I don't know that I've seen a book directly about foster care and adoption that addressed the actual realities so specifically before. It's unsettling, but very well done, and very needed.
Elliot
Julie Pearson, illustrated by Manon Gauthier
ISBN: 9781927485859
Read August 2016
Elliot is a small bunny who has parents who don't know how to care for him, so he lives with different families instead.
In scratchy drawings and minimalist backgrounds, we learn about Elliot. "His mother and father loved him very much. BUT... When Elliot cried, his mother and father did not understand why. When Elliot yelled, his mother and his father did not know what to do. When Elliot misbehaved, his mother and father did not know how to react." So they ask for help from Thomas the social worker, and Elliot goes to stay with other families while his parents try to learn to care for him. He stays with one family for a while, and then goes back home, but then has to go to another family, and eventually Thomas explains that his mother and father will never know how to take care of him, so Thomas will find a forever family for Elliot.
What I really like here is that the text specifically ties Elliot's fears and worries and anticipation into his misbehavior (or desire to misbehave) because that is actually true, and something that normal attached families and children have a hard time understanding. I also like the scratchy informal artwork, that looks like it could have been drawn by a child, and the focus on Elliot and keeping his needs met and making sure he's informed of the process, while very specifically not giving him any power over how the situation unfolds: it's not because Elliot misbehaves or does anything, it's all based on his parents and on the decisions Thomas makes.
Very good resource, and I'm very glad to have it.
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