THE DAY OF YOUR ARRIVAL

An adoption story told from the point of view of two parents about the love they have for their adopted child.

As this father and mother prepare a room and toys for their child, readers learn through words and detailed pictures that their child will be loved. Once the child is home, the parents learn what treats the child likes, introduce the child to the extended family, take the child to preschool. Throughout the book, it is evident that the characters live in an affluent community. Thanks to details such as multistory houses, massive amounts of plants and decorations, clothing, and accessories, readers know that this child lives well. The story is illustration-heavy with one to two sentences per double-page spread, encouraging readers to carefully view each page to understand the characters’ emotions. Both parents have pale skin, he with brown hair and she with black; one double-page spread in which they speculate about the child they have not yet met depicts pictures of children of many different races, but the “you” of the text is a pale-skinned child with a black pageboy. Though this is an adoption book, the focus of the book is not always on the child’s homecoming; at times it is about how much she is loved and what her childhood experiences are, illustrating that an adoption is an event that happens, not an ongoing process.

A tender, beautifully illustrated picture book depicting adoption as a way to grow a family.