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The Red Blanket
A touching and beautiful adoption story that reveals the challenges as well as the joys of forming a new family.
This is a story about a little girl who needed a mommy
and a forgotten blanket that needed a little girl
and a woman who needed them both.
This is a journey about the forming of a family.
It is as lyrical as a love letter from a mother to her daughter,
as honest as the struggles they encounter,
and as comforting as a cozy red blanket.
Eliza Thomas went to China in 1994 to adopt her daughter PanPan, who was then 5 months old. This is their story.
This is a story about a little girl who needed a mommy
and a forgotten blanket that needed a little girl
and a woman who needed them both.
This is a journey about the forming of a family.
It is as lyrical as a love letter from a mother to her daughter,
as honest as the struggles they encounter,
and as comforting as a cozy red blanket.
Eliza Thomas went to China in 1994 to adopt her daughter PanPan, who was then 5 months old. This is their story.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2004
1 person is currently reading
110 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 1, 2020
Summary: This women wants a child but she can't so she looks into adopting one day. She fills out the paper work and a long time goes by and she hasn't got a kid yet. She waits and waits. She becomes very sad until one day she gets a call that their is a child needing a someone to adopt her. This child is in China. The person looking to adopt had to find a way to get to China and she wanted to leave that day. She leaves that day but it takes her a couple of days to get there. She then meets the girl and goes to take her home. When she takes her all the baby does is cry. The adopted mother tries everything she knows to do to get the child to stop crying. Then she remembers that she bought a blanket gives it to the baby to snuggle. Instantly the baby stops crying and is fine after that.
Analysis: I love this book. I can relate this book to my life because I am adopted. I know the struggle of feeling scared of being in a new home. The pictures in this book are great. The illustrations are great and I love how the story lines go.
Use in the classroom: I could use this in the classroom to show that all people don't come from the same background. I can also help people through hard times because I have been through hard times.
Analysis: I love this book. I can relate this book to my life because I am adopted. I know the struggle of feeling scared of being in a new home. The pictures in this book are great. The illustrations are great and I love how the story lines go.
Use in the classroom: I could use this in the classroom to show that all people don't come from the same background. I can also help people through hard times because I have been through hard times.
November 8, 2017
This is a story about a lady who wants to have a baby. She sends letters to a adoption agency and days later the agency tell her they have a baby for her in China. Her name is PanPan. She gets everything ready to bring with her to China, including a red blanket she has seen at a store which seems perfect for a small child. She goes to China to get her baby. Once the mom holds PanPan, she cries and cries and the mom can't calm her down until she wraps her in the red blanket. PanPan grows up with her red blanket, and carries the blanket everywhere she goes.
Theme: Adoption, Love.
Personal Reaction: I thought this was an adorable story. The meaning this red blanket has for both the mom and the daughter is very special. The book says even as the blanket gets worn and faded, its still special and PanPan won't go anywhere without it. I would recommend this book because sometimes when a child is adopted, its hard to get comfortable with a new parent, but if that parent give the child something that will make them feel safe, it will change the life of the child.
Theme: Adoption, Love.
Personal Reaction: I thought this was an adorable story. The meaning this red blanket has for both the mom and the daughter is very special. The book says even as the blanket gets worn and faded, its still special and PanPan won't go anywhere without it. I would recommend this book because sometimes when a child is adopted, its hard to get comfortable with a new parent, but if that parent give the child something that will make them feel safe, it will change the life of the child.
December 19, 2022
I liked how this is a book about adoption and shows a different side to the process rather than just drawing conclusions based on assumptions. It could be a read-aloud type of book when I'm talking more about myself. Sharing something about myself could help students open up and realize that I am human and can share aspects about who I am rather than just being a teacher they happen to see for a subject they are required to take.
November 18, 2017
Awww so sweet. A true story about Lily who adopts a baby girl. After a rough start, the baby calms down when wrapped in a red blanket. Lily is telling this to her daughter Panpan who has grown up now and still carries around the red blanket.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2017
I loved the illustrations in this book. There were full of vivid colors and the red of the red blanket really stood out in the pictures. I also liked the story and how it was based on a true story of a woman who adopted a baby girl from China.
January 4, 2021
A story of a single woman's journey to adopt. A good, easy way to broach the subject of adoption, or single parent adoption with a young child. Very clearly an Asian/foreign adoption though, and may not reflect entirely another adoption situation.
March 23, 2017
This is a special story about adoption.
