10 books like Delly Duck

By Holly Marlow, Suzy Garland (illustrator),

Here are 10 books that authors have personally recommended if you like Delly Duck. Shepherd is a community of 8,000+ authors sharing their favorite books with the world.

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This Is Me

By Fiona Myles,

Book cover of This Is Me: No Darkness Too Deep

Anna Anderson Author Of Survival Without Roots: Memoir of an Adopted Englishwoman

From the list on growing up adopted.

Who am I?

I am adopted. I am a birth mother and also a mother through adoption. I have lived through all ‘three faces’ of adoption and know how each ‘face’ affects millions of people's lives all over the world. I am passionate that conversations around adoption need to come out of the closet and the secrecy surrounding the subject must disappear. By writing my books, I am on a mission to support adoptees, birth mothers, and adoptive parents and help them realise they are not alone. After publication of my first book in the Survival Without Roots trilogy, I am humbled that people are reaching out to say that reading Book One has helped them so much.  

Anna's book list on growing up adopted

Discover why each book is one of Anna's favorite books.

Why did Anna love this book?

Fiona leaves no stone unturned as she describes the journey of her years dabbling with drugs and alcohol brought on by the trauma of growing up adopted. Fiona shows a true spirit of determination to fight through her adoption traumas of rejection and abandonment. I wondered all the way through this book whether she would succeed or if her experiences would eventually be too much for one person to bear.

This Is Me

By Fiona Myles,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked This Is Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The true-life story of Fiona who always felt displaced, a girl looking for belonging and security. This is Me No Darkness Too Deep, explores the ups and downs when as a young woman she roller-coasted, travelling from city to city and meeting trouble at every stop. Fiona spent many years in the depths of dark and desolate places, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. She was beaten, she slept rough and was used and abused and endured the horrors of rape. Carrying the weight of being an adoptee meant that she struggled through abandonment and rejection issues.

The author is not ashamed…


This Is Me

By Fiona Myles,

Book cover of This Is Me: I'm Adopted

Anna Anderson Author Of Survival Without Roots: Memoir of an Adopted Englishwoman

From the list on growing up adopted.

Who am I?

I am adopted. I am a birth mother and also a mother through adoption. I have lived through all ‘three faces’ of adoption and know how each ‘face’ affects millions of people's lives all over the world. I am passionate that conversations around adoption need to come out of the closet and the secrecy surrounding the subject must disappear. By writing my books, I am on a mission to support adoptees, birth mothers, and adoptive parents and help them realise they are not alone. After publication of my first book in the Survival Without Roots trilogy, I am humbled that people are reaching out to say that reading Book One has helped them so much.  

Anna's book list on growing up adopted

Discover why each book is one of Anna's favorite books.

Why did Anna love this book?

As a follow-on from her first book, Fiona tells us of her never-ending search for love and affection and the difficulties in forging relationships. I was rooting for her to have a happy ending. If you have read This is Me: No Darkness Too Deepthen you must read this second book in Fiona's trilogy to see where her adoptee journey takes her. It's not the ending I expected!

This Is Me

By Fiona Myles,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked This Is Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This Is Me: I'm Adopted

Fiona Myles author of This is me – No Darkness to Deep presents her second book This Is Me – I’m Adopted a true-life autobiography.
Fiona was adopted at 8 months old. From the age of 6 when her first real memory of being told she was adopted registered, she started to feel different. Always being reassured she was special, chosen and wanted seemed to just enhance that feeling of not being the same as her brother and sister. Emotionally the struggle was intense as instead of being able to speak about how she was…


The Primal Wound

By Nancy Newton Verrier,

Book cover of The Primal Wound

Anna Anderson Author Of Survival Without Roots: Memoir of an Adopted Englishwoman

From the list on growing up adopted.

Who am I?

I am adopted. I am a birth mother and also a mother through adoption. I have lived through all ‘three faces’ of adoption and know how each ‘face’ affects millions of people's lives all over the world. I am passionate that conversations around adoption need to come out of the closet and the secrecy surrounding the subject must disappear. By writing my books, I am on a mission to support adoptees, birth mothers, and adoptive parents and help them realise they are not alone. After publication of my first book in the Survival Without Roots trilogy, I am humbled that people are reaching out to say that reading Book One has helped them so much.  

Anna's book list on growing up adopted

Discover why each book is one of Anna's favorite books.

Why did Anna love this book?

I recommend this book as it explains what to take into consideration when trying to understand the adopted child. I am adopted and did not realise that a lot of the lifelong trauma I have felt was related to adoption. It is a must-read for adopted people, adoptive families, birth parents, and adoption professionals. 

