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Foster Care

Foster Care | Foster Care Types | Who Qualifies | Support & Training | How to Apply
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Adler, Carole. The Cat That Was Left Behind. 1981. A book about a young foster boy who befriends a cat. He hates his foster parents and every thing else around him. The cat makes him much happier and in the end he learns to love his foster family.

Anderson, Deborah and Martha Finnie. Jason’s Story: Going To A Foster Home. 1986. Five fictionalized stories about children who need and receive help with various issues. The children’s thoughts and feelings are a big component of this book. (Ages 8-10)

Blomquist, G and P. Zachary’s New Home: A Story for Foster and Adopted Children. Zachary still remembers his biological parents and finds that adjusting to life as Marie and Tom’s adopted son is sometimes difficult.
(Ages 3-8)

Brynjolson, Rhian. Foster Baby. 1999

Byars, Betsy. The Pinballs. Three unwanted kids' Pinballs, as wisecracking Carly dubs them 'collide in a warm and caring foster home and learn to pin their hopes on each other." (Ages 9-12)
Calvert, Patricia. When Morning Comes. 1992. An enlightening and touching story about a troubled teenager who meets her match when she is placed with an unconventional foster mother. (Ages 12 and older)
DeVries, Maggie. Chance and The Butterfly. 2002. A book about a child who moves around in foster care and his relationship with a butterfly. Novel (Ages 9-12)

Gibson, Eva. Michelle. 1994. Michelle has been passed along from one family of strangers to another ever since her mother had deserted her as a child. Now, with the Middleton family, Micky begins to feel as though she can put the past behind her. (Young Adult)

Fogelin, Adrian. Anna Casey’s Place in The World. 2003. 12-year-old Anna who has run out of relatives to care for her, ends up in a foster home with a distant, first-time foster mother and a 10-year-old boy from a neglectful home. This story centers around Anna and her friend Eb trying to fit into their environment! In the end Anna learns her place in the world! (Ages 10-12)

Gordon, Michael. I’d Rather Be With a Real Mom Who Loves Me: A Story For Foster Children. 1995. (Ages 6-10)

Gordon, Sol and Vivian Cohen. All Families are Different. 2000. This beautifully illustrated children's book introduces some simple but important ideas. It's not about the family that a child will one day have; it is about the one from which the child comes. Children don't pick their families; they have to make the best of what they've got. (Ages 4-8)

Hamanaka, Sheila. All The Colors of The Earth. 1999. A unique and colorful celebratory exploration of our culture's diversity pulsates with life and exuberance as young people dance through a peaceful and accepting world.

Henderson, Patti and Liz Edge. A Blessing From Above. 1999. Momma Roo longs for a baby to fill her pouch. Her dreams come true but not in the way she expects. A good story for children in the crown wardship process as well as adoption (ages 2+)

Hendry, Diana. You Can’t Kiss It Better. 2002. Novel (Ages 11 and up)

Hipp, Earl. Help For The Hard Times: Getting Through Loss. Presents a guide that helps teens understand how they experience grief and loss, how our culture in general doesn't often acknowledge their losses or give them tools to grieve, and how they can keep their loss from overflowing. (Ages 12 and older)

Johnston, Julie. Adam and Eve and Pinch Me. 2003. Abandoned as a child and a bitter veteran of too many foster homes, 15 year old Sara expects the worst when she is sent to the Huddleston farm but somehow she discovers that it is not easy to escape from people you love. (Young adult)

Kruzel, Karis. Pugnose Has Two Special Families. (Ages 2-6)

Levine, Jennifer. My Foster Family: A Story for Children Entering Foster Care. This book gives a thorough, and easy to understand, explanation of what foster care is. A boy waiting to visit his mother tells what it means to be a foster child to two children who have just entered foster care. (Ages 4-8)

Lovell Miller, Cynthia. The Star: A Story To Help Young Children Understand Foster Care. 1999. (Ages 4-8)

MacLachlan, Patricia. Mama 1 Mama 2 When her mother is hospitalized, a young girl is cared for by a foster mother. ‘A surprisingly gentle and reassuring story. (Ages 4-8)

Manserra, Marilena. Jody’s Group Home

Manserra, Marilena. Robin’s Foster Home. 1996. (Ages 6-10)

Mars, Brennan Lynn. Bobbie’s Story: A Feelings Work Book. 1999

Nystrom, Carolyn. Mario’s Big Question. Mario wonders where he belongs. A Child’s guide through fostering and adoption. (Ages 8+)

Olmstead, Kathleen. Thirsty moves to a foster home. (Ages 4-8) 2001.

O’ Malley, Beth. My Foster Care Journey. A "ready made" LifeBook suitable for any child who has spent time in foster care. With space for personal information, this LifeBook reads like a child's story. This LifeBook captures essential information while helping the child to make sense of their life. (Journal- Ages 6 and older)

O’Roark Dowell, Frances. Where I’d Like To Be. 2003. 11-year old orphan Maddie, who journeys from a lost soul to a girl with a family and a true sense of self. (Ages 9-12)

Penn, Audrey. The Kissing Hand. 2003. This is a great story for any youngster who is temporarily separated from home or loved ones, for any child who confronts a difficult situation, and for the child within each of us who sometimes needs reassurance." (Ages 5 and older)

Stahl, Hilda. The Secret Box. 2001. Just when Libby is feeling loved and accepted by the Johnsons, her foster family, strange mail brings an unwelcome twist. Most importantly, can Libby overcome her bitterness toward her father for abandoning her? (Ages 9-12)

Stanek, Muriel and Judith Cheng. My Little Foster Sister. (Ages 4-8)

Twin Dolphin Entertainment. Tiny The Seventh Brother (Movie) Movie can be used in the context of fostering and the importance of being yourself. It’s okay if you are different from the family you are staying with as long as there is acceptance and love for everyone.

Wilgocki, Jennifer and Marcia Kahn Wright. Maybe Days: A Book For Children in Foster Care. 2002. Introduces the people and procedures involved in foster care. Covers feelings, reactions, and concerns of new foster children. As well as an afterward for caregivers. (Ages 4-10)

Wolitzer, Hilma. Toby Lived Here. 1984. When Toby's mother suppresses her grief over the death of Toby's father, she has a breakdown that leaves Toby and her sister in the hands of foster parents. The story is both touching and amusing. (Ages 9-12)

Woodson, Jacqueline. Our Gracie Aunt. 2002. This book tells the story of two children who are brought to live with heir aunt by a social worker. Toward the end of the book, the children visit their mother, who says, "Even when a mama loves you, she can't always take care of you. (Ages 5-9)

Most titles can be ordered from

a community where all children can grow up safe, healthy, and loved

200 Ardelt Ave., Kitchener, ON, N2C 2L9168 Hespeler Rd., Cambridge, ON, N1R 6V7
phone: (519)576-0540fax: (519)576-4709 email: inquiries@facswaterloo.org