February 20, 2015
Personal Response: I brought this book into class on the day we were supposed to bring books with a diverse perspective. I chose this book because it is a book that deals with the topic of adoption. I will read any children's book on adoption because it is a topic that is extremely interesting to me. This book also appealed to me because of the red blanket that the girl has as her comfort object. I had something similar when I was a little girl.
Purposes:
Read aloud to 1st-3rd children for multiple purposes
1. Enrichment/Enjoyment
-The children would enjoy this story because many of them might have a comfort item of their own, which would allow to relate to the little girl who is adopted, PanPan.
-Children may have some sort of connection to adoption (maybe they know someone who was adopted) that makes this story more relatable and interesting for them
2. Curriculum
-I would this this story as a read aloud, perhaps if we were doing a unit of families or talking about family structure or diversity.
-The story fosters acceptance and understanding of families that do not look the same as our own.
-Even the illustrations are diverse, as they include people of all skin colors.
-Does not say much about the Chinese culture, but does not present it in a way that encourages stereotypes.
-In addition to adoption, it may lead kids to question why some people do not have any children and the story could lead into a good discussion on that.
3. Independent reading for a child who has a need
-This book could also be used for a child in a higher grade who is adopted, has a relative who is adopted, or is just interested in understanding adoption and the adoption process.
-If this book was used as independent reading for an adopted child, I would want to make sure to communicate with the parent to make sure the child would be ok reading about adoption and would not cause any triggers or emotional problems for them.
Other:
Vocabulary: The vocabulary in this book is excellent. The selection of "rare" words includes ones that are more everyday words, but that do not pertain to adoption as much, and words that are specific to adoption. Examples are "adoption," "agency," "trembling," "thatch," "orphanage," "outskirts," "anxiously," "clerk," "enormous," "gaze," "squirmed," "bureau," "unfamiliar," and "consoled."
Purposes:
Read aloud to 1st-3rd children for multiple purposes
1. Enrichment/Enjoyment
-The children would enjoy this story because many of them might have a comfort item of their own, which would allow to relate to the little girl who is adopted, PanPan.
-Children may have some sort of connection to adoption (maybe they know someone who was adopted) that makes this story more relatable and interesting for them
2. Curriculum
-I would this this story as a read aloud, perhaps if we were doing a unit of families or talking about family structure or diversity.
-The story fosters acceptance and understanding of families that do not look the same as our own.
-Even the illustrations are diverse, as they include people of all skin colors.
-Does not say much about the Chinese culture, but does not present it in a way that encourages stereotypes.
-In addition to adoption, it may lead kids to question why some people do not have any children and the story could lead into a good discussion on that.
3. Independent reading for a child who has a need
-This book could also be used for a child in a higher grade who is adopted, has a relative who is adopted, or is just interested in understanding adoption and the adoption process.
-If this book was used as independent reading for an adopted child, I would want to make sure to communicate with the parent to make sure the child would be ok reading about adoption and would not cause any triggers or emotional problems for them.
Other:
Vocabulary: The vocabulary in this book is excellent. The selection of "rare" words includes ones that are more everyday words, but that do not pertain to adoption as much, and words that are specific to adoption. Examples are "adoption," "agency," "trembling," "thatch," "orphanage," "outskirts," "anxiously," "clerk," "enormous," "gaze," "squirmed," "bureau," "unfamiliar," and "consoled."
October 11, 2015
Title / Author / Publication Date:
The Red Blanket / Thomas, Eliza. Cepeda, Joe (ill.) / 2004
Genre: Fiction
Format: Picture Book – print
Plot summary:
A story based on the adoption story the author told her own daughter PanPan. She describes her longing for a child, then her journey to China, and the first day with her new baby daughter, who cries and cries and nothing can comfort her until her mother pulls out the soft red blanket. Now PanPan is 10 years old, and the blanket is a reminder of the day they became a family.
Review citation:
PreS-Gr. 2. Thomas, who has written about adoption for adults, presents her first picture book, based on the adoption story she told her own daughter, PanPan, when she was three years old. Cepeda’s beautiful full-page oil paintings show the lonely, single woman, happy in her Vermont community, but sad that she has no children. Thrilled when the adoption comes through, she rushes to get baby clothes, and, at the last minute, buys a cuddly redblanket that she sees “all alone on a high shelf.” She flies across the ocean to China, and gets her baby from an orphanage. Their first day is hard and lonely: the baby cries and cries; nothing comforts her. The pictures show the baby turning away--until her mother cuddles her in theredblanket. Now PanPan is about 10 years old, and the tattered blanket, in every exuberant picture, is a reminder of that magical day when she and her adoptive mother first became a family. Many families will want this for the warm, honest drama of finding home. -- Hazel Rochman (BookList, 05-15-2004, p1627)
Section source used to find the material: Books about Adoption | Children’s Literature at the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Recommended age: Ages 3-7
The Red Blanket / Thomas, Eliza. Cepeda, Joe (ill.) / 2004
Genre: Fiction
Format: Picture Book – print
Plot summary:
A story based on the adoption story the author told her own daughter PanPan. She describes her longing for a child, then her journey to China, and the first day with her new baby daughter, who cries and cries and nothing can comfort her until her mother pulls out the soft red blanket. Now PanPan is 10 years old, and the blanket is a reminder of the day they became a family.
