With the leaves turning and autumn arriving in full swing, there is nothing better than nestling in for the night with a good book for company. At Orchard Fostering, we’ve always ben great advocates of reading. We believe that a good book can act as a portal to a new world, or as a mirror to reflect our own lives back to us.

While we’ve discussed the merits of reading with your foster child before, we decided that it was time to offer our own foster care book recommendations. Read on to find our suggestions for books on practical foster care advice, books to help a child along their foster care journey, and some fictional and non-fictional accounts of life in foster care. And remember – support your local book shop in any way you can!

If you’re interested in foster care, please reach out to Orchard Fostering today. We’re available on the phone or via email – you can also fill out a form directly on our contact page. 

Best books on foster care – tips and tricks, advice and more

At Orchard Fostering, we pride ourselves on the wealth of knowledge and expertise our foster carers and social care workers exhibit about their practice. While the majority of this deep understanding comes from experience in the field, there are dozens of foster care books out there offering excellent insight and practical advice for the new or potential foster carer. The following are some of our and our carers favourites.

  • A Child’s Journey Through Placement, Vera Fahlberg. Fahlberg offers a thorough, well-researched and immensely practical look at the world of foster care, placing great emphasis on the experience of the child in care.
  • The Foster Parenting Toolbox, Kim Phagan-Hansel. An excellent resource, curated with skill by Phagan-Hansel. This book provides practical tips and tricks for the foster carer, offering advice suited for those just starting out on their journey, to those who’ve welcomed many children into their home already.

Books to help your child on their foster care journey

Ensuring the children in your care have a positive experience of foster care is an essential component of a carer’s journey. The following books will help the children in your care navigate their paths through foster care, offering fun activities and opportunities for reflection aimed at all age groups.

  • My Lifebook Journal, Therese Accinelli. This easy-to-use workbook is an excellent resource for any child feeling overwhelmed by their experiences in care. Filled with nifty activities, this journal can help you and the child in your care work through their feelings on care.
  • Sometimes… a Story of Transition, Keri Vellis. This charming picture book is an ideal resource for any child struggling with their first foray into foster care. Offering a child’s-eye perspective on the world of care, Vellis’s book is a great starting point for conversations in the first days of care.

Foster care fiction for children and adults

Fiction offers us opportunities to examine our reality through the prism of make-believe. There is a phenomenal array of foster care related fiction out there – we’ve selected some of our favourites below.

  • Elliot, Julie Pearson. Beautifully written by Pearson and exquisitely illustrated by Manon Gauthier, this picture book is ideal for young children entering foster care. It tells the story of Elliot, a young rabbit who has a challenging time with his birth parents. Elliot enters foster care and the story follows him as he grows to accept and embrace his new family.
  • It’s Okay to Wonder, Rhonda Wagner. An excellent book for the children of carers who may be struggling to embrace their new foster family way of life, Wagner’s book is an empathetic and considerate telling of a story sometimes left by the wayside in foster fiction.
  • Far From the Tree, Robin Benway. A National Book Award winner, Benway’s novel is perfect for older teens in foster care. The novel follows Grace, a teenager in care, who must unravel her relationship with her biological siblings. Dealing with heavy subjects, this is a page-turner for the sophisticated teen reader (and carers, too).

If you’re interested in foster care, please reach out to Orchard Fostering today. We’re available on the phone or via email – you can also fill out a form directly on our contact page.