon gift card, a copy of A MOM FOR UMANDE, a stuffed baby gorilla, a gorilla zoo book, a miniature wooden zoo train set, Gummi Bears, and rock candy!
Tour Schedule:
Monday, January 12th – Geo Librarian
Tuesday, January 13th – A Book and a Latte
Wednesday, January 14th – Bumbles and Fairy-Tales
Friday, January 16th – In Between the Pages
Monday, January 19th – Such a Novel Idea
Wednesday, January 21st – Mundie Kids
Friday, January 23rd – Adoption Mama
Monday, January 26th – WS Momma Readers Nook
Wednesday, January 28th – A Leisure Moment
Friday, January 30th – Historical Fiction Obsession
If you are as excited as I am about A MOM FOR UMANDE please consider letting others know by pinning the below photo:
![Pin it A Mom for Umande]()
Blog Tour: A MOM FOR UMANDE Review & Giveaway at ADOPTION MAMA.