Review citation:
PreS-Gr. 2. Thomas, who has written about adoption for adults, presents her first picture book, based on the adoption story she told her own daughter, PanPan, when she was three years old. Cepeda’s beautiful full-page oil paintings show the lonely, single woman, happy in her Vermont community, but sad that she has no children. Thrilled when the adoption comes through, she rushes to get baby clothes, and, at the last minute, buys a cuddly redblanket that she sees “all alone on a high shelf.” She flies across the ocean to China, and gets her baby from an orphanage. Their first day is hard and lonely: the baby cries and cries; nothing comforts her. The pictures show the baby turning away--until her mother cuddles her in theredblanket. Now PanPan is about 10 years old, and the tattered blanket, in every exuberant picture, is a reminder of that magical day when she and her adoptive mother first became a family. Many families will want this for the warm, honest drama of finding home. -- Hazel Rochman (BookList, 05-15-2004, p1627)
Section source used to find the material: Books about Adoption | Children’s Literature at the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Recommended age: Ages 3-7
February 25, 2015
Personal Reaction: This was a very touching book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I really liked how the story was told in 1st person point of view, it made the story seem more real. The main character, Lily, adopts a child and the rest of the story is about how they become a family and how the special red blanket is always a symbol of their love.
Purposes:
Read aloud for enjoyment and enrichment to 1st through 4th grade students. Students will be able to relate to this book if they themselves have been adopted, or even if they aren't adopted they can relate to a mother's unconditional love. The story focuses on how they become a family and the red blanket Lily got her daughter when she was a baby that was a special symbol of her love throughout PanPan's life.
The story also has some diversity, since the child adopted is Chinese. Therefore the story could be read if the lesson was on diversity and how families do not always have to be from the same place. In order to be a family, all you need is love.
Rich language: vocabulary. There are many describing adjectives that had enhancement.
The illustrations are watercolor with some pastel and pencil. Some of the pictures are diagonal, and they are sort of sporadic, which adds another dimension to the story.
Purposes:
Read aloud for enjoyment and enrichment to 1st through 4th grade students. Students will be able to relate to this book if they themselves have been adopted, or even if they aren't adopted they can relate to a mother's unconditional love. The story focuses on how they become a family and the red blanket Lily got her daughter when she was a baby that was a special symbol of her love throughout PanPan's life.
The story also has some diversity, since the child adopted is Chinese. Therefore the story could be read if the lesson was on diversity and how families do not always have to be from the same place. In order to be a family, all you need is love.
Rich language: vocabulary. There are many describing adjectives that had enhancement.
The illustrations are watercolor with some pastel and pencil. Some of the pictures are diagonal, and they are sort of sporadic, which adds another dimension to the story.
October 31, 2012
The Red Blanket is a memoir about a single mother who tells her story about her adopted child from china. The mother shares about her journey to meet her new baby girl, PanPan, and the struggles she has getting her baby adjusted to her new family. The red blanket the mother gives to her baby daughter is the first time they share smiles towards one another. As a literacy teacher, the book has a lot of vocabulary that could be used in discussion (ex. orphanage, nursery, gaze). The stories talk about the experience of a mother preparing herself for a child who didn’t come from her womb. Students can engaged in the story by discussing the types of preparations this mother had to go through. Eliza Thomas, the author, shares her real life story about her experience adopting her daughter, PanPan, which means that the mother’s emotions in the story are all real. Thomas does a great job sharing her story and sharing the beauty of starting a family. The illustrator, Joe Cepeda, shows wonderful imagery of the love between a mother and daughter. The text teaches about the topic of diverse adoption families and how some children are adopted into single parent families.
