This book has banned not only in the US but in China as well. I had to look up why. This book is about 4 families that travel to China in the heyday of China’s one child policy. Many family’s that had baby girls would give them up for adoption since in Chinese culture reverence is placed on sons. These four families meet, become friends, and stay connected through their lives. We see these journeys from the adoption being granted, through long flights, and the two weeks spent in China before being able to go home. When I heard this book was banned in China I thought maybe because it showcased a part of Chinese history that is looked down upon across the world. Nope. It was banned because one of the four adopters was a lesbian couple. To be honest, I did not even notice that when I was reading and had to go back and look. This book was honest, but beautiful. It showed the creation of new families and takes place in more places in the world than just China. It is a shame it was so frequently banned. ( )

Cute book about different families adopting daughters from China. ( )

Banned Book Week 2017. This year I'm reading a few picture books that have been challenged for their content, this one due to its depiction of a same-sex couple adoption.

I found this book to be pretty dull but was a little concerned by it, though not for its matter-of-fact portrayal of a lesbian couple participating in the adoption process. That would be damned idiotic. No, I'm concerned about inter-country adoption. It is a complex issue with lots of repercussions, and I am certainly no expert in the field, but I was troubled to see on one of the final pages that all the adopted Chinese babies had been rechristened with Western names. Regardless of those qualms, I would never question the book's right to exist; I would only use it as an impetus to do more research into the larger issue it represents. ( )

The White Swan Express features four very different families each going through the same process: traveling from North America to China to adopt their child. This heartwarming story emphasizes how similar we all really are and the importance of family, no matter what the family looks like. I especially am appreciative this book includes a family with two moms, as gay adoption rights are still a topic of debate to this day. Still, the more these things are shown in media, the more they are normalized and the less people will feel think it's strange or wrong. ( )

The White Swan Express is a story about adoption, as three couples and a single mom make a trip from North America to China to meet their new daughters. Expressing each soon to be parent's feeling of excitement and anticipation beautifully, one may wonder how this book ended up on the banned book list. Well one of the couples adopting and expecting to be parents are two women. Some claimed the book revealed unconventional parental set ups that children at that age shouldn't be exposed to. Still the theme of love being able to grow and accept someone that is not blood is something every child should understand. Acceptance is another. ( )