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Forever Fingerprints: An Amazing Discovery for Adopted Children
For adopted children, learning about their beginnings and how they understand what that means to them is a process. It doesn t happen at one point in time, but rather throughout the experiences of life. In this heartwarming children s book, Forever Fingerprints uses a common occurrence a relative s pregnancy as a springboard for discussions on birthparents, where adopted children are before they are born, and how that makes one little girl feel about it. Lucie is excited to feel a baby moving in her Aunt Grace s tummy but it makes her think of how she understands her adoption story in a different way. The tools offered in this book help her to create a unique connection to her birthparents, allow how she is feeling to surface and to be discussed, and give Lucie s parents the chance to reinforce their love for her, to empathize with her feelings and to honor her past. This book book resonates with 7 year olds and adults who have discovered that the feelings and emotions are shared by so many. While it looks like a simple children's book, this book helps parents and children create a family connection and strong foundation for discussing adoption questions. It's a veritable toolbox for adoptive families with a parent guide at the end of the book on how to open adoption discussion and a wonderful connection to birthparents for every adopted person, regardless of their age, with their fingerprints.
32 pages, Library Binding
First published August 15, 2007
73 people want to read
About the author
Sherrie Eldridge
25 books9 followersFor well over two decades, Sherrie Eldridge has offered her unique voice within the adoption community, as an established author and international speaker. An adoptee herself, Eldridge has the ability to see life through the eyes of an adopted child. In her seven published titles, she has shared her passion for validating adoptees’ life experiences and her desire to help adoptive parents better understand and meet their adopted children’s emotional needs.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 8, 2014
3.5 stars
This is a combination parent-and-child book for children involved in a closed adoption. The introduction and last section are designed for the adoptive parents, explaining the likely questions that an adopted child will have, questions an adoptive parent might have, and some ways to talk about them in an age-appropriate way. The last section also explains fingerprints in terms a child (probably from about the age of 5 or 6) can understand, with some appropriate analogies, like drawing on a balloon.
The center part is the story: a little girl named Lucie whose pregnant aunt raises questions about why she didn't grow in her mom's womb and how she always imagined she was a princess and one day the king and queen would come for her. Her parents comfort her and explain as best they can, and tell her that her fingerprints are unique, that parts of the pattern may be inherited from her birth mother and birth father, and that she'll always have a connection to them that way.
Lucie's completely closed adoption is now becoming quite rare. (I believe international adoptions comprise the majority of closed adoptions.) Nonetheless, I suspect some of the questions will still apply, especially questions about why the birth mother didn't choose to keep her child with her.
The parent-intended information is quite thoughtful, but doesn't contain anything new for people who have already gone through the training or done some reading, so I'm not sure I would use this book, not only for the closed-adoption aspect but also because the princess-being-rescued fantasy, while not uncommon, isn't something I'd want to encourage.
The book did say there were some free craft sheets and an adoption ceremony at the author's website, but they were nowhere to be found.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a combination parent-and-child book for children involved in a closed adoption. The introduction and last section are designed for the adoptive parents, explaining the likely questions that an adopted child will have, questions an adoptive parent might have, and some ways to talk about them in an age-appropriate way. The last section also explains fingerprints in terms a child (probably from about the age of 5 or 6) can understand, with some appropriate analogies, like drawing on a balloon.
The center part is the story: a little girl named Lucie whose pregnant aunt raises questions about why she didn't grow in her mom's womb and how she always imagined she was a princess and one day the king and queen would come for her. Her parents comfort her and explain as best they can, and tell her that her fingerprints are unique, that parts of the pattern may be inherited from her birth mother and birth father, and that she'll always have a connection to them that way.
Lucie's completely closed adoption is now becoming quite rare. (I believe international adoptions comprise the majority of closed adoptions.) Nonetheless, I suspect some of the questions will still apply, especially questions about why the birth mother didn't choose to keep her child with her.
The parent-intended information is quite thoughtful, but doesn't contain anything new for people who have already gone through the training or done some reading, so I'm not sure I would use this book, not only for the closed-adoption aspect but also because the princess-being-rescued fantasy, while not uncommon, isn't something I'd want to encourage.
The book did say there were some free craft sheets and an adoption ceremony at the author's website, but they were nowhere to be found.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 21, 2019
Adoption is a tough topic to discuss with kids and this book addresses the questions that they might have as they think about the adoption process. I have an adopted sister and I've heard her ask/talk about some of the things in this book like "why didn't my mom want to keep me?" and "I wonder what my real mom is like", and these things are hard to respond to. The main theme of this book revolves around fingerprints and how everyone's fingerprint is different. This may be an eye-opening realization to children and help them feel an sense of identity and individualization in the world. Even though we all have different fingerprints, we all have fingers which is something we have in common. This book uses language familiar to ages 4 and up and would be a good read to children who are adopted or have questions about adoption. The only thing I find problematic is that the main little girl imagines that her real parents are a king and queen living in a palace. This fantasy statement is inaccurate to the situation and while it is nice to imagine, I don't think adopted children need to imagine their biological parents as something imaginary. Other than that, I thought this was a sweet book discussing what it means to be adopted and how it is different from a biological family.