Read
September 13, 2013Category: Picture Soak
Source: Can’t wait to use with students
A book I read and wanted to share was “The Red Blanket” by Eliza Thomas and illustrated by Joe Cepeda. This is a book I would share with a classroom that has to deal with diversity. The story is about an American woman who desires to adopt a baby and one day get a letter from the Chinese saying they have a baby for her. The woman goes to the store and purchases necessary items for a baby included a red blanket. When the woman gets the baby the baby is distant and detached until the woman introduces the blanket that provides warmth and a sense of security.
The illustrations in this book are realistic. The expressions on the characters’ faces really capture what the author is trying to explain.
This book would be a good way to introduce diversity to young students. I would use this book as a writing exercise. I’d give the students a prompt like “What’s one thing in your life that you would be heartbroken if you lost? Why?”
Source: Can’t wait to use with students
A book I read and wanted to share was “The Red Blanket” by Eliza Thomas and illustrated by Joe Cepeda. This is a book I would share with a classroom that has to deal with diversity. The story is about an American woman who desires to adopt a baby and one day get a letter from the Chinese saying they have a baby for her. The woman goes to the store and purchases necessary items for a baby included a red blanket. When the woman gets the baby the baby is distant and detached until the woman introduces the blanket that provides warmth and a sense of security.
The illustrations in this book are realistic. The expressions on the characters’ faces really capture what the author is trying to explain.
This book would be a good way to introduce diversity to young students. I would use this book as a writing exercise. I’d give the students a prompt like “What’s one thing in your life that you would be heartbroken if you lost? Why?”
May 1, 2010
Summary:
From School Library Journal
"After learning that she has qualified to adopt a baby, a woman purchases a variety of necessities, including a soft, red blanket that she has been eyeing for months. She takes it with her to the orphanage in China. Understandably, the infant, PanPan, is upset by all the changes in her young life when she is taken by taxi to a hotel, and the dazzling red blanket is the only comfort she finds on that first day. Over the years, the blanket has become threadbare and fragile while the relationship between mother and daughter has strengthened. With the number of inter-country adoptions increasing, this story, based on the author's experiences, is a welcome addition.
Theme: Adoption
Curricular Use: Read Aloud, Shared Reading
Level: preK-2
Illustrations: Vibrant, colorful, highly supportive The pictures convey the anxiety, the waiting, and the love that are a part of expanding a family.
From School Library Journal
"After learning that she has qualified to adopt a baby, a woman purchases a variety of necessities, including a soft, red blanket that she has been eyeing for months. She takes it with her to the orphanage in China. Understandably, the infant, PanPan, is upset by all the changes in her young life when she is taken by taxi to a hotel, and the dazzling red blanket is the only comfort she finds on that first day. Over the years, the blanket has become threadbare and fragile while the relationship between mother and daughter has strengthened. With the number of inter-country adoptions increasing, this story, based on the author's experiences, is a welcome addition.
Theme: Adoption
Curricular Use: Read Aloud, Shared Reading
Level: preK-2
Illustrations: Vibrant, colorful, highly supportive The pictures convey the anxiety, the waiting, and the love that are a part of expanding a family.
September 20, 2016
"The Red Blanket" is a charming story detailing the authors personal struggles and joys of adopting her daughter, PanPan, from an orphanage in China. Through beautiful drawing and loving, motherly writing, Thomas describes the hardships of bringing her new baby away from the only language and scenery she had ever known, to her new home and family in the united states. It beautifully describes the bond between mother and daughter; one that transcends race or blood. I think that it is a great window for kids to learn about adoption, and an even better mirror for adopted children to view the love between this mother and her baby. I love that the mother and her new baby are from different cultures; I think that it portrays multicultural families in a very simple, sweet way that normalizes them as they should be.
March 13, 2012
The Red Blanket is a story about a single mom adopting a child from China. It is beautifully told and illustrated. It certainly provides a nice example of a non-traditional family, of a multi-racial family, and of a parent's love for her child.
However, the complexities of adopting a child from a foreign country are woven into my reading of the story creating an internal commentary as I read this book to my daughter. There are some wonderful examples of adoption from both America and from abroad and of single parents in her life, so I think the story is relevant to her understanding of these topics.
Balancing any internal reservations I have about the topic, the love communicated in the book is wonderful.
However, the complexities of adopting a child from a foreign country are woven into my reading of the story creating an internal commentary as I read this book to my daughter. There are some wonderful examples of adoption from both America and from abroad and of single parents in her life, so I think the story is relevant to her understanding of these topics.
Balancing any internal reservations I have about the topic, the love communicated in the book is wonderful.
