Top 20 books for foster parents

5. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk – This is essential reading on trauma’s impact on health and recovery. Van der Kolk shares developments in neuroscience, PTSD, and therapies helping those with traumatic pasts.

6. Wounded Children, Healing Homes by Jayne Schooler – Geared for foster and adoptive families, this book provides parenting strategies from a trauma-informed perspective. Schooler draws on her experience working with 3,000 foster children.

7. Three Little Words by Ashley Rhodes-Courter – The author’s memoir of her nine years in foster care gives powerful insights into the foster child experience. She recounts her painful past and relationship with caring foster mom Gay Courter.

8. The Foster Child Handbook by Shelly Kinney – Written especially for foster youth, this book helps children understand what foster care is, why they were removed from home, and what may happen next. An excellent resource.

9. Keeping Foster Children Safe Online by Leah Hamilton – A short guide geared for foster parents on how to keep foster children safe online and help them use technology responsibly. An important topic often overlooked.

10. The Foster Parent Survival Guide by Melanie Penfold – From dealing with allegations to self-care, Penfold covers the realities of fostering from her 20+ years of experience. An honest look at the ups and downs foster parents face.

11. Foster Parenting Step-by-Step by Kim Phagan-Hansel – This highly rated guide provides practical advice and encouragement for new foster parents. Phagan-Hansel shares her family’s story of fostering infants.

12. Foster Care: One Dog’s Story of Change by Natalie Savvides – An uplifting memoir of foster dog Olivia, used as an allegory for foster children. This creatively written book emphasizes care, training, and preparation for a “furever” home.

13. No Matter What by Sally Donovan – An ideal book for young children adjusting to foster care. It reassures kids through rhyme that foster parents will care for them, keeping them safe.

14. Fostering on the Farm by Catherine Brown – Part memoir and part practical guide, this book follows foster parents learning therapeutic parenting techniques at a special foster care farm. Offers insights on helping troubled children.

15. Successful Foster Care Adoption by Grace Rao – From attachment to discipline, Rao covers parenting strategies that work for adopted foster children and those with traumatic backgrounds. Very practical examples.

16. The Foster Child’s Busy Book by Jodi Picoult – Part activity book, part story, this engaging book allows foster kids to share about their own story through therapeutic exercises. From bestselling author Picoult.

17. Silent Sons by Robert Ackerman – A classic on the effects of child abuse on boys’ psychological development. Offers insights to help foster and adoptive parents understand and empathize with their sons’ struggles.

18. The Primal Wound by Nancy Verrier – An influential early look at attachment disorders faced by adopted children, analyzing the “primal wound” of maternal separation. Controversial but thought-provoking.

19. Why Can’t My Child Behave? by Amber Elliott – A great resource for foster parents dealing with challenging behaviors. Using relatable stories, Elliott explains the impact of trauma and attachment issues.

20. Parenting Children Who Have Experienced Trauma by Kathleen Purvis – Purvis teams up with The Connected Child co-author Karyn Purvis again for this excellent guide to navigating challenging behaviors, attachment, and trauma triggers. Highly practical examples.

This selection of top recommended books covers all aspects of foster parenting, from adoption and attachment to real life experiences. Although fostering is deeply rewarding, it does come with unique challenges. Having the right knowledge base helps foster parents provide informed, sensitive care that makes all the difference in a child’s life. These books are an invaluable investment for prospective and current foster families.