This book tells the story of an adopted girl named Allison. One day she tries on a red kimono from her grandmother and realizes she doesn't look like either of her parents, but instead like her favorite doll. Her parents explain to her that she is adopted and this information shatters her world and makes her feel angry and confused. Allison begins to wonder many things like what her real name is and why she was given up. In the end, she finds a stray cat with no family and learns the true meaning of adoption and family. The illustrations in this book are fantastic and really capture all of Allison's emotions. As a reader, I could feel Allison's sadness in scenes like the one where her smile disappeared. In addition, there were numerous lessons to be taken away, like not needing to look alike to be a family. As a teacher, this book would be great for younger students during a unit about family. Students could work in groups to come up with what they think is the main idea of the book (i.e. family is defined by love) and share these as a class. In addition, students could create a list of emotions felt by Allison throughout the story.
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