Foster Care Adoption
Featured Books
Stellaluna
In the beloved classic Stellaluna, a young fruit bat is separated from her mother and raised by a family of birds, learning to adapt to their ways. Later, a reunion with her bat family shows her that even though families may look different, love and connection remain the same. With beautiful illustrations and a tender message, this timeless story offers comfort to children in foster care, kinship care, or adoption, reminding them that family can take many forms.
And That’s Why She’s My Mama
This gentle picture book celebrates the diversity of families—highlighting that moms come in all shapes, sizes, and appearances, but their love and care remain constant. While not adoption-specific, it affirms nontraditional families, including those formed through adoption and foster care. Warm and inclusive, it reassures children that what truly matters is the love that makes someone “Mom.”
More Great Books
Welcome Home, Forever Child: A Celebration of Children Adopted as Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Beyond
Written by Christine Mitchell, who adopted her daughter from foster care at age four, this book fills a gap by celebrating adoption after infancy. It helps children understand that they are deeply wanted and have a permanent place in their new family. Geared toward parents and children navigating adoption beyond the baby years, it offers reassurance, love, and belonging while honoring the unique journey of older child adoption.
The Last Dog: A “Tail” of Adoption
In this touching story, a boy adopted from foster care brings home Buster, a rescue dog with a difficult past. Just as he found love and stability with his adoptive family, he’s determined to give Buster the same chance at a forever home. With patience and understanding, he shows that healing is possible through love. Written by an adoptive parent, this heartfelt tale beautifully mirrors the experiences and emotions of children in foster care and adoption.
The Love Tree
The Love Tree by adoptive and foster mom Katie Biron offers a creative alternative to traditional family trees, which can be challenging for adoptees and kids in foster care. When Little Mouse struggles with a school assignment, his adoptive mom helps him create a “Love Tree” instead—one that includes birth parents, adoptive parents, siblings, and all who love him. This charming story provides children with a joyful way to celebrate and proudly showcase their unique families.
Featured Books
The War I Finally Won
The War I Finally Won continues Ada and Jeremy’s story as they find a permanent home with their guardian, Susan, during World War II. Still scarred by years of abuse, Ada struggles to feel safe, even as she longs to settle into her new family. Against the backdrop of rations, blackouts, and wartime upheaval, the siblings adapt once more, forging connections and resilience. A powerful sequel to The War That Saved My Life that also stands strongly on its own.
A Different Home: A New Foster Child’s Story
A Different Home follows Jessie, a young girl adjusting to life in foster care and a new home. Written in simple, reassuring language with beautiful illustrations, it helps children in foster care understand and process their experiences while answering common questions they may have. The book also includes notes for adults, offering guidance on how to use Jessie’s story to support children as they navigate this transition. A gentle, practical resource for both kids and caregivers.
Families Change: A Book for Children Experiencing Termination of Parental Rights
This compassionate book helps children understand that family changes—like foster care or adoption—are not their fault. It reassures kids that they can honor and remember their birth family while also loving and belonging in a new one. With supportive language and gentle reminders, it encourages healing and acceptance. The book also includes valuable resources and guidance for birth parents, foster parents, social workers, counselors, and teachers, making it a practical tool for both children and the adults who support them.
More Great Books
W.I.S.E. Up! Powerbook—Created by the Center for Adoption Support and Education
This empowering book helps adopted children and kids in foster care learn to confidently handle their stories and respond to questions on their own terms. Using realistic situations and guided approaches, it equips families with practical tools. Built around the W.I.S.E. acronym—Walk away, say It’s private, Share something, or Educate others—it gives children simple, effective choices for navigating conversations. A supportive resource for kids and parents alike, fostering confidence, privacy, and healthy communication.
