Foster Care

ABOUT THE BOOK:

In this heartfelt story from the bestselling author of My Mouth is a Volcano!, Foster meets new friends and a kind foster mom who help him navigate the fears and feelings associated with going into foster care.



Foster has lived with his mom and "sometimes dad" all of his life...until now. And like so many others entering foster care, he has more questions than answers and so many new feelings to deal with.



"I don't know what's going to happen to me.

Will I end up being like Zeke?

Will I have a new forever mom?

Can I visit my mom once a week?"



"I have so much going on inside me right now.

I feel angry, guilty, scared, hurt, and sad.

But maybe the others are right.

Maybe being here isn't so bad."



Written in an honest, approachable way, Foster Care will encourage children entering or already in foster care and help them understand they are not alone. Foster, Daisy, Zeke, Simpson, and Rex all have different circumstances which brought them to foster care. Together they talk through their stories and realize this is right where they need to be for now; under the caring watch of foster mom, Miss Beulah.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Julia Cook, M.S. is a national award-winning children's author, counselor, and parenting expert. She has presented in thousands of schools nationally and internationally, regularly speaks at education and counseling conferences, and has published children’s books on a wide range of character and social development topics. The goal behind Cook's work is to actively involve young people in fun, memorable stories and teach them to become lifelong problem solvers. Inspiration for her books comes from working with children and carefully listening to counselors, parents, and teachers, in order to stay on top of needs in the classroom and at home. Cook has the innate ability to enter the worldview of a child through storybooks, giving children both the "what to say" and the "how to say it."



Marcela Calderón is a veteran children's book illustrator who has a fondness for bright colors and quirky characters. Her work includes projects with Hachette, Harper Collins, and McGraw Hill. She lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina.



PRAISE FOR THE BOOK:

Julia Cook is a master at writing books to children, for children, from a child's perspective. This book is no exception. Taking the difficult, diverse world of foster care to create a cohesive story, Julia weaves her magic to give words to the feelings the characters are experiencing. Reading this gives children the vocabulary to express the feelings they have when dealing with difficult situations. I would highly recommend this to anyone working with children, especially those involved with the foster care program.

Meri Jo Soe



In true Julia Cook fashion, this book hits the nail on the head. She knows exactly what kids need to hear to understand some of the challenges that life throws at us. This book, in particular, is a must for kids AND adults that are dealing with Foster Care issues. In the book, the main character Foster, is entering into foster care and as we go through his journey we understand that we are are not alone and that things are going to be alright. As a PK-12 principal, I am excited to have this resource in my library and to use it with my students. Another crown favorite for sure!

Annie Smith, Principal



I wish I would have had this book when I was a foster/adoptive mom. It shared the journey, which is different for every kid, case and family. I hope foster parents pay attention to the page sharing about how the foster mom supports the foster child's mom. I love the page about building trust-school issues stay at school. How many times as a foster mom, do you have to put out many fires and in order to build trust, you have to let the issue lie at the right place to build a relationship and make a teaching moment out of the situation. I love the end, when the purple giraffe shows up! Read...enjoy... and share. I hope case workers find a way to give the book to kids. Could you imagine the journey...Abuse or neglect....removal....fear...sad....confused....new people and all the different emotions. Wow this book did a great job at expressing, teaching the appropriate feelings attached to the situation. Love it...another hit and another job well done!

Shawn Shanahan, Foster Mom