A fabulous new children's book

I must admit, I loved “Mishka: An Adoption Tale” ($16.95, drt Press) even before the publisher offered to donate a portion of sales to ArkAngels for Russian Orphans.

The 30-page hardcover book is beautiful, with a familiarly comforting drawing of St. Basil’s Cathedral and a loveable bear on the cover. The illustrations, by artist Miranda Mueller, are soft and warm and full of both love and the occasional familiar sight in Moscow.

But it’s the story, written by Adrienne Ehlert Bashista, that makes this book so special. It’s the story of adoption as told through the eyes of Mishka, also known as Mo, a stuffed bear purchased in an airport by an American couple as a gift for the son they hoped to adopt in Russia. Mo stays with little Yuri in the orphanage between his soon-to-be parents two trips to Russia to complete his adoption. In beautiful, simple terms the book portrays the emotional uncertainty that everyone experiences in that time between meeting one another and the parent’s return to Russia to complete their adoption.

Here's an excerpt:
"Days went by, each day much the same ast the last. Every morning there was porridge, every afternoon was music, and every night was the bed in the room filled with a dozen other sleeping children.
Mo thought his new life with Yuri was much better than his life on the gift shop shelf. He loved it when they played together.
But he wondered if the man and the woman were ever going to return. I had been a long time since they left."

Of course the man and woman do return, and then Mo accompanies the three of them to the embassy and finally to the plane home.

Niko and Lena know they are adopted from Russia. We’ve told them stories and showed them the pictures. On occasion Lena will even tell us that she cried in Russia because we went away. And yet when I read this book to them one night, it opened up all kinds of new questions about their adoption. They wanted to know why we had to leave them in the orphanage, what we were doing when we were away and if we missed them.

I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who has or plans to adopt a young child from Eastern Europe. And if you purchase the book between now and Christmas using this coupon link:

http://www.drtpress.com/orderpage.htm?Coupon=drtp_arka_1000_p_

a portion of the proceeds from your purchase will be donated to ArkAngels for Russian Orphans, whose mission is to improve the lives of children and teens living in orphanages in Russia.

“Mishka” is Bashista and drt press’ second book. “When I Met you: A Story of Russian Adoption” ($16.95, drt Press) was published in May of 2005.