A Foster-Adoption Story: Angela and Michael’s Journey—A Therapeutic Workbook for Traumatized Children
A Foster-Adoption Story follows siblings Angela and Michael from their abusive birth home, through multiple foster placements and painful separations, to their eventual adoption. Honest and age-appropriate, it addresses abuse, neglect, sibling loss, and loyalty conflicts while offering space to process these difficult experiences. Designed as a therapeutic workbook, it helps children talk about foster care, grief, and healing, making it a valuable tool for families, social workers, and counselors supporting kids on their foster-to-adoption journey.
Family Day: Celebrating Ethan’s Adoption Anniversary and Welcome Home, Forever Child: A Celebration of Children Adopted as Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Beyond
Family Day and Welcome Home, Forever Child both celebrate adoption beyond infancy, offering reassurance and honesty for children adopted from foster care or at older ages. Family Day follows five-year-old Ethan as he reflects on his adoption anniversary, balancing joy and grief while honoring his birth family. Christine Mitchell’s Welcome Home, Forever Child draws from her own experience to affirm that children adopted as toddlers and beyond are deeply wanted and have a permanent place in their new families.
Kids Need to Be Safe: A Book for Children in Foster Care
This gentle picture book helps children understand foster care in clear, simple language. It explains why some kids move to foster homes, what foster parents do, and the many feelings children may experience during the transition. Importantly, it reassures kids that foster care is never their fault and not the result of bad behavior. With supportive words and illustrations, it offers comfort and clarity for children navigating foster care and a helpful tool for caregivers to start conversations.
A Family is a Family is a Family
This heartwarming story celebrates all kinds of families. When a kindergartener in foster care worries her family is “too different,” she’s reassured as classmates share their own—some with grandparents, two dads, step-siblings, or new babies. She discovers that every family is special when it’s filled with love and care. With whimsical storytelling and inclusive examples, this book is a wonderful way to introduce children to family diversity and reassure adopted and foster kids that their families belong too.
Elliot
Elliot’s life changes when a social worker arrives and he enters foster care. Though the families he stays with are kind, the changes feel overwhelming, and Elliot struggles with big emotions. When it’s clear he can’t return to his birth parents, his social worker helps him find a forever home where he’ll always be loved and cared for. Gentle and honest, this story is a wonderful way to explain foster care and the transition to adoption to children.
Adopted Like Me: My Book of Adopted Heroes
This inspiring book introduces famous adoptees such as Marilyn Monroe, Nelson Mandela, and Bo Diddley, along with athletes, inventors, and even a princess skilled in judo and fencing. Written by an adoptive mother of four, it empowers adoptees to see the limitless possibilities for their own lives. Both a family resource and a history lesson, it highlights the incredible impact love and support can have, showing that adoptees can grow up to achieve great things.
Maybe Days: A Book for Children in Foster Care
Maybe Days offers a straightforward, child-friendly look at life in foster care, where so many answers feel uncertain. Using clear language and warm illustrations, it addresses the common questions children ask and the emotions they experience along the way. The book also explains, in simple terms, the roles and responsibilities of parents, social workers, lawyers, and judges. A helpful tool for children navigating the foster system and for caregivers seeking to provide clarity and reassurance.
Home at Last
Home at Last tells the story of Lester, a boy adopted by Daddy Albert and Daddy Rich, who struggles with nighttime fears even though he’s happy during the day. Each night he sneaks into their room, certain he’ll be safe with his two dads and their dog. A tender, relatable story for foster care or older child adoption, it beautifully explores the worries and emotions children feel as they learn to trust and feel secure in their new families.
Cindy R. Lee’s TBRI™ Collection
Cindy R. Lee’s six-book series (for ages 7–9) uses the trauma-informed TBRI™ model to help children manage emotions, celebrate differences, and understand what it means to be part of a family. Each story teaches practical lessons in a kid-friendly way while also including tips and guidance for parents. Designed to encourage healing and connection, these books are a valuable resource for families raising children with histories of trauma, foster care, or adoption.
