Official Review: Leo the lion and his birth story

[Mindy Conahye]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Leo the lion and his birth story" by Melissa Webster.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Leo the Lion and his Birth Story is a children's book written by Melissa Webster and illustrated by Lucia Benito. The story is a special one and tells how Leo was adopted. It is based on the author's adoption of her son. The book will help parents talk to their adopted children about their own birth stories.

Leo's excited to hear his parents tell him about his birth story. He knows his family couldn't wait to meet him and had been dreaming about the day he would come along. He knows his birth story is very special. He knows his Birth Fairy loved him first, and now he has a full family to love him just as much.

Younger children and their parents will enjoy reading this book. Children who have been adopted will also find this story to be delightful and relatable. Older youth would find the book to be under their reading skill level and would want to skip it. Adults wouldn't be entertained by it unless they have small children.

I enjoyed reading Leo the Lion and his Birth Story. I thought it was a cute way to explain adoption to younger children. I liked how the illustrations helped bring the story to life. I also liked how the author made it known everyone's birth story is special. The book even includes a page at the end where children, or their parents, can write about their own birth story. One aspect I did dislike about the book is the reference to the birth mom as a birth fairy. I feel this discredits the woman who carried the baby and might be confusing to a young child. I think it would have been better to find a different, and realistic, way to explain the birth mom's role in how the child came to be with a new family.

I rated this book 4 out of 4 stars. It appears to be professionally edited and contains no errors. The story flows nicely and the illustrations are perfectly matched to the story. It is a unique way to explain adoption to children. While I don't fully agree with referring to a birth mom as a birth fairy, I couldn't take away a star for it. I do believe the author was looking for a different way to explain the adoption to a child so I applaud the effort she made. Overall, I found the book to be enjoyable and well-written.

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Leo the lion and his birth story
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Becca Olsson]

What a good story to be teaching to children both adopted and biological. It’s so important to learn that families come in all shapes. Thanks for the great review

[Kavita Shah]

The difficult topic of adoption explained by this book is very good. Birth fairy is really not the right word for the biological mother. Thank you for your review.

[Peace Odii]

Leo's adoption has so much for children. I will gladly love to read it.

[Yegge Madhav]

Its a well good story. Parents explains the son how he born. L loves to read it.

[Raphael Anyanwu]

I would love to read it. I was also adopted by a lovely family. I believe it would be helpful. Thanks for the review

[Medhansh Bhardwaj]

Thanks for the amazing review! The book seems to be a great read for early readers, and the storyline seems cute. The illustrations are charming, and the book's cover is also really good. Amazing book, and equally amazing review.