More and more families are turning to assisted reproduction and donor gametes to build their families. Therefore, lots of kids who came to be in some pretty unique ways. Whether conceived using donor sperm, donor eggs, embryos, IVF, or Surrogacy, a series of books, “My Donor Story” helps donor conceived kids to learn how their family came to be.
Author, Sharon Leya (solo parent by choice) and Illustrator, Janne Maru created a series that uses child-friendly language and fun art to tell a donor conception story. The books use accurate terminology and are also inclusive for trans or non-binary people. Yet, they are simple and easy for kids to understand. Early elementary school students are the target audience. Parents might even read this to babies or toddlers so they will remember always knowing that they were donor conceived. Kids will learn that donors and genetics matter, but the focus comes back to how love makes a family.
Mental health practitioners and donor conceived adults generally agree that children should be informed of their donor conception since infancy. Normalizing the child’s origin story allows them to confidently respond to questions from peers. As a parent, it might feel overwhelming to talk raise the ‘adult’ concept of donor conception to a young child. That’s where books like this help! A discussion guide at the end of the book gives parents ideas about how they might respond to their children’s curiosity. For example, this guide anticipates that children may want to know about the donor’s identity, ancestry, and genetic siblings. The guide doesn’t tells parents how to respond. But, it may shape their thinking about how to formulate their own answers to these questions.
As one reviewer put it, “As an IVF baby AND a publishing student, I loved this children’s book! It is a fun and engaging way for children to learn about the lgbtq+ community, opening their minds to learning and acceptance.”
You can learn more about My Donor Story at their website or pick up your own copy on Amazon. For more book ideas for donor conceived kids, check out this list by the Donor Conception Network. Happy reading!
If you are still in the process of building or growing your family with the help of a donor, adoption, or surrogacy, please reach out. I’d love to help!