The Primal Wound

By Nancy Newton Verrier,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Primal Wound as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Primal Wound is a seminal work which revolutionizes the way we think about adoption. It describes and clarifies the effects of separating babies from their birth mothers as a primal loss which affects the relationships of the adopted person throughout life.. It is a book about pre-and perinatal psychology, attachment, bonding, and loss. It gives adoptees, whose pain has long been unacknowledged or misunderstood, validation for their feelings, as well as explanations for their behavior. It lists the coping mechanisms which adoptees use to be able to attach and live in a family to whom they are not related…


An Adoptee's Journey

By Gaynor Cherieann,

Book cover of An Adoptee's Journey: Letters of My Life

Anna Anderson Author Of Survival Without Roots: Memoir of an Adopted Englishwoman

From the list on growing up adopted.

Who am I?

I am adopted. I am a birth mother and also a mother through adoption. I have lived through all ‘three faces’ of adoption and know how each ‘face’ affects millions of people's lives all over the world. I am passionate that conversations around adoption need to come out of the closet and the secrecy surrounding the subject must disappear. By writing my books, I am on a mission to support adoptees, birth mothers, and adoptive parents and help them realise they are not alone. After publication of my first book in the Survival Without Roots trilogy, I am humbled that people are reaching out to say that reading Book One has helped them so much.  

Anna's book list on growing up adopted

Discover why each book is one of Anna's favorite books.

Why did Anna love this book?

Communication through letters is a lovely way to be able to say what you feel to all those in Gaynor’s life who shunned her, loved her, and abandoned her. She never met some of the recipients, but the feelings and emotions as an adoptee have remained lodged in her memory for years. Her book unearths them and unleashes them through the power of the written word. Gaynor does not hold back and writes her letters with an honesty and a rawness that is touching.

An Adoptee's Journey

By Gaynor Cherieann,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked An Adoptee's Journey as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It is the 1960s; a sixteen-year-old girl is in a mother and baby home; her heart is breaking as she prepares to give up her baby for adoption.

Shunned by society, she has no choice.

That baby was me.

Join me on my life’s journey through the letters I have written to everyone who has shared my unique story. Follow me as I find the courage to share this story, from my birth to my unhappy adoption to getting married and becoming a mum and granny.

Learn how I took control of my life after disassociating myself from my past,…


Love You From Right Here

By Jamie Sandefer, Pamela Goodman (illustrator),

Book cover of Love You From Right Here

Marcy Pusey Author Of Speranza's Sweater: A Child's Journey Through Foster Care and Adoption

From the list on for foster and adoptive families.

Who am I?

As a birth, foster, adoptive, and pseudo mom to many children, I know firsthand how hard it is to find quality literature that reflects their experience and gives them skills for their own life journey. As a therapist, certified in trauma and resilience, having spent many years in social services, I also see the lack of resources available to caregivers, teachers, and counselors. It's my passion to help remove shame, build resilience, and reclaim hope in the lives of each member of these families. I’ve done this through a TEDx talk on the power of story on the brain, authored multiple books, speak regularly, offer trainings, and private parent coaching.

Marcy's book list on for foster and adoptive families

Discover why each book is one of Marcy's favorite books.

Why did Marcy love this book?

Sandefer, a foster mama herself, wanted to give other foster parents words of comfort to give to their own hurting foster children. Love You From Right Here does just that. Kids in foster care have had so many choices taken from them. I love how this book gives some back. Sandefer has created a place where children can see another child’s agency protected and cared for, where the adult invites (instead of forces) and the child responds when he or she is ready. Sandefer’s story does a beautiful job of illustrating that trust and safety aren’t to be rushed, but developed through patience, kindness, and empathy. Kids and adults need this book.

Love You From Right Here

By Jamie Sandefer, Pamela Goodman (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Love You From Right Here as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Second Edition of Love You From Right Here is a children’s book for children in foster care. Featuring a diverse representation of characters including men, women, boys, and girls, it is written from the perspective of the foster parent to the child in foster care. This book takes you through an abbreviated look at the emotions a young child experiences throughout their transition to a new foster home. The message to the child is that while they are in that home, they will be safe and loved. Love You From Right Here also serves as a keepsake book, with…


We Can Talk About It

By Whitney Bunker, Jena Holliday (illustrator),

Book cover of We Can Talk About It: A Conversation Starter for Foster and Adoptive Families

Marcy Pusey Author Of Speranza's Sweater: A Child's Journey Through Foster Care and Adoption

From the list on for foster and adoptive families.

Who am I?