Room in the Nest
From the author of Delly Duck comes Room in the Nest, a warm and inclusive story that helps children understand foster care. Mr. and Mrs. Swan open their nest to those in need, gently exploring reunification, kinship care, adoption, and long-term fostering. With diverse families and a compassionate message, this book is a valuable tool for care-experienced children and a reassuring, educational read for all families.
Featured Books
Far From the Tree
Far From the Tree is a moving YA novel about three teen siblings separated in foster care who, through unexpected events, find each other again. With authenticity and depth, the author portrays their struggles with loss, identity, and ambivalence while also exploring the challenges of difficult home lives. As the siblings rebuild relationships, their honest conversations capture the complexities of foster care, adoption, and family dynamics. A quick, engaging read that offers a powerful adolescent perspective on belonging and resilience.
W.I.S.E. Up! Powerbook—Created by the Center for Adoption Support and Education
This empowering book helps adopted children and kids in foster care learn to confidently handle their stories and respond to questions on their own terms. Using realistic situations and guided approaches, it equips families with practical tools. Built around the W.I.S.E. acronym—Walk away, say It’s private, Share something, or Educate others—it gives children simple, effective choices for navigating conversations. A supportive resource for kids and parents alike, fostering confidence, privacy, and healthy communication.
Waiting to Forget
Told from eleven-year-old T.J.’s perspective, this poignant story follows two siblings adopted from foster care who still carry the weight of their painful past. Shifting between memories of neglect and the challenges of their present, it’s a tender, heartbreaking account of survival, second chances, and the difficult journey toward healing and hope. A moving read for anyone wanting to better understand the lasting impact of trauma on children adopted from foster care.
More Great Books
The War I Finally Won
The War I Finally Won continues Ada and Jeremy’s story as they find a permanent home with their guardian, Susan, during World War II. Still scarred by years of abuse, Ada struggles to feel safe, even as she longs to settle into her new family. Against the backdrop of rations, blackouts, and wartime upheaval, the siblings adapt once more, forging connections and resilience. A powerful sequel to The War That Saved My Life that also stands strongly on its own.
Three Little Words: A Memoir
Three Little Words is Ashley Rhodes-Courter’s powerful memoir of nine turbulent years in foster care. Removed from her mother at age four, Ashley lived in fourteen different homes before finally finding her forever family. She recounts the trauma of separation, the pain of abuse, and the instability of constant moves—while also highlighting the resilience and compassion that helped her heal. An inspiring and eye-opening story that underscores the urgent need for understanding and reform in the foster care system.
Under His Wings: Truths to Heal Adopted, Orphaned, and Waiting Children’s Hearts
This faith-based curriculum, written by adult adoptees for children ages 9 and up, uses the story of Moses—the Bible’s most recognized adoptee—to help kids process feelings surrounding relinquishment and adoption. By drawing parallels to Moses’ journey, the lessons offer hope and encouragement, helping adoptees see that sadness, anger, and grief can be transformed into resilience and purpose. A supportive tool for churches and families wanting to bring a biblical perspective to adoption-related struggles.
A Daughter To Many
This memoir follows an adoptee who endured abuse, trauma, and the heartbreak of being relinquished by her adoptive family at age thirteen to a faith-based residential school. There she found stability, healing, and hope, eventually carrying those lessons into adulthood. Later, while searching for her family history with her husband, she uncovered life-changing truths about her past. With strong faith-based themes, this powerful story may not resonate with every family but offers inspiration for those seeking hope after hardship.
Adopted Like Me: My Book of Adopted Heroes
This inspiring book introduces famous adoptees such as Marilyn Monroe, Nelson Mandela, and Bo Diddley, along with athletes, inventors, and even a princess skilled in judo and fencing. Written by an adoptive mother of four, it empowers adoptees to see the limitless possibilities for their own lives. Both a family resource and a history lesson, it highlights the incredible impact love and support can have, showing that adoptees can grow up to achieve great things.
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