February 28, 2021
Here's the review I wrote for our blog:The wonderful adoption classic, Forever Fingerprints by Sherrie Eldridge is being reissued by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. An adoptee and a staunch advocate for adoptive families writes, who LIVES the adoption journey, Sherrie connects with adoptees’ hearts and validates their experience. Forever Fingerprints, a picture book serves a younger audience than Sherrie’s other books.
Behind its simple story line, Forever Fingerprints models adoption-attuned* relationships. It speaks to child and parent. As an adoption coach as well as an adoptive parent, I know it is important for parents to clearly establish that adoption is a suitable topic for family discussion. While this may seem obvious, to children it is not. In the absence of expressed permission, kids will assume that adoptions conversations are off limits. They will fear that it might hurt their (adoptive) parents if they talk about their concerns, mixed feelings and sharing their thoughts about their birth parents. And so, many wrestle with heavy worries weighing down their hearts. Forever Fingerprints is an easy and enjoyable way for parents to talk about some of the “hard stuff” of adoption.
Forever Fingerprints, captures a common moment in an adoptee’s life—being blindsided by a routine event that triggers a young girl’s awareness of loss or difference which results from being adopted. Specifically, Lucy discovers that her aunt is pregnant. Lucy is tickled to discover she can feel the baby move when she taps her aunt’s stomach. It is easy to see how this leads Lucy to wonder about her own birth mother.
This story helps reassure Lucy that like all children, she too, was nurtured inside her birth mother’s body. And, just like other babies, she was born. Research has shown that many adoptees experience confusion around their origins. Some even imagine they were “hatched” or arrived by airplane. Forever Fingerprints presents offers a teaching moment that helps normalizes Lucy’s own origins. Parents can ask their children to share their ideas of their own birth. (Be prepared to be surprised by what they think!)
I like how Eldridge has used fingerprints to establish both the child’s uniqueness as well as her connection to her birth parents. I have shared this book with children who have no information about their birth parents and no possibility of communicating with them at adulthood. These children still have curiosity about and longing for connecting with their roots. They feel the weight of this void. Having the fingerprint link assisted them in feeling that they had a permanent reflection of their birth parents.
In Forever Fingerprints, Lucy’s mother is attuned to her daughter’s roller-coaster emotions. Mom validates Lucy’s feelings and helps her to see several ways in which her birth parents exist within Lucy. This serves as a wonderful model for both parent and child readers. Parents have an example of how to handle the situations. Children have an example that it is both safe and reasonable to have questions and feelings.
I recommend this book because it helps both parent and child. Families can easily replicate the fingerprinting activity. On one of our GIFT Family Services retreats, we completed a similar project—a fingerprint tree. (View our creation at left.) Although very simple, we were all touched by the experience as we could see how each of our fingerprints enhanced the beauty of the tree.
This is a wonderful metaphor for the value of difference. How boring life would be if we were all the same! Even the “finger paint” cover art supports the metaphor. Remember how much fun it was to slide your fingers through the cool, squishy colors? Why not join your children in creating a fingerpaint drawing? Perhaps it can be the cover for your child’s life book.
“Forever Fingerprints” is available for preorder. Jessica Kingsley Publishers officially launches this new issue on Oct. 21, 2014. It will be available in both hardcover and Kindle formats. --Gayle H. Swift, author, "ABC, Adoption &Me: A Multicultural Picture book"
Behind its simple story line, Forever Fingerprints models adoption-attuned* relationships. It speaks to child and parent. As an adoption coach as well as an adoptive parent, I know it is important for parents to clearly establish that adoption is a suitable topic for family discussion. While this may seem obvious, to children it is not. In the absence of expressed permission, kids will assume that adoptions conversations are off limits. They will fear that it might hurt their (adoptive) parents if they talk about their concerns, mixed feelings and sharing their thoughts about their birth parents. And so, many wrestle with heavy worries weighing down their hearts. Forever Fingerprints is an easy and enjoyable way for parents to talk about some of the “hard stuff” of adoption.
Forever Fingerprints, captures a common moment in an adoptee’s life—being blindsided by a routine event that triggers a young girl’s awareness of loss or difference which results from being adopted. Specifically, Lucy discovers that her aunt is pregnant. Lucy is tickled to discover she can feel the baby move when she taps her aunt’s stomach. It is easy to see how this leads Lucy to wonder about her own birth mother.
