Goyangi Means Cat

Goyangi Means Cat

By Christine McDonnell

Pictures by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher

Because my husband and I have been considering adoption for a couple of months now, I was instantly drawn to this book. Also, I like cats. Any book that paints cats in a favorable light instantly wins bonus points.

This is the story of a little girl adopted from Korea. Though the book doesn’t say how old she is, she appears to be about five years old. Everything is new to the little girl, from the language to the food, to the strange hair and skin color of her parents. But she instantly forms an attachment with Goyangi, the cat. The cat is what begins to make Soo Min feel at home in her new house with the new language and new tastes.

I appreciated that this book portrayed a less typical adoption. When people think of adoption (at least most people I know), they think of adopting infants. Not a bad thing. But I appreciated the reminder that there are many wonderful loving and lovable children who have passed that magic threshold between toddler and child but who still need a family. I also liked that the author made it obvious that Soo Min missed Korea, that it was hard for her to adjust to a new life in the United States. 

Based on what I’ve been reading and learning about adoption over the past few months, I don’t think it was necessarily a wise idea for Soo Min’s parents to bring her to the park and the library all within her first week home. Soo Min has some major culture shock to work through, and the whole family no doubt has attachment challenges galore that they will have to persevere through as a family. But I won’t climb up on a soapbox about adoption. Don’t worry. I don’t know nearly enough about it to do that.

All in all, though, a great book. Check it out!