Okin the Panda Finds his Family Category:  Children Publisher: Creative House Kids Press Type: Fiction Pages: 33 Copyright: anticipated publication Oct 1, 2011 ISBN-13: 9780983486893 A magical tale about diversity, deaf culture, adoption, and non-traditional families. Join the adventure as Okin meets his two daddies, travels to a new home in a new country and learns how to express himself through the beauty of sign language.  With colorful characters like Quick Paws the Panther; Baldy the Tiger; and panda friends Pang, Kang, Bang, Kew, Pu, and Bao Yu; Okin The Panda Bear Finds His Family is a wonderful tale that shows that God loves all kinds of families . . . even pandas and tigers and panthers that talk with their paws!

Dr. Judith Stacey, Professor of Sociology, NYU, and author of Unhitched: Marriage and Family Values from West Hollywood to Western China
"Here's some great news for Heather, her two mommies, and all of their fans. An irresistible new family is moving into the neighborhood. Okin the Panda Bear, who cannot hear, and his new tiger and panther dads will delight and reassure adopted children and their loving parents no matter their race, gender and special ability. And I wouldn't be surprised if this beautifully illustrated book turned learning American Paw Language into a new national youth fad.

Okin the Panda Bear Finds his Family belongs in the children's library of any school, community, or family committed to challenging bullying, teasing, and stigma too often visited upon any child or family who seems different from the majority."


Dr. Sharon Groves, Director, Religion and Faith Program, Human Rights Campaign
"For far too long youth have been bullied for being different. Indeed, sometimes bullying is seen as a rite of passage. Okin the Panda Bear Finds his Family, by Jeff Lutes, celebrates a different cultural and family value in which our differences are cherished rather than shunned or even merely tolerated. This touching and beautifully illustrated story is exactly the imaginative exploration of our human uniqueness that kids and parents will treasure."

Dr Tony Zimbardi-Le Mons, licensed family therapist and author of Forever Dads, A Gay Couple’s Journey to Fatherhood
"Not since And Tango Makes Three has there been such a joyful book about the experience of same-gender loving parents and their adopted child. From a rich story to colorful illustrations, Okin the Panda Bear Finds his Family adds the diverse elements of sign language and as my own children pointed out, an interracial set of same-gender parents with one dad being a panther and the other a tiger. My own children said that Okin's parents reminded them of me and my partner, Antonio.

The story is short, sweet and to the point. My kids’ only complaint was that it was too short! I think diverse and not so diverse modern families of all sorts will enjoy this book and it will become a staple in the library of little ones everywhere!"