This story helps reassure Lucy that like all children, she too, was nurtured inside her birth mother’s body. And, just like other babies, she was born. Research has shown that many adoptees experience confusion around their origins. Some even imagine they were “hatched” or arrived by airplane. Forever Fingerprints presents offers a teaching moment that helps normalizes Lucy’s own origins. Parents can ask their children to share their ideas of their own birth. (Be prepared to be surprised by what they think!)
I like how Eldridge has used fingerprints to establish both the child’s uniqueness as well as her connection to her birth parents. I have shared this book with children who have no information about their birth parents and no possibility of communicating with them at adulthood. These children still have curiosity about and longing for connecting with their roots. They feel the weight of this void. Having the fingerprint link assisted them in feeling that they had a permanent reflection of their birth parents.
In Forever Fingerprints, Lucy’s mother is attuned to her daughter’s roller-coaster emotions. Mom validates Lucy’s feelings and helps her to see several ways in which her birth parents exist within Lucy. This serves as a wonderful model for both parent and child readers. Parents have an example of how to handle the situations. Children have an example that it is both safe and reasonable to have questions and feelings.
I recommend this book because it helps both parent and child. Families can easily replicate the fingerprinting activity. On one of our GIFT Family Services retreats, we completed a similar project—a fingerprint tree. (View our creation at left.) Although very simple, we were all touched by the experience as we could see how each of our fingerprints enhanced the beauty of the tree.
This is a wonderful metaphor for the value of difference. How boring life would be if we were all the same! Even the “finger paint” cover art supports the metaphor. Remember how much fun it was to slide your fingers through the cool, squishy colors? Why not join your children in creating a fingerpaint drawing? Perhaps it can be the cover for your child’s life book.
“Forever Fingerprints” is available for preorder. Jessica Kingsley Publishers officially launches this new issue on Oct. 21, 2014. It will be available in both hardcover and Kindle formats. --Gayle H. Swift, author, "ABC, Adoption &Me: A Multicultural Picture book"
April 10, 2018
This was a nice book with a reassuring message, but I chose not to share it with my adopted kiddos for one main reason: the adopted child in the story states (just once, in passing) that she always dreamed her birth parents were a king and queen living in a castle somewhere. I know that scenarios like "I'm a lost princess" are really common for kids to come up with (adopted or not), but mine have not ventured here [yet]. I was hesitant to introduce this kind of fantasy/hoping about birth parents. Right now (1st & 3rd grade) we have enough to try and understand without confusing it with a plot from a Disney movie.
Again, sweet story and well-handled, just that one sentence made it tricky for my family.
Again, sweet story and well-handled, just that one sentence made it tricky for my family.
August 6, 2016
CBZ Book Review for Forever Fingerprints--
This is a tender story about where we come from and how a child is born. A child has questions about the day they were born. Whether a child grows in their Mother's belly or if they are, adopted children want to know where they came from. Forever Fingerprints helps to solve some of these mysteries and open the way for conversations.
The author uses fingerprints to connect the adoptive child to their parents. Fingerprints never change and a child is connected forever to their birth parents.
The illustrations add a special touch. They are colorful and have a very soft quality leaving a very tender and loving impression to the reader. This is a beautiful story with beautiful illustrations. A perfect combination!
This is a tender story about where we come from and how a child is born. A child has questions about the day they were born. Whether a child grows in their Mother's belly or if they are, adopted children want to know where they came from. Forever Fingerprints helps to solve some of these mysteries and open the way for conversations.
The author uses fingerprints to connect the adoptive child to their parents. Fingerprints never change and a child is connected forever to their birth parents.
The illustrations add a special touch. They are colorful and have a very soft quality leaving a very tender and loving impression to the reader. This is a beautiful story with beautiful illustrations. A perfect combination!
March 9, 2012
This book is a great read-aloud in so many ways. For science, we could explore how no two people have the same two fingerprints and the biological aspects of carrying a baby in the womb. For art, we could make a collage of fingerprints. For math or science, we can study the geometric structure of our fingerprints. The book is about adoption,so social studies teachers could make good use of this book, also.
February 12, 2012
PK-3
This is a cute story with some truth behind the story and an easy way to explain to an adoptive child how they are connected to their birth parents.
I would read this to my class to speak about how all families are different. We could also use it for science in a discossion of fingerprints and why they are different, or with older children about genetics.
This is a cute story with some truth behind the story and an easy way to explain to an adoptive child how they are connected to their birth parents.
I would read this to my class to speak about how all families are different. We could also use it for science in a discossion of fingerprints and why they are different, or with older children about genetics.
February 17, 2012
Ir's about a little girl who was adopted. Her adopted parents was about to have another baby, and she wondered where her real parents were. Later her parents told her that the baby would never replace her and nobody else had fingerprints like her. They would always love her and her unique fingerprints.
January 31, 2011
not my favorite, but ok
March 18, 2014
okay illustrations and good story
April 18, 2015
i liked this book. i love the message it gives the readers about a difficult topic. it is a really sweet book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews