When I became a mom through adoption, I started looking for children’s books that could help me talk to my daughter about how our family came to be.  I was looking for something gentle, joyful, and true to our story. As a single mom, I found that many books didn’t quite fit our reality and often centered on two-parent families. I remember reading aloud and instinctively editing as I went, which required skipping over father figures or changing pronouns to make the story fit our lives.

That lack of stories that could spark conversations in the context of diverse family structures similar to ours, is what inspired me to write The Heart That Found You. I wanted a book that would give parents a framework to explain the bond between parent and child, regardless of how their family was formed. While creating a story that reflected our experience, I realized it could also support so many others (single parents, LGBTQ+ families, and more) while still feeling relevant and affirming for traditional two-parent households.

I chose to tell the story in rhyme because I’ve always loved the rhythm and warmth that rhyming brings. It helps make big feelings approachable and creates a comforting experience for young readers.  Not to mention, it is more fun to read.  

I also kept the story intentionally open-ended.  I didn’t want to include too many specific details, that way parents can fill in the gaps with their own unique journeys. Every family’s path to one another is different, and I wanted this book to be flexible and inclusive, allowing families to make it their own as they read it. I have even created guides on my website to help parents do just that.  The characters are purposefully gender- and race-neutral so any parent and child, regardless of background, can see themselves in the story. The metaphor at the heart of the book is broad enough to resonate with families formed through adoption, foster care, surrogacy, or egg donation—any situation where love and intention bring people together to form a family. 

When I wrote The Heart That Found You, I wanted to convey three key messages:

1. That children are deeply loved by their parent which is represented by Heart.
   
   

2. That birth mothers make incredibly brave and loving choices.
   
   

3. That families, no matter how they’re formed, are grounded in love, care, and the deep desire to belong.
   
   

My hope is that this story gives families, adoptive or otherwise, a way to talk about the complex emotions that come with forming a family. It can help parents share their love story with their children, reflect on the choices that brought them together, or simply celebrate that their family exists because two hearts found each other. And for children who haven’t experienced adoption firsthand, it’s a reminder that families come together in many different ways and that every kind of family is something to celebrate.

Looking ahead, I hope to see more children’s books that reflect and normalize the full spectrum of modern families, because every child deserves to see their story represented and to know that the way they came to be is something beautiful.

The Heart That Found You is a story for anyone who believes that love makes a family. It published on November 4th, just in time for National Adoption Month.

Learn more, find resources for parents and educators, and explore upcoming events at annaschocket.com.