Family Matters: Adoption and Foster Care in Children's Literature [Paperback]

Ruth Lyn Meese (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 19, 2009 | ISBN-10: 1591587824 | ISBN-13: 978-1591587828 | Edition: 1

To help librarians and teachers gain a deeper understanding of this sensitive subject, Family Matters: Adoption and Foster Care in Children's Literature takes a close look at 115 works of children's literature that have themes related to adoption and foster care, including many that have received the Newberry Award, Caldecott Award, or other prestigious honors from the American Library Association.

Family Matters is not just a digest of titles. It is an expert resource for addressing adoption and foster care in the classroom, both as a literary subject and as a personal issue with students. The book opens with an historical overview of adoption and foster care, then reviews level-appropriate titles by age group—K-grade 2, grades 3-5, and grades 6-8. Coverage includes discussions of the impact of adoption and foster care on normal development, as well as suggestions for safe language to use in the classroom, and fun, effective activities for each title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Meese's goal is to help adults, particularly educators, select high-quality children's books about adoption and foster care and to raise awareness about the unique issues that adoptees often face. The author's most pointed words are reserved for educators, exhorting them to employ sensitive assignments and literature. For example, she suggests replacing "natural" when discussing an adoptee's family with "biological." The wording for assignments on family trees and autobiographies should be modified for children who do not have baby photos, or who have complicated family backgrounds. Charts, Venn diagrams, and extensive annotations supplement the annotated list of books for children in kindergarten through grade eight. Meese explains her rationale for choosing these books so that readers have the tools to evaluate other selections.—Deborah Vose, East Middle School and South Middle School, Braintree, MA
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From Booklist

This book is a bonanza for librarians as well as for teachers and parents. The first three chapters provide background on adoption and foster care, discuss how to treat them sensitively in the classroom, and provide guidance on selecting quality children’s literature. Next come lists of more than 100 works on adoption and foster care for young readers, middle readers, and older readers. Each title listing provides a detailed summary, comments, and a list of themes in addition to bibliographic data, awards, and Lexile and Accelerated Reader levels. Much more than a bibliography, the book stands out because of the attention the author pays to educating professionals about children’s needs. Although it is aimed primarily at teachers, librarians can use it as a collection-development tool. --Sharon Cohen

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Product Details

• Paperback: 147 pages
• Publisher: Libraries Unlimited; 1 edition (November 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591587824
• ISBN-13: 978-1591587828
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 7.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,171,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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