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Beautiful Music

by Sylvia Worden; Illustrated by Ira Bigelow

36 pages; Saddle stitched; illustrated children's book; catalogue #06-2965; ISBN 1-4251-1206-4; US$16.43, C$18.89, EUR13.50, £9.45

This compelling, imaginative children's book takes another look at international adoption from China, this time from the point of view of a Chinese birthmother.

About the Book

The author and illustrator of this book are a mother-son team who traveled to China in 2000 to bring home a child who had been known in her orphanage as "Beautiful Music". This imaginative children's book takes another look at international adoption from China, this time from the point of view of the Chinese birthmother. While this book may assist adoptive parents whose children are asking more complex questions about their birth parents and country of birth, it tells a compelling story that all children can enjoy. The main character is plucky, loving and brave, while the story is of danger, bad luck, and finally bittersweet good fortune at the tale's end.

About the Author and Illustrator

About the Author
Sylvia Worden is the mother of Ira Bigelow and Anabel JiaYin Worden. She is a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner, and currently serves as Associate Dean of Student Health Services at Golden West College, Huntington Beach, California. She has previously co-authored a textbook for nurse practitioners, and plans to continue writing for both children and adults. She is a member of Families with Children from China.

About the Illustrator
Ira Bigelow is currently in the 8th grade at Vista View Middle School in Fountain Valley, California, where he is an honors student. He plays the saxophone. Ira's most important life events so far have been his trip to China and the adoption of his sister, Anabel. He has a keen interest in art, particularly cartooning, and plans to study art in college. Ira illustrated the story Beautiful Music at the age of nine.

About the Inspiration for the Story
Anabel JiaYin Worden is seven years old. She was adopted from the Yue Yang Social Welfare Institute in the Hunan Province of China at the age of 16 months. She is in the first grade at Lake View Elementary School in Huntington Beach, CA. She loves to swim and ride horses.

Excerpts