Allison: A Picture Book About Multicultural Adoption and Finding Family for Children

by Allen Say

When Allison tries on the red kimono her grandmother has sent her, she is suddenly aware that she resembles her favorite doll more than she does her mother and father. When her parents try to explain that she is adopted, her world becomes an uncomfortable place. She becomes angry and withdrawn. She wonders why she was given up, what her real name is, and whether other children have parents in faraway countries. Allison's doll becomes her only solace until she finds a stray cat in the garden and learns the true meaning of adoption and parental love.

Genres: Picture Books, Adoption, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Family, Cultural, Japan

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Allen Say is one of the most beloved artists working today. He is the recipient of the Caldecott Medal for GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY, and also won a Caldecott Honor and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for THE BOY OF THE THREE-YEAR NAP (written by Dianne Snyder). Many of Allen’s stories are derived from his own experiences as a child. His other books include THE BICYCLE MAN, TEA WITH MILK, and TREE OF CRANES, hailed by The Horn Book in a starred review as “the achievement of a master in his prime.” Allen’s recent book, ERIKA-SAN, received a starred review in Publishers Weekly. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Description: When Allison tries on the red kimono her grandmother has sent her, she is suddenly aware that she resembles her favorite doll more than she does her mother and father. When her parents try to explain that she is adopted, her world becomes an uncomfortable place. She becomes angry and withdrawn. She wonders why she was given up, what her real name is, and whether other children have parents in faraway countries. Allison's doll becomes her only solace until she finds a stray cat in the garden and learns the true meaning of adoption and parental love.

Lovely title, smashing illustrations, great subject to tackle early on.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allison realises she doesn't look like her parents and is struggling with her feelings about this and being different. Although there isn't much text to the story and you could say that Allison's problems won't be solved be solved as easily as destroying her adoptive parents loved childhood possessions and adopting a stray cat this was an interesting look into this girls situation and the illustrations are beautiful.

Read on openlibrary.

[Lexie Wosk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allison is a young Asian-American girl who realizes that she is adopted. In the beginning, the story unfolds as Allison realizes that she does not physically look like her parents. After talking with a few students in her class, she discovers that she is the only one in her class that does not share the same physical features as her parents. Allison struggles to cope and she has a difficult time understanding why her biological parents had to give her away. The disappointment and sadness that Allison feels becomes apparent when she rebels and rejects her adopted parents as her own. Depending on the reader, this story can build both empathy or sympathy for children who are adopted. The visuals in the book are beautiful, colorful, vibrant paintings that truly portray what the characters are feeling, especially Allison and her parents. There is a good balance between having the story written on the left hand side of the book, and a painting on the right side.
The one recommendation I do have for this book was that the resolution of the story was resolved very quickly and I wish I were to see a longer ending. The build up of the story was written very nicely, I just wish there was more of a strong ending. In the end, Allison’s cultural identity remains, however she has a new beginning with her parents and accepts her parents as her own. This story is great for empathy and acceptance, I would prefer this book to 1st grade and up.

[Esther · Rating 2 out of 5]

The pictures were beautiful but the story was anxiety provoking. It expressed negative emotions but there was a lack of warmth to the book and I'm not sure it soothes enough for all the anxiety it provokes.

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike the other kids at school, Allison doesn't look like her parents. This is making her pretty unhappy, until she finds a creature of her own to adopt.

[Mr. Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right. In. The. Feels. I’ve read this book over a dozen times and it still gets me all misty-eyed in public. It’s so emotionally charged and I always feel like I’m on a roller coaster after I’m finished reading it. Highly recommend.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not an adoptive parent, but I feel like the adoption process or decision to adopt could have been expounded on.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children come from all different types of homes. Some children have parents that are divorced, some children live with their grandparents, and some children are adopted, just like Allison is in the book Allison.
In the book, Allison struggles with the fact that she is of Asian descent and her parents are not. Once she realizes that her parents are not her “real” mommy and daddy, she rebels. Allison feels alone and different. She only feels related to her doll Mei Mei who looks exactly like her. She ruins her parents’ belongings and is very closed off. While reading this book, I imagined how hard this realization could be for a young child, especially one who is a different ethnicity from their adopted parents. I also felt for the parents in this book, because I’m sure it would be a struggle to make that child feel better about the situation and deal with the child’s bad behavior. At the end of the story, Allison sees a stray cat and realizes he doesn’t have a mother or a father either. Allison finds comfort in the cat and can relate to him. She asks her mom and dad if he can be part of the family, and they say yes. Allison is finally back to normal and happy with her family.
Allison struggles with fitting into her family in this book, but in the end she realizes she is truly loved by her adopted parents. They may not be biological, but they have always been there for her ever since she was a baby, and they love her very dearly. I think Allison would be a great book to read aloud to a class. A teacher could discuss the fact that many of the students’ families may be different, but one thing they have in common is that they are all loved, and that is the most important part.

