Author: Teresa Travous Hull
Illustrator: Astrid Tarkovski
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 978-1-4497-5822-6

“Land in US, Happy day!

American Child today.

Welcome home! Shouts Family.

Love, joy, peace and Liberty.

We are all home, What a treat.

Hearts and house full, Love’s complete.”

This rhyme concludes in Teresa Travous Hull’s book, Love’s Complete: A Russian Adoption Journey.

This first time children’s e-book by the author has thirty-two pages targeting pre-school to early elementary school readers. With no violence or scary scenes, the rhyming format may be best read out loud to beginner readers. Illustrator Tarkovski’s colorful, easy-to-understand designs are on the top third of the page while words are in poem format in the middle third and the bottom third is blank. After the story, there is an author’s note about adopting in Russia along with additional information on websites.

Geared toward young children who are going to be adopted or to have new adopted siblings, the story is mainly from a mother and father’s perspective of the adoption process. Starting out having an empty house, the couple decides they want to adopt a baby. 

After paperwork is submitted, a room with baby furniture, clothes, books, and toys is set up and made ready for the new arrival. Yet time ticks on and the disheartened parents have not heard about the adoption.

When the phone finally rings, the mom and dad take a plane and train to Moscow, Russia, hoping to finally hold their newborn. When they do, they are over-joyed but have to return to America and wait a little longer. 

The second phone call has them flying back to the foreign country, going to court to give a speech, and finally taking their child home ten days later. Once they take the baby to a doctor, sight-see, and buy Russian gifts, they finally fly home to a welcoming party.

With the main focus on what adoptive parents must deal with when adopting internationally, there is little mention of how the child reacts or feels about their biological parents, the orphanage they lived at, or moving across the globe to an unknown environment. 

Since the author has experienced international adoption and the arduous process obtaining a child, the reader easily notices the love, compassion, and commitment parents make toward loving someone new to the family.

Thanks to Booksneeze for furnishing this book in exchange for a review based on the reader’s opinions.

Follow Here To Purchase Love's Complete: A Russian Adoption Journey