We See The Moon

Many adult adoptees have gone through life wanting to ask questions about their birthparents, but felt the thoughts they have might make their parents uncomfortable. Then, these questions have remained unasked and unanswered. We See the Moon opens the adoption dialog at an early age by allowing the questions in your child’s heart to be asked and discussed creating the foundation for conversations to come.

This is a story written from the child’s perspective, asking the questions that dwell in their hearts about their birthparents. . . What do you look like? Where are you now? Do you think of me? It will help children use the moon as a private tool to connect with a family that is always with them in their hearts. Illustrated with beautiful Chinese Peasant paintings, and filled with evocative prose, this is a must have for all internationally adopted children. Click to see inside. A user guide has been developed by Jane Brown, MSW to help parents open the dialog of adoption issues with their children. Click here to read or print.

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REVIEWS:
	Adoptive Family Magazine May/June Issue Carrie Kitze's story for children is written from an adopted child's perspective. We See the Moon asks the questions about birthparents that are often unspoken: What do you look like? Where are you now? Do you think of me? In a sea of titles that explain the adoption process rather than how it feels to be adopted, We See the Moon—simple, hopeful, and beautiful—stands alone. We See the Moon’s central theme comes from a song: “I see the moon, the moon sees me…Please let the moon that comforts me, comfort the one I love.” The heroine of the story uses the moon to connect with the birth family that is always present in her imagination. Brightly colored folk art paintings complement the text. The message that all lives are lived under the same moon is deeply moving. We See the Moon transforms the sadness of separation into a healing experience, finding universes of belonging that soften the void of absent birthparents. Every adoption triad member, child or adult, needs a copy of this timeless story that takes hold of you gently and won’t let go. Reviewed by Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg, directors of Pact, An Adoption Alliance. TOP
	Holt Hi Families Magazine For each of us our beginnings greatly influence who we become. For adoptees, particularly those whose beginnings were in another part of the world, the wondering is even more profound, unknown, and unfamiliar. The questions such as “Who am I?” and “Where did I come from?” are not easy to articulate and understand. We See the Moon, by Carrie A. Kitze, captures the essence where no clear answers exist. This elegant, read-aloud book is appropriate for readers of all ages. The text is lovely, sweet, and comfortingly accompanied by beautiful Jinshan peasant paintings. Lively and colorful, each picture tells its own story. For Asian adoptees, the art is also part of their story and history, to be discovered within the pages of We See the Moon. It begins: “I was born/in a faraway land/of parents/with faces in the shadows.” This is the story of every adoptee born in another country. Some of the words reflect the bittersweetness that is the reality of adoption. As adoptees get older the book can be used to encourage them to talk about and explore their own thoughts and feelings. We See the Moon is not a book that will be outgrown. It has been nearly 50 years since my adoption from Korea, but this wonderful book resonated with me. It caused me to reflect and wonder once again about my own story, and it also gave me a great deal of comfort and made me smile. We See the Moon is an important book that should be read by adoption professionals, adoptive families, friends and family of adoptees, or others who will benefit from better understanding the experience of adoption. The publisher has also provided an excellent parents’ guide written by Jane Brown, MSW, who is also an adoptive parent. The guide is available online at www.emkpress.com. Purchasing the book is not required to obtain the guide, but it makes an excellent companion piece for parents who want open and healthy communication with their adopted children. Reviewed by Susan Soon-keum Cox, Korean adoptee, Vice President Holt International Children’s Services TOP
	Deborah D. Gray, MSW, MPA Author of Attaching in Adoption: Practical Tools for Today’s Parents Carrie Kitze’s book, "We See the Moon," is astonishing. I am using it successfully for children in therapy. Rather than carrying a typical narrative line, the author chooses a fresh approach. She pairs vivid, child-friendly Chinese paintings with child or birthparent voices. Children encounter these jeweled-colored images as they turn pages. They impose their meanings onto the evocative words. It is a springboard for discussion as children incorporate some of the material into their stories. The scenes are magical ones that invite identification with their Chinese heritage. This is an unusual book. Children are particularly drawn to it. My thanks to the author for providing this resource for children and their families. It makes a lovely gift book for families. It is a must-have for professionals. TOP
	Jane Brown, MSW Editorial Board Adoptive Families Magazine, mother of children from Korea, China and the US “It is a beautiful book complete with a familiar poem, expanded in meaning to empower parents and children to talk about adoption issues and open a lifelong dialog. I can’t wait to share this with my own children and grandchildren who also need to understand and incorporate the adoption stories that are now interwoven into the fabric of who we are and where we are going.” TOP
	Adam Pertman Executive Director Evans B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, author of Adoption Nation: How the Adoption Revolution is Transforming America “This book is a feast for the eyes and the heart. It is also insightful and wise-quite an extraordinary combination.” TOP
	Beth O’Malley, M.Ed. adult adoptee, author of Lifebooks: Creating a Treasure for the Adopted Child “Powerful. We see the Moon asks the questions that every adoptee secretly wants answered. This book is a ‘must have’ for every adoptive parents’ library and a perfect introduction for starting your child’s lifebook.” TOP
	Susan Caughman Founder of Families with Children from China, Editorial Director of Adoptive Families Magazine “This lovely poetic book captures both the joy and the sadness of adoption in evocative prose and beautiful paintings. A must have for all China families and a helpful addition to children’s adoption literature.” TOP
	Adoptive Parent from Newport Beach, California Your adopted child can be from anywhere ... and you and your family will be able to relate deeply to this book’s messages. The author uses simple language to elegantly express tender feelings of enduring curiosity and loss in adoption, even as it acknowledges the security of the adopted home. My 6-year-old was relieved to hear words describing how she felt. She seemed even more gratified as we read it together to know I was hearing how she feels and it is safe for us to talk about these topics. This book is amazing in the way it communicates the naturalness of feeling sadness, and offers a way to find comfort by connecting to birthparents through the moon, in words children can easily understand. Best of all, it reinforces an ability to love both sets of parents. TOP
	Adoptive Parent from Denver, Colorado The book arrived yesterday and last night my nearly 6 year old daughter, adopted from China at age 15 months, and I read it. In the past, I’ve tried to have a dialogue about how she feels about her birth family and the lack of information on them. She has always replied that she never thinks or wonders about them and is not sad that she knows nothing of them. I knew this was not true, but I did not know how to get her to verbalize her feelings. While reading this wonderfully simple but amazing book, she told me she misses her birth mother and is sad that she does not know her. Two-thirds of the way through the book she said “I have a great idea!” She closed the book and said “Let’s go look for the moon.” In pajamas we went outside to look for the moon, but it was too cloudy to see it. I felt terrible, however, the book and the idea of the moon was so powerful for her that my daughter suggested we imagine we COULD see the moon... Tonight we will look again to see if we can see the moon. If not, we will again imagine we can see it and continue to talk. I thank Carrie for giving me a tool to open this section of my child’s heart. TOP