Yafi was born in Ethiopia and remembers living with his Grandma Elsa before moving to the orphanage where his new family found him. In this straightforward tale of interracial adoption—Yafi is black, his adoptive family white—Yafi describes his early life and how he felt when first adopted, adding texture through the mention of Ethiopian food and culture. Colorful watercolors depict Yafi’s present and memories, while soft brown paintings portray the deceased mother he can’t recall. Yafi’s adoptive family is open and encouraging, which helps Yafi find a solution; while he doesn’t have photos of his Ethiopian family, he can make a picture himself, and he does, drawing both his adoptive and birth families. In this last, childlike drawing, the characters are hard to identify and at first glance appear to be all white. Still, this is a tender tale of the power of family that presents a positive example of how to address the topic of birth parents in a reassuring manner. Inspired by the author’s experience of adopting a son from Ethiopia. (Picture book. 5-7)
