General Kinship Books
A Grandfamily for Sullivan
Sullivan, a worried little koala, doesn’t understand why he’s now living with his grandmother instead of his parents. During a day at the park, he meets a new friend who helps him discover playful, healthy ways to cope with his big feelings. This warm and reassuring story gently guides young children through the emotions that come with family changes, offering simple tools to express their worries and find comfort in love, connection, and open conversation.
Families Change: A Book for Children Experiencing Termination of Parental Rights
All families grow and change in different ways—sometimes through marriage, the birth of a baby, or when a child joins a new family through kinship care, foster care or adoption. This gentle, affirming book helps children understand that these changes are never their fault and that it’s okay to love and remember both their birth family and their new family. With simple, reassuring language and colorful illustrations, it offers comfort and clarity during times of transition. Includes helpful resources for birth parents, relative caregivers, foster and adoptive parents, social workers, counselors, and teachers.
The Family Book and We Belong Together: A Book About Adoption and Families
Beloved author Todd Parr offers two classics for young children. The Family Book (ages 3–6) celebrates the many ways families can look and live—big or small, clean or messy, with two moms, two dads, or more—affirming that every family is special. We Belong Together (ages 3–6) focuses on adoption, using Parr’s signature colorful style to show how families are created by love and choice. Both are warm, accessible introductions to the meaning of family.
What I Do Know
What I Do Know is a lyrical, poetic book that uses the rhythm of “I don’t know” and “I do know” to explore adoption with honesty and love. Paired with whimsical illustrations by D.C. Ice, it celebrates diverse families and the deep bonds between parents and children. Both tender and reassuring, it offers glimmers of security while encouraging open, heartfelt conversations about adoption. A keepsake-quality book that families will treasure and return to again and again.
A Piglet Named Mercy
In this charming origin story for the beloved Mercy Watson series, Mr. and Mrs. Watson long for something beyond their ordinary lives—until an unexpected visitor arrives at their door. What follows is a warm, funny tale of how nontraditional families are formed and held together by love. A delightful read that gently highlights belonging and family in all its unique forms.
Stellaluna
While searching for food, fruit bat Stellaluna and her mother are attacked by an owl, leaving Stellaluna lost and alone. She’s soon taken in by a family of birds and must learn to adapt—sleeping at night, eating bugs, and trying her best to fit in. When she’s finally reunited with her mother, Stellaluna realizes that even though she and the birds are different, they share much in common. This beloved classic is a tender story about love, belonging, and the beauty of family—no matter how temporary or unconventional it may be.
Going to Live with Auntie
Whether you’re a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or another relative raising a child, Going to Live with Auntie was written for the children in your care. Told through the eyes of a little girl moving in with her aunt, this gentle story explores the confusing feelings and big emotions that come with adjusting to a new home. With warmth and reassurance, it helps children understand that their feelings are normal—and reminds them that hope and love can grow in new beginnings.
A Family is a Family is a Family
This heartwarming picture book celebrates all kinds of families. When a teacher asks her class what makes their family special, a young girl in foster care worries hers is too different. But as classmates share about step-siblings, two dads, grandmothers, and new babies, she realizes every family is unique—and what matters most is love. A gentle, reassuring story for adopted and foster children that affirms families come in many forms, all equally special.
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.
Cindy R. Lee’s TBRI™ Collection
Cindy R. Lee’s six-book series uses the trauma-informed TBRI™ model to teach children about managing emotions, celebrating differences, and belonging in a family. Each story is engaging for kids while also including practical tips and support for parents, making the series a valuable tool for both learning and connection. A thoughtful resource for families raising children with trauma histories.
The Family Book
The Family Book by Todd Parr is a bright, joyful celebration of families in all their beautiful forms. With his signature colorful illustrations and playful humor, Parr reminds readers that every family—whether it has two moms, one parent, or lives with other families—is special and strong in its own way. This beloved classic promotes love, acceptance, and belonging, making it a perfect read for young children and caregivers alike. Also available in a bilingual edition: The Family Book / El libro de la familia.
The Love Tree
The Love Tree by Katie Biron offers a creative alternative to traditional family trees, which can be tough for adoptees and kids in foster care. In this charming story, Little Mouse struggles with a school assignment until his adoptive mom, Mother Fox, helps him build a “Love Tree” that includes everyone who loves him—birth parents, adoptive family, siblings, and more. With warm illustrations and a positive message, this book helps children celebrate the uniqueness of their families.
What Is Your Story?
This vibrant and engaging children’s book helps kids explore their own unique stories of adoption or kinship care while encouraging open conversation and curiosity. Each chapter includes activity pages and can be read independently, allowing children to focus on what feels most relevant to their experience. Written by an adoptee and illustrated by her birth half-sister, the book beautifully reflects their shared understanding of adoption’s lifelong impact. An excellent resource for adoptive and kinship caregivers, as well as child-focused professionals.
My Flight Training Manual: Flying Above the Clouds in Sibling Relationships
This engaging workbook helps tweens and teens explore how sibling relationships shape who they are and how they relate to others—especially when growing up alongside a sibling with a trauma history. Grounded in scientific research and written in a clear, relatable style, it gives kids tools to manage stress, reduce conflict, and build stronger, more understanding connections with their brothers and sisters. Designed for use alone or together with parents, it also includes guided activities to strengthen communication and trust within the family. A valuable resource for fostering empathy, resilience, and teamwork among siblings.
Patina
Patina, the second book in Jason Reynolds’s Track series, follows Patty, a fierce runner navigating life with her little sister in kinship care after their father’s death and mother’s illness. Living with their aunt and uncle while visiting their mom weekly, Patty juggles love, loss, race, class, and belonging. From competitive races to tender moments braiding her sister’s hair, this standalone novel explores adoption, kinship care, and resilience with honesty and heart.
Becoming Naomi León
In this heartfelt story, fifth-grader Naomi León Outlaw and her brother Owen have found love and safety with their great-grandmother after being abandoned by their mother years earlier. When their troubled mother suddenly reappears, the stability Gram has built for them is threatened. With courage and the support of friends, Gram takes the children on a journey to Oaxaca City to find their father and secure their future. Becoming Naomi León is a moving celebration of family, identity, and the deep bonds between generations.
Counting by 7s
A favorite among middle school readers, this touching novel follows 12-year-old Willow, a gifted girl who loves counting and diagnosing medical conditions. When her adoptive parents die suddenly, her world unravels—until her friend Mai Nguyen and Mai’s mother take her in. Though the Nguyens face their own hardships, their kindness and resilience help Willow heal and rediscover hope. This heartwarming story is a moving tribute to found family, love, and the strength of the human spirit.
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