[Quentishia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Allison by Allen Say is a easy but interesting read that children may enjoy with a purposeful meaning behind the story. This fiction book is about a young girl who realizes that she looks nothing like the people she call mom and dad. Allison and her favorite doll have very similar features; much like people of Asian decent and it all makes sense to her when she figures out that she is adopted. After taking a step back to observe her classmates and their parents; Allison has a hard time accepting that her "parents" are not her biological parents. Allison acts out in ways that was out of her norm but finds that she and a stray cat have a lot in common. Both Allison and the cat do not have their parents around them. After realizing that she is not the only one experiencing this issue, she gradually accepts her adopted family and even welcome the cat into their family as well. Being that this book is about adoption, I believe the storyline breaks this touchy topic down great for kids and also offer diversity in cultural groups. In addition, the illustrations are beautiful and flows well with the story.

[Mary Crabtree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this simple story around a child's growing awareness of their own adoption.
The quick intake of breath when she realizes for the first time that there are "other" parents
out there. And that these "other parents" decided they could not care for her. Allen Say's story and illustrations ring with a quiet beautiful truth easily understood by the youngest of ages. This is a wonderful real-aloud.

[Shaeley Santiago · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told from the perspective of a young girl, Allison begins to realize that she is quite different from her parents. At first, she doesn't completely understand why until they explain that she is adopted. It takes a cat to help Allison realize the true meaning of family.

[Lesley Looper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story which adds some insight into what some adopted children go through. Lovely illustrations from Allen Say, as usual.

[Thomas S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: Allison is a story about a little girl, who realizes she is adopted. Allison sees that her parents’ faces look nothing like her own Asian face and she starts asking a lot of questions. She is disappointed that her biological parents gave her away and she is angry at her mother and father for not being her real parents. She starts disobeying her parents and ruin their stuff, because she is angry and confused about who she really is. But one day, Allison finds a stray cat and she asks her parents if they can keep it. The cat does not know its biological mother and father, so Allison feels a connection to the cat and when her parents accept the cat into their family, Allison also accepts her parents again.

The theme is that it can be difficult and confusing to find your own identity. Especially when the picture you have of yourself is challenged.

Personal response: As a school teacher, I have been teaching adopted children who struggled to accept that they were given away by their biological parents. This book may help them, because they can see that they are not alone.

Recommendation: Allison is a great book about the confusion and anger adopted children can go through, when they realize that their parents are not their biological parents. Other children who are going through the same thing as Allison can read this book and feel that they are not alone. Furthermore, this book can also help other children who are not adopted to get a better picture of what their adopted friends are going though. The beautiful, realistic illustrations in this book makes it even more appealing to everyone who finds it interesting.

[Nicole Grote · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and felt that it had a great message. The story starts when young Allison realizes that she doesn't look like her parents (she's adopted) and it upsets her greatly. She goes to school and discovers that she is the only child in her class who says they don't look like their parents. When she goes home, she cause a wreck and is very angry at her parents. Then she notices a stray cat outside. After some discussion, the family decides that they will keep the cat and make it the newest member in their family. Teaching Allison a bit more about what it meant for her parents to adopt her as well as the idea that families come in all different shapes and sizes. I really enjoyed the text and message found in the book. The book would be great for kids who are adopted or to even show kids that there are all kinds of different families and one is not better than the other. I also really enjoyed the illustrations. When I read this book I was actually very surprised that its illustrations didn't win a Caldecott medal. The illustrations were very life like and utterly beautiful. They really enhanced the text and made the reading just that much more enjoyable. With the text and illustrations combined Say creates a beautiful piece of children's literature.

