SURROUNDED BY LOVE

A wise brown owl tells the story of how a young girl came to be adopted in Olson’s picture book.

Addressing an unnamed blond girl, Wanda, a grandmotherly owl, says, “It all started a long time ago… / Before you were born, your parents wanted a child.” Wanda relates how the girl’s adoptive mothers—two dark-haired women, one Black, one White—hoped and longed for a child, how they applied to an adoption agency, and how the girl’s birth mother (a woman who also has blond hair) loved the girl and wanted what was best for her, and so carefully chose her adoptive mothers from among many hopefuls wishing for a child of their own. Wanda describes how the new moms celebrated when they received the good news, how they held the newborn girl shortly after her birth, and how, as she grows, they plan to share news of her exploits and photos with her birth mother. Wanda concludes, “It started long before you were born / and will continue—all through your life.” Olson narrates this LGBTQ+ family story in unadorned, unrhymed prose, focusing the narrative on the pureness of the love that all three mothers feel for the child. Urbiztondo’s digital illustrations emphasize the joy of this parenting dynamic, both in the adults’ doting and dancing and through life-affirming background details, family snapshots, and swirling bursts of color.

An encouraging, enlightening tale of love, family, and open adoption.