Elliot

The negative reviews appear to be about the storyline that doesn't fit the reviewer's own or their child's experience. But I found the story very helpful for children who have experienced multiple transitions in the foster care system, including going back to parents for a time and having to change foster families. There are so few books on the market about adoption that fit in this type of narrative, and I have had a difficult time finding any that help the children that have been in my care who are not adopted from birth or by their first foster family.I also found the language regarding why Elliot's parents could not care for him very much fits the language that the foster care community attempts to use with children - that their parents do not know how to care for them. While it may sound to some like this is placing the blame on the child, I thought the author did a wonderful job of contrasting how Elliot's parents did not know how to take care of him if he cried or misbehaved and how his foster and adoptive families did know how to take care of him when he did those same things. This story won't fit for every foster or adoptive family, but I am thankful that it exists for those it does fit.

I was optimistic this would be a good conversation starter for our foster son who will be adopted by us this year.Unfortunately this story had too many transitions (back to biological family, foster care with another family, then transition to his forever family). The foster families were not painted as being as empathetic or understanding as the adoptive family, which is a problem for our situation and probably many others. Just because a foster home is not a forever home doesn’t mean the family isn’t loving and caring and meeting the needs.This book would be best suited for a child who has had multiple transitions and is transitioning into an adoptive home.That didn’t fit our situation so we ended up not reading it with him.

Loved this book!! As foster parents who are currently pursuing adoption we loved using this a as a tool to help explain the process.

My sister adopted my two nephews out of foster care in June of this past year. I have been searching for kids books that would not only have relatable characters for my nephews, but give them comfort as they navigate joining a new family, Etc. I'm glad my sister previewed the book before actually reading it to her sons because the message it sends is that it is Eliot's fault that his parents no longer could care for him because he wouldn't stop screaming and they didn't know what to do. The last thing my nephews need is a story that places any amount of blame on the child who ends up in foster care. While it does a decent job of sort of explaining the process - it is not a book I would recommend reading to kids who have gone through the process. Makes it seem as if things would've been just fine had Eliot been a better kid. Yikes!

As a parent of three girls beginning the process to accept an additional child through foster care, I decided to look into books that might help my children empathize with the child that will soon enter our home. I chose this book from the library (and soon after bought it). It is heavy and tough. My seven-year-old actually cried through the story. Through this story, they got to experience the difficulties of going from home-to-home and they can easily apply those feelings. However, this book requires a conversation to happen with a child to appropriately place those feelings and work through how to process them. But, it is the closest "foster care for kids" book that I can find that helps communicate an intricate and complex system full of emotional turmoil, extensive problems, and unknowing repetition.The author uses repetition allowing the character to move from foster home to real home three times. She leaves the reasoning behind the moves pretty vague. I feel this is done intentionally as children who are moved from home-to-home don't necessarily have a complete awareness as to why. They are mostly -especially in younger kids - focused centrally on how they feel. This book models that feeling and focuses on the emotional process. For the child in foster care or children birthed into foster families, the emotional part, not the realistic reasons behind it, are the biggest to overcome. A child needs help processing those emotions before tackling the reasons behind it. This book doesn't necessarily answer those emotions, but allows for a open conversation to occur.I did not give it 5 stars because I think there is a bit too much vagueness in how Elliot misbehaves. The story line follows that he cries, yells and misbehaves immediately followed by him being taken out of the home. I think there should have been better clarity that it is normal for children to cry, yell, and misbehave, but it is the parents reaction to that situation that causes removal. Therefore, eliminating the possible blame on the child of the story. Because of this vague description, I would caution the readers to make sure they clarify that to children otherwise there is a potential of inducing unneeded fear and stress.

Effect book to help childenuderstand the role of protection and being take into care.A good therapeutic tool for anyone working with social care