Love Rules: A Family’s True Story of Adoption and Unconditional Love

Based on a true, well-publicized and endearing story of adoption, this picture book follows a little boy preparing to go to a new foster-home. Apart from the small bag he has packed, Michael carries many unspoken anxieties about the future and memories of the past. His new foster-parents are welcoming and warm and do their best to reassure him, but he continues to fret over the uncertainty of his future. These worries persist as he settles in at school and makes new friends. One magical day, he accompanies his foster-parents to court where, with classmates cheering, he is officially adopted.

With a dedication to the friends, social workers and teachers who change lives, Love Rules reflects the tension endured by foster-children that cannot always be expressed easily as they long for permanence and belonging in their lives. His warm welcome, the delight of having his own room and adapting to school despite initial fears are joys that merely exacerbate Michael’s concerns that this new-found happiness could come tumbling down.

Attractive, bold, brightly colored illustrations across double pages feature large-eyed cartoon-like figures that maintain and complement the simplicity and warmth of the story. Photos at the end of the story are joyful portraits with Michael as part of his ‘forever’ family.

The authors have managed to subtly capture a child’s insecurities and emotions and the child’s inability to fully explain them. Missing details regarding Michael’s past that provoked his current unease would have added clarity as would an acknowledgment of the parents’ emotions and recognition that adoption is a two-way street satisfying more than just the adoptive child’s needs. Nevertheless, Love Rules: A Family’s True Story of Adoption and Unconditional Love is replete with love and affection, and the fact that Michael finds his permanent home makes this a satisfying read for children aged 4-6 and a reassuring one for young adoptees.