What Is Your Story?
Let’s talk about adoption and kinship
by Lynn Deiulis

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What is Your Story? is an engaging, colourful book that gives children permission to discover their unique journey of adoption or kinship. The book’s goal is to normalize the questions children have, while at the same time normalizing the need to ask them. Divided by activity pages, each chapter can be read independently, and even out of order, in an effort to focus on each child’s specific story. This book can help: -Parents, caregivers, and other adults involved in the adoption or kinship process to have open, honest discussions with children about their unique stories. -Birth parents who want to talk about adoption and kinship with birth children they are not living with. It can help children understand their unique story of why they are not living together with their birth parent(s) and who their birth family is. -Professionals who are preparing children for adoption or kinship placements, as well as therapists working with children who are living through adoption or kinship processes. Special note to parents/caregivers Designed as a fun way to reinforce the content that you have just read together, the activity pages between the chapters are also a natural way to stop reading if you or the child are feeling overwhelmed. This book is more of a journey than a story and sometimes you or your child may need to stay on a chapter until it is comfortable to continue, until all the feelings are felt, or until all the questions are asked. Just like other journeys, detours and construction delays are normal and even expected. Some families might need to reach out to community resources to help manage their feelings and that is encouraged. There are as many ways to read this book, as there are butterflies!

www.whatisyourstorybook.com

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What Is: Her Story Lynn Deiulis was placed on adoption at the age of nine months in 1960. Her adoptive parents were advised to raise her as their own and forget where she had come from. Her parents followed this advice, and adoption became an uncomfortable topic. Her mother would answer Lynn’s adoption questions, but the emotion in her mother’s eyes eventually made Lynn stop asking. Lynn grew up not knowing how or whom to ask her many questions. As an adult, Lynn found and met some of her paternal and maternal birth family members and was able to learn much about the genetic and familial information she grew up without. As a result, she has been able to piece together more of her story. Lynn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care and enjoyed a twenty-five year career in adoption services. Lynn has worked with many members of the adoption triad (children, birth parents, adoptive parents) as well as foster care and kinship families. She co-facilitated support groups where adult adopted persons, and birth parents, could freely share their unique stories and learn how and where to get some of their questions answered. Her personal and professional journey sparked a passion to write a book that offers an opportunity for children to learn the unique details of their adoption or kinship stories, and helps adults talk to children about how they came to be living together as a family or living with another family. She also hopes the book will help professionals who work with children living through all phases of the adoption or kinship journey. Lynn resides in Northern Ontario, where she enjoys spending time with her husband and family, especially her grandchildren. What Is: Their Story The relationship between the author and the illustrator has a unique quality. Krista Donnelly and Lynn are birth half sisters who met each other as adults in 2018. Separated by the adoption process, Krista and her three full sisters grew up not knowing that two older half sisters existed. When Lynn decided to write this book, she reached out to her “new sister” who is a talented graphic designer. Krista brought the book’s characters to life while building a relationship with Lynn at the same time. Krista learned about the impact on Lynn of growing up as an adoptee, while Lynn learned about the impact on Krista of discovering she had two birth half sisters she never knew existed! Their new mutual understanding of the impact of adoption has enriched this book. Lynn and Krista hope this book will help children and families talk about these unique stories long before the children become adults.

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Contributors

Author

Lynn Deiulis

Illustrator

Krista Donnelly

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Other eBook Editions

This book is also available in eBook format from these sites.

• Google Play