Reinforced
Hardbound
with dust jacket,
acid free paper,
32 pages
Comes with washable stamp pad and
fingerprint sheet
ISBN: 0-9726244-3-0
LCCN: 2007924553
size: 10 x 9"
Need more fingerprint sheets? Download and print extra sheets byclicking here...great for scrap books and lifebooks!
Here is an article that Sherrie wrote about doing the fingerprint activity, click here.
Want to plan an event and do a Forever Fingerprint activity with your adoption group? Order the Forever Fingerprint activity kit. Includes stamp pads, balloons and fingerprint sheets for a group. Click here
-Forever Fingerprints
by Sherrie Eldridge
Illustrated by Rob Williams
For
adopted children, learning about their beginnings and how they
understand what that means to them is a process. It doesn’t
happen at one point in time, but rather throughout the experiences
of life. In this heartwarming children’s book, Forever
Fingerprints uses a common occurrence–a
relative’s pregnancy–as a springboard for discussions
on birthparents, where adopted children are before they are
born, and how that makes one little girl feel about it. Lucie
is excited to feel a baby moving in her Aunt Grace’s tummy but it makes her think of how she
understands her adoption story in a different way. The tools
offered in this book help her to create a unique connection
to her birthparents, allow how she is feeling to surface and
to be discussed, and give Lucie’s parents the chance to
reinforce their love for her, to empathize with her feelings
and to honor her past.
Author
Sherrie Eldridge, an adopted person herself, addresses the complex
and delicate issues surrounding adoption with unflinching authenticity,
laced with tenderhearted compassion and hope for those whose
lives have been touched by adoption. The sequel to her first
book, Twenty Encouraging Strategies to Strengthen Adoptive
Parents (Bantam-Dell) will be available in 2008. Twenty
Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Parents Knew (Bantam-Dell,1999,
2004) remains a best-seller in the adoption world, followed
by Twenty Life-Transforming Choices Adoptees Need to Make (NavPress, 2003).
In 2005, ClubMom named her one of their Adoption Experts. Interviews
of note have been published in The Wall Street Journal, WebMD,
and Parents Magazine. As President of the award-winning non-profit
educational organization Jewel Among Jewels Adoption Network,
Inc., Sherrie offers five online free adoption workbooks, coloring
projects for kids, and eight years of archived newsletters.
In 2005, The Children’s Home Society of North Carolina
awarded her the “Next Century Society Award” for
adoption advocacy. She and her husband of 43 years, Bob, reside
in Indiana and have two married daughters and six grandchildren.
Forever Fingerprints…An Amazing Discovery
for Adopted Children (EMK Press) is her first
children's book and she has been waiting for 8 years to see
it come to life. We have been so pleased to help her vision
become reality and we hope families everywhere enjoy this story
of connection for all parts of the family.
i Reviews
"Forever Fingerprints, An Amazing Discovery for Adopted Children deftly guides children to two essential concepts: sadness over missing birthparents is normal, and adoptive parents can be sensitive supporters for their children's grief. Thanks for writing this book, Sherrie. It is a fun, read-aloud with great illustrations. I will be using it with the children I see."
Deborah Gray, author of Attaching in Adoption: Practical Tools for Today's Parents and Nurturing Adoptions: Creating Resilience after Neglect and Trauma.
_________________________________
"With heartfelt tenderness and understanding, Sherrie Eldridge captures the questions and emotions of many adopted children with Forever Fingerprints, An Amazing Discovery for Adopted Children. She illustrates the incredible importance of an adoptive parent's need to be open and honest when dealing with adoption issues. This book adds a most helpful resource to adoption literature for children. I recommend it for every adoptive family beginning the journey."
Jayne Schooler, adoption educator and author of The Whole Life Adoption Book, Telling the Truth to Your Adopted or Foster Children, Journeys After Adoption, and "Mom, Dad, I'm Pregnant"
_________________________________
"Sherrie Eldridge's books on adoption and her heartfelt advice have truly impacted the lives of our family! Forever Fingerprints is her best yet! Every family blessed by adoption, adoptees, and birth parents must have Sherrie's books in their libraries!"
Susan Wales, Author and Producer and Ken Wales, Executive Producer CBS series Christy and the movie, Amazing Grace
____________________________________
"Forever Fingerprints is an exquisite book that will bring joy, significance, comfort, and encouragement to the heart of every adopted child. The tender story is expressed with creativity and originality. Every adoptee who reads this book will be forever impacted by the power of these words. I also enjoyed the charming humor that is woven throughout the story. It comes from the heart of adoptee Sherrie Eldridge, and combined with the engaging illustrations of Rob Williams, what a beautiful book! And I am sure it will be a timeless treasure."
Carol Kent, Speaker and Author A New Kind of Normal
___________________________________
"Sherrie’s story offers a path to healing through open dialog within the family. The fingerprints project at the end of the book is a great way to help the message sink in and live on in a child's mind. I am happy to know that adoptees’ and their families will have the opportunity to share this book with each other. Thank you for having the wisdom and the courage to write it."
Brian Blackburn, adoptee, Annual Fund Manager, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
___________________________________
"Sherrie has written a touching/teaching book to read aloud when the child's mind is at the point of wondering what adoption means. Forever Fingerprints connects the dots .... and lines... with respect and warmth."
Connie Dawson, Ph.D., adoption and attachment therapist, Co-author Growing Up Again and How Much Is Enough?
___________________________________
A great idea to do with Forever Fingerprints...
"Forever Fingerprints is one of those books that you don't just read, you FEEL. Author Sherrie Eldridge uses an every day occurance (a relative's pregnancy) to teach an extraordinary lesson (where adopted children are before they are born). If you are an adoptive parent, then you may have been asked questions such as "Where did I come from?" or "Why didn't I grow in your tummy, Mommy?" Sharing this book with your young child (preschool through elementary, in my opinion) is a fantastic springboard for further discussion. Not only will this book help you to talk to your child about their thoughts and feelings, but it will also help you to show your child how much you love them, and give them a means of honoring their past".... read more of Heidi's review and what she did next with Forever Fingerprints by clicking here....
If you are in an open adoption, or nearing placement of an infant in a hospital setting, why not purchase a book for your birthmother and share doing Forever Fingerprints so each of you have a special remembrance of each other. Make them a part of your regular contact as your child grows.
i Other Helpful Resources
Talking about adoption with young children pays dividends for the future. Here are some EMK Press parent guides you might find helpful as you work with your child to understand what adoption means to them and as your understanding of the lifeflong impact of adoption grows. For EMK recommended books, reviews and uses, head to our book recommendation page.
Sherrie Eldridge has created
this adoption ceremony idea
pamphlet to use with an
entrustment ceremony
or adoption ceremony
with known birthparents.
What a wonderful lifebook
addition for an adopted
child to have forever fingerprints
from birthparents.
