First of all, I have to apologize yet again to the wonderful Michelle Madrid-Branch for always being so late on my reviews for her. Life has been a little tough lately … who’s with me? Which brings me to my second of all: I hope everyone out there is managing to stay healthy, safe and sane during this crazy coronavirus time. Perhaps my timing is just perfect; maybe you’ve read your kids so many books while quarantining that you need something new for your adoptive family book shelf. Look no further than this sweet, colorful read!
Disclaimer: I was not compensated to write this review, but this post contains ads and affiliate links, which help me support my blog. For more info, see my policy.
Here’s what I love most about Coco & Olive – The Color of Love:
- It’s beautifully written to sensitively and lightly cover the tough subjects of adoption and the physical differences that means for adoptive families. While my daughter and I are both Caucasian, we do not share her gorgeous red hair and brilliant blue eyes, so we frequently get asked about that (Does she look like her dad? Where’d the red hair come from? Etc.) It gives us a chance to talk about her adoption, which I personally welcome, but I sometimes am surprised that folks aren’t more sensitive with their questions. This book offers a great way to frame differences within families at a level young children can understand.
- While the storyline might not match your own journey to adoption, it easily lends itself to opening up discussions with your child, page by page.
- It’s gorgeously illustrated with the colors of the rainbow. If your kid is anything like mine, rainbows are all the rage.
- While it’s ultimately about a blended family, it’s from the perspective of a mama (Olive) and her baby (Coco), which is always a special read for all the moms out there to share with their littles (especially mama-daughter duos like me and mine).
- Dogs! We love dogs over here, and the characters Coco and Olive are based on Michelle’s family dogs. So cute!
To sum it up, let me tearfully cite the last page of Michelle’s book: “The color of love is us … Love is me and it’s you.”