WAITING FOR MAY

Based on her own family’s experiences in the two years it takes for the adoption of their daughter to become final, Stoeke of Minerva Louise fame limns a lovely story of longing for a baby sister. Her soon-to-be older brother describes the research, the paperwork and all the many questions his family must answer before they can bring his baby sister home from China. He wants to know who takes care of her while they wait and work, and if she misses them. Since mei can mean either little sister or beautiful woman in Chinese, and the boy has a grandmother named May, that’s what they call her as soon as the agency displays her picture on the Web. Finally, the boy and his parents take the long flight to China—and the first day, the exhausted baby cries all the time. Soon, fascinated by a turtle button on his shirt, May clings to her brother. The pictures are warmly detailed and in clear, bright colors and strong, graceful lines. A welcome point of view in this expanding genre. (Picture book. 4-9)