The Mulberry Bird

An Adoption Story

The central adoption-related question for children 5 to 10 is “Why did my birthmother ‘give me away’.”

The Mulberry Bird’s story of a mother bird who loved her baby but could not care for him, finally coming  to understand that the most loving and responsible thing she could do for him was to choose adoptive parents for him was written in 1986 and quickly became a beloved favorite.

In 1996 it was revised to reflect the empowerment of birthparents and the opening of adoption since its original 1986 publication. Full-color watercolor illustrations by Diana L. Stanley enliven the second edition.  

An adoption classic (over 50,000 sold) The Mulberry Bird sends a message that love, anger, sadness and hope can exist simultaneously, and that love for and even attachments to two sets of parents can be honored.

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