ABC Adoption & Me
Written by Gayle H. Swift & Casey A. Swift, M.Ed., Illustrated by Wesley Blauvelt
Revised and Re-illustrated Version Published July 2019, paperback
ABC, Adoption & Me (Revised and Re-illustrated) will warm hearts, deepen understanding of what it means to be an adoptive family and provide teaching moments that bring families closer, connected in truth, compassion, and joy. The book includes a parental guide to assist parents in mastering a nurturing approach to adoption complexity. ABC, Adoption & Me (Revised and Re-illustrated) introduces the concept of Adoption-attunement, a fifteen point strategy for parents and professionals that outlines the best ways to connect and support adoptees, adoptive families, and first families.
Age: Baby – 12 years
Awards
Finalist 2020 – Indie Book Awards, Children’s Picture Book Non-Fiction (All Ages)
One of 12 notable picture books – 2013 by Shelf Unbound
Favorite Read – of 2013 by Adoptive Families a national adoption magazine
Honorable Mention – Gittle List of 2014
Finalist – 2014 Book Awards Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE)
Honorable Mention – 2014 Purple Dragonfly Book Award
Honorable Mention – 2015 Reader’s Favorite Award
Adoptive families reported that it genuinely helped them explore and discuss adoption with their littles in a way that kids felt supported and that also deepened their connection. This revised version reflects the latest in professional understanding of the complexity of adoption, the challenges of young adoptees, and the conversations and strategies that draw families together in support of one another. Wesley Blauvelt’s dreamy illustrations are evocative and compelling.
We're Adopted, So What? Teens Tell It Like It Is
Written by Gayle H. Swift & Casey A. Swift, M.Ed., Illustrated by Wesley Blauvelt
Published January 25, 2020, paperback and Kindle versions available
Being a teenager is tough enough. When you factor in the complexities and challenges of being adopted, it is exponentially harder. The graphic-style book, “We’re Adopted. So What?” features five teen girls who share a huge thing in common: each of them was adopted. This shared experience draws them together yet the distinctions between their experiences are as unique as their personalities. Feisty, fun and outspoken, the girls tackle some tough topics. They share their thoughts and feelings being adopted, how adoption shapes their world and relationships, creates challenges, burdens them with curiosity, frustration, anger, and grief, and shows how they strive to blend together their biological and their adoptive worlds.
Age: 7 – 18 years
Awards: Indie Book Awards, Children/Juvenile Non-Fiction Finalist 2020
This book overflows with practical suggestions for how to navigate the constantly changing seas that adoptees face. The influences of DNA are forever, just as the influence of the adoptive family’s nurturing will permanently shape the child worlds. The process is complicated and can be difficult to articulate. This book provides a way to spark these important conversations with families or friends. It validates and renders compassionate witness to the adoptee experience.
Reimagining Adoption: What Adoptees Seek From Families and Faith
Written by Gayle H. Swift, CPC & Sally Ankerfelt, M. Div.
Published June 24, 2019, paperback, Kindle and Audiobook available
Love is essential yet not enough. Reinvigorate, reshape and improve the way Christians understand and approach adoption!
Awards
- Florida Writer’s Association Gold Award from the 2019 Royal Palm Literary Award Competition
- 2021 Silver Medal in the Illumination Book Awards which “honor the year’s best new titles written and published with a Christian worldview,