As a birth, foster, adoptive, and pseudo mom to many children, I know firsthand how hard it is to find quality literature that reflects their experience and gives them skills for their own life journey. As a therapist, certified in trauma and resilience, having spent many years in social services, I also see the lack of resources available to caregivers, teachers, and counselors. It's my passion to help remove shame, build resilience, and reclaim hope in the lives of each member of these families. I’ve done this through a TEDx talk on the power of story on the brain, authored multiple books, speak regularly, offer trainings, and private parent coaching.

Marcy's book list on for foster and adoptive families

Discover why each book is one of Marcy's favorite books.

Why did Marcy love this book?

As a therapist, longtime foster/adoption advocate, and fost/adopt mama, I’m always looking for books that help adults have healthy, child-driven conversations with kids. More than most, kids in foster care and adoptive placements need safe spaces to feel their feelings, navigate life changes, and experience caring adults. Debut author Whitney Bunker brings her personal experiences as a foster/adoptive mama and Executive Director / Co-Founder of City Without Orphans to do just that. We Can Talk About It shows kids that the healthy, supportive adults in their lives are safe places for the questions that will come, while simultaneously modeling for adults how to be that safe place. This book is just one of many beautiful ways Bunker and her organization seek to serve hurting but hopeful families.

We Can Talk About It

By Whitney Bunker, Jena Holliday (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked We Can Talk About It as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Author, adoptive mom, and social worker, Whitney Bunker provides a unique book for the foster and adoptive community. As parents of children from foster care and adoption, you have the privilege to walk alongside them in understanding their story. This book is a guide and on-going conversation starter for families who need support in talking about honest feelings and thoughts surrounding their child’s journey. It guides parents and caregivers through various scenes of familiar expressions
of children who have experienced foster care or adoption. As an added support, there are nine parental tips in the back of the book for…


Reuben’s Story

By Joanna Clifton, Cai Clifton (illustrator),

Book cover of Reuben’s Story: From Birth to Adoption

Holly Marlow Author Of Delly Duck: Why A Little Chick Couldn't Stay With His Birth Mother

From the list on helping adoptive parents be better parents.

Who am I?

I am an adoptive parent and I often use stories to help my children to understand and process emotive topics. While we were going through the adoption process, I couldn’t find any stories that adequately explained why some children can’t stay with their birth families, so I decided to create my own! I found the waiting during the adoption process quite unbearable and put every spare minute to good use, reading books by adoptees and birth parents, so that I could understand the experiences of the people affected most by adoption. These autobiographies were a tough, emotional read at times, but they all changed me for the better. 

Holly's book list on helping adoptive parents be better parents

Discover why each book is one of Holly's favorite books.

Why did Holly love this book?

After his adoption was finalised, 8-year-old Cai asked his mother to help him create a story to share with his friends, to explain his story, and together they used his words to create Reuben’s Story. The short, powerful story is written in “Reuben’s” voice, discussing the events that led to him being in foster care, then adopted. He talks in a matter-of-fact way, as 8-year-olds do, about things that 8-year-olds should never experience, and about his life after adoption. I initially bought this for my children, but read it myself first and found it incredibly moving. I recommend that all adoptive parents read it, especially those who adopted older children. 

Reuben’s Story

By Joanna Clifton, Cai Clifton (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Reuben’s Story as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Reuben is adopted when he is old enough to remember his time with his birth family, various foster care placements, and the transition to his adoptive family, after meeting his adoptive parent, Taylor, at an activity day. Reuben's account is written in his own voice, which makes the story engaging and accessible to young readers.

This book is based on a true story of a boy's journey from birth, through foster care, to adoption, as an older child. It can be used to help older adopted children with life story work, where the events can be related to and compared…


Are You My New Mum?

By Astrid Peerson,

Book cover of Are You My New Mum?

Holly Marlow Author Of Delly Duck: Why A Little Chick Couldn't Stay With His Birth Mother

From the list on helping adoptive parents be better parents.

Who am I?

I am an adoptive parent and I often use stories to help my children to understand and process emotive topics. While we were going through the adoption process, I couldn’t find any stories that adequately explained why some children can’t stay with their birth families, so I decided to create my own! I found the waiting during the adoption process quite unbearable and put every spare minute to good use, reading books by adoptees and birth parents, so that I could understand the experiences of the people affected most by adoption. These autobiographies were a tough, emotional read at times, but they all changed me for the better. 

Holly's book list on helping adoptive parents be better parents

Discover why each book is one of Holly's favorite books.

Why did Holly love this book?

