Abuse and Trauma
Featured Books
Do You Have a Secret?
Do You Have a Secret? helps children understand the difference between fun secrets and those that should be shared with a trusted adult. Gentle and reassuring, this book encourages open communication and emotional safety. Foster parents can use it to help children feel more comfortable discussing difficult or traumatic experiences, including physical or sexual abuse. A simple but powerful tool for building trust, security, and healing conversations within foster and adoptive families.
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Good Pictures, Bad Pictures Jr: A Simple Plan to Protect Young Minds
Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr. gives parents an age-appropriate, effective way to begin conversations with young children (ages 3–6) about internet safety. Through simple language and engaging illustrations, kids learn the “Turn, Run, & Tell” strategy to protect themselves if they encounter inappropriate content online. Written by Kristen A. Jenson, author of the best-selling Good Pictures Bad Pictures, this edition helps children build their first “internal filter” while preserving their innocence. A valuable resource for proactive parents who want to raise media-smart kids in today’s digital world.
The Rabbit Listened
The Rabbit Listened is a tender story about empathy, healing, and the power of simply being present. When something sad happens, everyone around Taylor tries to fix it—by talking, shouting, or cheering up—but nothing feels right. Then the rabbit comes along and quietly listens, offering comfort through gentle presence instead of words. With its simple text and warm illustrations, this beautiful picture book teaches children—and adults alike—the importance of patience, compassion, and truly listening when someone is hurting.
Featured Books
Once I Was Very Very Scared
Once I Was Very Very Scared tells the story of a little squirrel who discovers that many others have also felt frightened—and that it’s okay to talk about those feelings. This gentle, beautifully illustrated book helps children understand how stress and trauma can affect their bodies and emotions. It also reassures them that caring adults can help them feel safe again and learn healthy ways to cope. Ideal for foster, adoptive, and kinship families, it opens the door for healing conversations about fear, safety, and emotional resilience.
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Healing Days: A Guide For Kids Who Have Experienced Trauma
Healing Days is a gentle, compassionate story designed for children who have experienced trauma. It helps kids understand the confusing emotions and behaviors that can follow something scary while reassuring them that the trauma was not their fault. Best read with a parent or therapist, this book provides comfort and introduces simple strategies for feeling safe, calm, and confident again. An online guide offers additional resources for parents and caregivers, making Healing Days a valuable tool for families and professionals supporting a child’s healing journey.
A Terrible Thing Happened
A Terrible Thing Happened follows Sherman Smith, a young raccoon who witnesses something frightening and doesn’t know what to do with the big feelings that follow. As Sherman struggles to forget what he saw, he learns that talking to a caring adult can help him begin to heal. This gentle, comforting story helps children understand that trauma is not their fault and that their feelings are normal. An afterword for parents and caregivers provides practical guidance and additional resources for supporting children who have experienced or witnessed violence or other traumatic events.
A Foster-Adoption Story: Angela and Michael’s Journey—A Therapeutic Workbook for Traumatized Children
A Foster-Adoption Story follows siblings Angela and Michael as they journey from an abusive home through the foster care system to their eventual adoption. Along the way, they face neglect, multiple placements, and painful sibling separation before finding safety and stability in their new family. This thoughtful workbook helps children process similar experiences, encouraging open discussions about moves, loss, loyalty, and healing. Designed as a therapeutic tool, it supports foster and adopted children in understanding their stories and building hope for the future.
My Safe and Cozy Space
My Safe and Cozy Space is a beautifully illustrated picture book that helps children explore what safety and comfort feel like from their own perspective. Written with young foster and adoptive children in mind, its gentle message is universal—every child deserves a space where they feel secure, cared for, and heard. The story opens the door for meaningful conversations between children and caregivers about feelings, fears, and comfort. Perfect for reading aloud or for early readers, this book helps children feel empowered to share their stories and know they are safe and loved.
Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today’s Young Kids
Good Pictures Bad Pictures offers parents an approachable, confidence-building way to talk with kids about pornography. This updated edition of the international bestseller uses a read-aloud story format to help children understand what pornography is, why it’s harmful, and how to respond when they encounter it. Through clear explanations, relatable analogies, and the proven 5-point CAN DO Plan™, kids learn how to protect their minds from unhealthy content. With new discussion questions, updated science, and practical tips for caregivers, this book makes tough conversations easier and empowers families to raise digitally resilient children.
Featured Books
Hope’s Boy: A Memoir
This powerful true story follows Andrew, who was taken from his mother at age seven after she was hospitalized for mental illness. Sent first to a notorious child welfare institution and later to a foster home where he faced neglect and isolation, Andrew held tightly to two things—his love for his mother and his determination to learn. Through the compassion of a few caring teachers and his own resilience, he rose above years of hardship to build a successful life and career. Today, he dedicates his work to serving children affected by poverty and the foster care system, offering the same hope and support that once helped him survive.
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Trauma Recovery Workbook for Teens
The Trauma Recovery Workbook for Teens helps young people ages 12–16 navigate the emotional aftermath of trauma and rediscover hope for the future. Winner of the 2022 Best Book Award in Young Adult Nonfiction, this compassionate guide offers practical, trauma-informed tools that empower teens to identify emotions, manage triggers, and build resilience. Through relatable stories, reflective questions, and activities like journaling and mindfulness, teens learn that healing is possible and that they are not alone. A valuable resource for youth coping with grief, abuse, or other life-altering experiences.
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