It's a big step to adopt a child, and the legal maze one has to negotiate in order to do so is only the first of the challenges. Henry and Pollack, both at the Center for Adoption Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, go over many of the problems prospective parents and children may face. The authors discuss the procedures involved in the various ways in which children are adopted: as infants through public or private agencies, from outside the US, or as older children who have been in foster care. They include costs, medical and emotional needs, the pitfalls in school genealogy projects, cross-cultural adoption and adopting special needs children. Appendices give laws in each state of the US that touch on adoption, the code of ethics for adoption attorneys and a glossary of terms. The clear, knowledgeable writing makes this a wonderful handbook for prospective parents, teachers and anyone who is part of the adoption process. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Read Less