A Place for Tia

Swish, fold. Tia’s hands are used to working, but her heart is wishing for something different: a cozy bed, a song, and someone who will stay at bedtime. At the orphanage, she begins drawing a recipe for the tender routine she longs for. The bed is easy to draw. The song—and the courage to ask for what she needs—are harder.

When Mom and Papa, a Hmong couple hoping to adopt Tia, come to visit, they bring time to listen and little meals to share. Tia adds a rice bowl to her drawing, then carries her bedtime wish into a new home. There, caring gestures offer comfort, but Tia still has to find the words for the empty space in her recipe. Will she be able to ask Mom and Papa to sit beside her and sing?

With gentle details and a child-centered view of adoption, A Place for Tia invites preschoolers and grown-ups to share a reassuring read-aloud about patience, belonging, and the bedtime moments that help a family feel close.