To show baby Angela how much she is loved by her new family, Daniel wants to whistle for her like the songbirds he loves so much. But will she smile for him? When they arrive at the adoption center and Daniel still hasn’t got the knack of whistling, it’s Jessie, Angela’s birthmother, who knows just what to do.

Whistling for Angela celebrates the familial bonds formed through the act of adoption. Illustrator Peggy Collins’ heartwarming close-ups of the families’ loving interactions create an intimate atmosphere throughout all the emotions of the day. In her author’s note Robin Heald shares the inspiration for the story, which came directly from her own experiences with adoption. She also explores the increasingly common practice of building connections between all three sides of the adoption triangle: the child, the birth family, and the adoptive family.

Awards and Honours:

School Library Journal “Eight Picture Books That Celebrate the Diversity of Motherhood” Feature

2022 The Children’s Book Council “May: Hot Off the Press” feature

Reviews:

“A first purchase for libraries where books about adoption are in demand.”— School Library Journal

“I think it’s an important story to be told, and it echoes the author’s experience when adopting her own daughter.”— Youth Services Book Review

“Robin Heald skillfully brings the different stories together in this touching picture book.”— The International Educator

“Whistling for Angela is a perfect story to share with families and in the classroom.”—CM Magazine

Author: Robin Heald Illustrator: Peggy Collins

Paperback, 40 pages, Ages 5 - 8. Publisher: Pajama Press,  May 17, 2022.

YouTube Video - Whistling for Angela

Robin Heald lives in Ashland, Oregon. Before her 30-year career as a drama teacher and preschool director Robin was a stage manager in regional theaters, and on and off-Broadway. Her previous works include Pat, Roll, Pull and Liberty Saves the Day, and her articles have appeared in Exceptional Parenting Magazine and Children’s Literature in Education. Robin’s picture book Isadora’s Sandálias won the Katherine Paterson Prize for unpublished children’s literature at Hunger Mountain in 2015. Her newest picture book, Whistling for Angela, was inspired by her first-hand experiences with adoption. Robin holds a Master’s of Fine Arts in Writing for Children from Spalding University.