[Emily Kono]

This is a story about a little girl who realizes her parents don't look like her. She becomes confused and upset when her adoptive parents explain that her birth mother from China had to give her away. Allison lashes out at her parents and becomes rude and disrespectful toward them. She goes to school and asks her friends if their mommies and daddies gave them away to other people and the children became confused as well. Allison's parents explain that they love her very much and traveled a far way to adopt her. In the end, Allison meets a stray cat and decides she wants to take him home because he doesn't have a family and realizes she is not much different from the stray cat and that she deserves the love her parents are giving her. This is another story that could help with children who are adopted or in foster care and are confused about their feelings as well.

[Kaci Beesecker]

Allison was a story about this young girl who realizes that she looks nothing like the people whom she calls mom and dad. Allison and her favorite doll have very similar features; much like people of Asian descent and it all makes sense to her when she figures out that she is adopted. She goes through different stages of realizing that she isn't like her parents, which include sad, mad, upset, but she eventually becomes happy again with her parents after they "adopt" the cat that keeps coming around.

This story would be good to use in the classroom to teach the students that it is okay to be different than those around you. Everyone is the same and should be treated the same. You could have the students write a short biography about themselves, and have them include what makes them the same and different from their friends or family, etc.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Allison is the story of a young girl from Japan who was adopted as a baby. She becomes confused and upset as to why she doesn't look like her mom or her dad and only her doll, Mei Mei. Mom and Dad try to comfort Allison but she only becomes more upset and reclusive. In the meanwhile, a feral cat keeps visiting Allison outside her window and she becomes close with it. The cat is what makes her feel better overall, and she convinces her mom and dad to adopt the kitty into their home. She also destroys some of her dolls and clothes and her parents' favorite toys as children and yells at them that they are "..not her parents! I thought the story was okay overall and as always, Say does a wonderful job evoking the characters' emotions through his watercolors and illustrations.

[RLL2202017_Roxanna Jasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a little Asian girl discovering that her parents are not her real parents, but her adoptive parents. Her 'parents' do not look like her or her doll. Because of this, she feels really different and rejects them as her parents. She takes notice that every other children look like their parents in some way. It is not until she finds and wants to adopt a stray cat that she realizes that some family find each other. This book touches on self identity and acceptance. This could be recommended for grades 1st and up.

[Ashley B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story because it is about a young girl who finds out she is adopted and struggles to cope with that information. She didn't think much of what her parents looked like or even her classmates, but when she was old enough to see how she didn't look anything like her parents or classmates, she began to question where she came from. Her parents were honest with her, but she didn't know what to think about having parents in a different country. This is a real feeling for those who are adopted and this book can be used to build both empathy and sympathy (depending on the reader).

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

The illustrations are gorgeous and poignant, but the story is awful. The white parents don't tell Allison she's adopted until she suddenly realizes she's different; the Asian props like the kimono are not Chinese; and when Allison melts down and breaks things, Mommy withdraws. It's all wrapped up in a neat bow when the stray cat at the door is adopted by the family. So many awful messages to transracially (generally) and Chinese (specifically) adopted children.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike most of the author's other books, this one seems to be a children's picture book and not just one that looks like one. But it doesn't quite work. The art is not quite as nice. And the text is a little lame. The thought is fine, but it ends just a little too easily. And the twist is barely a twist.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important book to include in your collection of books about families. Allison, an Asian girl, was adopted into a white family. This picture book deals with some of her struggles as she realizes that she does not look like her parents.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

The initial appeal was the doll. But this story can lead to a wide array of topics for discussion, depending on a child's interests -- cultural and genetic differences, school, parents & children, ... adoption, as well as what it means to be a family.

[Tom M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adopted child learns that love is love regardless of who makes up your 'family' thanks to a stray cat. Another fine Allen Say book.

[Amanda Walz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about adoption, anger and acceptance.

[حسناء · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love Allen Say's works
i hope i can have all of them and read them to as much children as i can

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tender and sad story about a little girl who comes to find out she's adopted. She is very dismayed. It is a stray cat who helps her in the end.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It addresses the feelings that children who are adopted go through which is important to address. However, the book does not really show any resolve. It just kind of ends.

[Jorgina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young orphan comes to terms with her identity as an adopted child. A sweet story.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, I love the illustrations! I also think the message is a good one, especially for young children who may have been adopted.