Books, booklets & multimedia

Finding a Family for Tommy

	Price: £8.95	BAAF, 2009 ISBN  978 1 905664 62 7

Tommy needs a new family to give him lots and lots of love. Where will he find one? On a farm? In the pond? At the zoo? Open the flaps in this charming picture book to help him find out!

Finding a Family for Tommy is primarily aimed at pre-school children, aged between 18 months and five years. The simple picture book with repetitive text and interactive pages gives carers and social workers an opportunity to discuss the meaning of family and belonging. Repetition is the best form of learning for this age group and the gentle nature of the story should encourage children to ask for it often without being overwhelmed by it.

The book can be read in preparation for a move from foster care and during introductions to permanent carers or adopters. Children can struggle to articulate the complex emotions that arise during times of change, and very young children may not even be able to acknowledge their anxieties. This book can help to reassure them at every stage of the transition. Carers can use it to discuss why the child needs a new family and what kind of families there are. The book is also designed to be used post-adoption to remind children that they were chosen for a family, and that their family was specially chosen for them.

This book will gradually introduce children to the concepts of adoption and fostering. However, it has been mainly devised as a tool to help carers raise emotional issues and to give children opportunities to ask questions and seek answers. Guidelines included with the text give suggestions for points to discuss with children.