October 2, 2008
For Sharon's Award
Level: Early
genre: picture book
Topic:International adoption, single mother family, mother daughter relationship
Curricular: Guided
social: adoption, single parent adopting and raising a child, isolation, becoming a parent and taking responsibility
literary elements: first person, mom writing it to or for her daughter to show love and closeness, red blanket is a symbol of security and love
Strong connection between the pictures and the text (the pictures tell the story too)
Level: Early
genre: picture book
Topic:International adoption, single mother family, mother daughter relationship
Curricular: Guided
social: adoption, single parent adopting and raising a child, isolation, becoming a parent and taking responsibility
literary elements: first person, mom writing it to or for her daughter to show love and closeness, red blanket is a symbol of security and love
Strong connection between the pictures and the text (the pictures tell the story too)
October 31, 2008
Genre: Realistic picture book
Reading Level: Early
Topics & Themes: International adoption. Single-mother families and mother-daughter relationships.
Curricular Use: Read aloud
Social: Single parent adoption. Isolation.
Literary Elements: 1st person Mom to daughter to show love and happiness. Red blanket as symbol of security and love.
Text & Pictures: Interaction of text and pictures
Reading Level: Early
Topics & Themes: International adoption. Single-mother families and mother-daughter relationships.
Curricular Use: Read aloud
Social: Single parent adoption. Isolation.
Literary Elements: 1st person Mom to daughter to show love and happiness. Red blanket as symbol of security and love.
Text & Pictures: Interaction of text and pictures
Read
April 30, 2010Audience: k-3
Genre: Children's picture book
Use: I would read the story aloud to children whenever an issue came up about different types of families. Before reading, I would explain to children how their are several types of families and they are all equally important. I would introduce the idea of adoption and then read the story.
**Thanks to Goodreads for the summary, author, and publisher information!
Genre: Children's picture book
Use: I would read the story aloud to children whenever an issue came up about different types of families. Before reading, I would explain to children how their are several types of families and they are all equally important. I would introduce the idea of adoption and then read the story.
**Thanks to Goodreads for the summary, author, and publisher information!
May 28, 2013
A story of a single mom and her desire to share her life with someone else. She seeks adoption, finds a baby in China and brings that baby home, cuddled in a soft red blanket. That blanket becomes a theme of love and comfort for the young child as she grows, and a symbol of family unity for the mom.
This book would be a great introduction to young children about adoption--I'll have to ask my sweet friend, Annalisa BOYD if she's read it!
This book would be a great introduction to young children about adoption--I'll have to ask my sweet friend, Annalisa BOYD if she's read it!
October 1, 2008
The Red Blanket is a picture book for early readers. This book deals with adoption and growing in love as a family, these issues are addressed in this book. It could be used as a guided reading book to help students learn to read bigger words and sentences. The pictures interact with the words to The Red Blanket.
October 12, 2015
The Red Blanket tells of a story of a mother, meeting her new baby and the happiness she felt when she finally held her baby, regardless of the hardships she faced to make the family work. Eliza writes of her personal story of meeting her daughter through the words and illustrations, taking the reader through her life, page-by-page. It was a lovely book to read.
March 17, 2008
Great US -China adoption story of a single mom and her daughter -- the red blanket the mom buys before she journeys to China comes to symbolize their connection and the journey from before they knew each other to their life as a 2-person family. Great illustrations by Joe Cepeda
December 2, 2008
k-2
early
read aloud
picture book
international adoption/single parent family/love
symbolism of red blanket=security and love/first person mother to daughter/text&illustration interactio
this is a story about forming a family with a single mom and her internationally adopted child
early
read aloud
picture book
international adoption/single parent family/love
symbolism of red blanket=security and love/first person mother to daughter/text&illustration interactio
this is a story about forming a family with a single mom and her internationally adopted child
November 2, 2009
Didn't read the author info at the beginning originally, and expected this to be one of those celebrity children's books, capitalizing on a fad. Knowing that it's a real story made the book more touching. A bit longer than we like, though -- took a couple of story time sessions to finish it.
September 15, 2012
I thought that this book was a good book to bring into the classroom to talk about the topic of diversity. Every child is different and his or her own way and each person has a different concept of what family is. Together as a class, the kids can talk about what family means to them.
September 4, 2011
It has to much text to read in story time but a great story with colorful illustrations
Tells the story of a single woman who goes to China to adopt a baby.
Tells the story of a single woman who goes to China to adopt a baby.
September 16, 2012
Very sweet children's book about a woman, her adopted Chinese daughter, and the red blanket that serves as the bright, warm symbol binding their family.
April 7, 2017
A sweet story. A love story in fact yo an adopted baby.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews