7 Book Recommendations for Donor-Conceived Children

A Special Egg; An egg donation story

Prepare to be captivated by the heartwarming story, A Special Egg. With its vibrant illustrations and colorful graphics, this enchanting story of egg donation is a joy for readers (and listeners) of all ages. The cleverly rhyming narrative tells the sweet story of dinosaur parents longing to experience the miracle of having a baby. Their desire to build a family is beautifully intertwined with their undeniable need for assistance to fulfill this cherished dream.

But what makes this book even more remarkable: The author herself is the proud mother of a donor-conceived daughter. Drawing from personal experience, Sally, who also is a primary school teacher, has opened a tender and safe space for parents to engage in heartfelt conversations with their children about this remarkable journey.

Ultimately, every page depicts a world where the concept of "family" embraces all shapes and forms. A Special Egg beautifully illustrates the unbreakable bonds that exist between parents and children, regardless of biology because the connection of pure love runs deeper than all else.

I Dreamed of You: the story of an egg donor baby

I Dreamed of You: the story of an egg donor baby, tells the story of how the parent and child came to be together. It allows the mother a way to open up this critical conversation and to embrace all of the love, caring, nurturing, and desire she gave to her child from contemplation to birth and beyond. It takes so much love to tell how the child came to be, and this is a love story.

You Began as a Wish

Children conceived using third-party assisted reproduction often have questions and want to know where they came from. As parents we sometimes forget that telling our kids the truth right from the start is always best! This wonderful children's book written by Dr. Kim Bergman, author of Your Future Family: The Essential Guide to Assisted Reproduction, and beautifully illustrated by Irit Pollack, answers those questions in simple, easy to understand language. Use this book to help your children understand all the parts that came together to make them who they are, beginning with a wish!

Happy Together: an egg donation story

Happy Together an egg donation story, is a heartwarming book to help introduce the concept of egg donation to a young child. A story told through clear language and cheerful illustrations, readers will join Mommy and Daddy bear on the journey to fulfill their greatest wish of becoming parents. With help from a doctor, an egg from a special lady called a donor and Daddy’s seed, a baby grew in Mommy’s tummy and was welcomed with great joy.

My Two Dads and Me

Celebrate Pride every day with this adorable board book for the babies and toddlers of gay fathers, featuring a variety of diverse, loving families with two dads.

Families with same-sex parents are celebrated in this board book that follows two busy dads and separately in another book, two busy moms and their kids throughout their day—eating breakfast, getting dressed, heading out to the park, and settling back in at night with a bubble bath and a good-night lullaby. LGBTQ+ parents and their friends and families will welcome these inclusive and cheerful books that reflects their own lives and family makeup.

With artwork by acclaimed fashion illustrator Izak Zenou, this is a stylish, smart, humorous, family-focused book that will have babies and their two dads & two moms giggling as they enjoy it together. It's an ideal baby-shower and first-birthday gift.

My Two Moms and Me

The Pea that was Me: An Egg-Donation Story (Volume 1)

Struggling with how to tell your child about their egg donor? This acclaimed children's picture book (3-5 years old) makes it incredibly easy to start talking with your child about the special way they came into the world. Your child will want to hear about "the very kind egg donor" over and over again! Join parents worldwide who use The Pea That Was Me as a way to begin the on-going conversation about donors--reading and re-reading its extremely positive message about how much they were wanted by their parents and how lucky they were to find such a wonderful "helper." Psychotherapist and reproductive specialist, Kim Kluger-Bell, uses age-appropriate language and clear but simple concepts that refers to the basic fact it takes an egg, a sperm and a "tummy" to make a baby; that Mommy's eggs weren't working quite right, and that's why Mommy and Daddy needed the help of "a very nice Lady who had lots of extra eggs and was happy to help."

A tiny itsy-bitsy gift of life, an egg donor story

A touching children s egg donor story about a happy couple of rabbits, Pally and Comet who have everything in life except a baby bunny, you accompany them in their longing for this child, the waiting, and the moment the mother is informed she has no eggs to conceive. One day a good lady rabbit brings her a tiny itsy-bitsy gift of life, which is the egg, the half, she needs to conceive. The rabbit s tummy then begins to grow and finally her baby bunny is born and the happiness of how this family is formed is shared. The book is very colorful and ideal for children even before they can read, because the pictures are so full of details it easily captures the child s attention. It is my intention that the book should be easy for parents to read to their child so that gradually, as the child grows, they will begin to understand their origins, in an easy and amusing manner.

Phoebe's Family: A Story About Egg Donation

Phoebe's mom tells her the wonderful and unique story of how she came into being through egg donation. Along the way, Phoebe hears about the challenges her mom and dad faced in trying to have a baby, as well as the ultimate good news of her birth into a warm and loving family. This vividly illustrated children's book is a great way for kids to learn about their distinctive beginnings (ages 5-10)

Mommy, Was Your Tummy Big?

A mother elephant explains her use of donor eggs to her child. With charming illustrations and simple words, Mommy, was your tummy big? can help parents who used in vitro fertilization and donor eggs begin to explain the process to their small children. The book has been praised by many mental health professionals who work with fertility clinics, and an NYU Child Study Center article offers it as an example of how to tell a young child about his/her donor egg origins. It is on all major lists of books recommended for helping parents explain the use of donor eggs, including that of ASRM (American Society for Reproductive Medicine).

Jenna Lake

Jenna Lake is co-founder of EDC Nexus, a unique registry developed to support Intended Parents, Egg Donors and Donor-Conceived Offspring — identified or de-identified — through a private online database providing medical updates and a mode of communication.

First and foremost, Jenna is the proud mother to a teenage, egg donor-conceived son. Her journey through third party reproduction directly launched a 15+ year career overseeing one of the largest clinic-led egg donor programs in the United States. After matching more than 3,000 cycles, and witnessing the ever-increasing demand for donor-conceived families to connect with their genetic and biological stories (and donors to stay informed of their contribution), Jenna helped to create a secure means of exchanging vital information and ensuring greater peace-of-mind on many fronts.

Currently, Jenna also serves as Operations Manager at Egg Donor Connect. She is a past board member of Parents via Egg Donation, former consultant for a surrogate agency, and the author of several articles focusing on Egg Donors and Intended Parents. Jenna can be reached through her LinkedIn profile, or via email at jenna@eggdonorconnect.com or coordinators@edcnexus.com.

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