I found this short, emotional story impossible to put down. I read it in one sitting, spent the next few days thinking about it, then read it again. Astrid talks about her childhood, including the events that led to her being taken into foster care, and her fear and confusion when this happened. Astrid talks about her experiences of sibling contact in foster care and after adoption, which I found really interesting. Adoptive parents should read this, to help understand how their children may feel if they have siblings placed elsewhere.

Are You My New Mum?

By Astrid Peerson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Are You My New Mum? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Are you my new mum? Tells of the harrowing true story of the Peerson siblings. You'll read the disturbing words written by Astrid, of the abuse herself, and her siblings endured on a daily basis.

Unloved, abused, and neglected by their biological parents.

Astrid's father, an evil, narcissistic, pedophile, who abused his position as the head of of the household.
Astrid's mother, who sat back and allowed the abuse to go on, for many years, even sometimes joining in.

Astrid tells her story from childhood abuse, being taken to a children's home, being in a few foster homes, finding a…


The Great Gilly Hopkins

By Katherine Paterson,

Book cover of The Great Gilly Hopkins

Kathleen Benner Duble Author Of The Root of Magic

From the list on for tough girls facing tough times.

Who am I?

My mother was one of the first women to do labor negotiations in the Steel Industry. My sisters and I were raised to believe we could do anything. I have one sister who does executive coaching, another who is a pilot, and I am a writer. I also have two girls of my own. One is an EMT and the other is getting her doctorate in Special Ed. They are both giving but strong-minded. I am proud of them both. I believe strongly that girls need role models in life to understand that with grit and hard work, they can make a world in which their dreams can be realized.

Kathleen's book list on for tough girls facing tough times

Discover why each book is one of Kathleen's favorite books.

Why did Kathleen love this book?

Being raised in foster care is tough. But Gilly Hopkins is tougher by far. Known to be completely unmanageable, brash, and bitter, Gilly has been shuttled from one family to the next. When she is sent to stay with the Trotters, she knows it won’t be for long. She can outlast them! She can outlast anyone! But the Trotters aren’t that easily thrown. So even with her angry blow-ups, her gum-chewing scowls, and her every attempt to get herself sent away once again, Gilly might have finally met her match. For girls who are having tough times, tough Gilly is an excellent protagonist who can model the benefits of learning to control your anger and finding alternative ways to express your frustration while keeping true to yourself. 

The Great Gilly Hopkins

By Katherine Paterson,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Great Gilly Hopkins as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The timeless Newbery Honor Book from bestselling author Katherine Paterson about a wisecracking, ornery, completely unforgettable young heroine. 

Eleven-year-old Gilly has been stuck in more foster families than she can remember, and she's hated them all. She has a reputation for being brash, brilliant, and completely unmanageable, and that's the way she likes it. So when she's sent to live with the Trotters—by far the strangest family yet—she knows it's only a temporary problem.

Gilly decides to put her sharp mind to work and get out of there fast. She's determined to no longer be a foster kid. Before long…


Fighting Silence

By Aly Martinez,

Book cover of Fighting Silence

Gloria Joynt-lang Author Of Beyond Circumstances

From the list on atypical characters you will love.

Who am I?

I'm a retired correctional officer and parole officer who writes contemporary romance. I'm partial to law-abiding yet atypical heroes who rise above perceived limitations. In other words, no biker dudes or trust fund babies in my novels. I love kayaking, boating, and biking when I'm not hunched over the laptop straining my neck. As a Canadian, I'm crazy about hockey, poutine, and apologizing. I live in rural Alberta with my husband and our crazy Yorkie. My love of dogs ensures every story I write includes a furry friend.

Gloria's book list on atypical characters you will love

Discover why each book is one of Gloria's favorite books.

Why did Gloria love this book?

This novel featuring a guy going deaf came out in 2015, and it is so fantastic that I reread it this year. Being a boxing fan, I love that Till is a fighter inside the ring and Eliza a fighter in life. Nothing has ever come easy for these pair, who met as neglected, poverty-stricken teenagers. Their tale is filled with unparalleled depth as they transition from friends to lovers and ultimately form a family with Till's younger siblings. This is one of the purest and most raw emotional reads I have had the pleasure of reading. 

Fighting Silence

By Aly Martinez,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fighting Silence as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sound is an abstract concept for most people. We spend our lives blocking out the static in order to focus on what we believe is important. But what if, when the clarity fades into silence, it's the obscure background noise that you would give anything to hold on to?

I've always been a fighter. With parents who barely managed to stay out of jail and two little brothers who narrowly avoided foster care, I became skilled at dodging the punches life threw at me. Growing up, I didn't have anything I could call my own, but from the moment I…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in foster care, adoption, and ducks?

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