Customer Reviews

Kids Need to Be Safe: A Book for Children in Foster Care (Kids Are Important)

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Kids Need To Be Safe by Julie Nelson is nicely illustrated with pictures by Mary Gallagher and offers children insightful, informative and quite helpful guidance through the hardships and difficulties of childhood when in the care of other different parents, guardians, and foster parents. Providing young readers ages 4 to 10 with an age appropriate understanding of what happens with parents who cannot maintain a healthy relationship together, or do not have place to live for their children, or for other reasons lose custody of the child, Kids Need To Be Safe favorably explains the basics of foster care. An important addition to school, community library, and family counseling center library collections, Kids Need To Be Safe is very highly recommended for all parents, foster parents, teachers, guidance counselors, and social workers offering children informed and informative guidance through the process of foster care.

This is by far and away the best (and most respectful) book I've seen about Foster Care. Beautifully illustrated, it presents the need for Foster Care with sensitivity and gentleness, continually reiterating "Kids are important, kids need to be safe". It doesn't sugar coat the hard feelings, nor does it make the child's original family into demons. I've read this to children both in and out of foster care - and all of them have been touched and moved.
Bravo!!

This book went over very well with our three children, ages 1, 2, and 3. The first time we read it to them, the youngest said, "It's me!" I had been searching for a children's book that spoke to their situation and have been very pleased with this one.

The pictures were nice, but this book was not as good as I expected at all. Every page just has one short sentence and then "kids are important, kids need to be safe". It is VERY repetative. There is also a passage that while good INTENDED, it caused an emotional meltdown that still occasionally pops up in conversation with my adopted daughter. There is a bit that says "All parents love their children even if they need help taking care of them." My daughter stared at it for over an hour and is still struggling with understanding whether or not her birth mother abused her out of love, and if she did really love her because the books said "all parents love their chidlren". This really was a foolish thing to put in a book for some children who probably, don't all have parents who love them. If you want a good foster care book, get The Star.

This is an awesome book! It is very thorough book about being a foster child and the feelings they are experiencing. Also, it really helps kids understand the reasons for being in foster care. The book repeats the lines 'Kids are important. Kids need to be safe' several times so it reinforces to them that they are important and that they need to be safe, two very important things all kids need to know. Kids will enjoy reading those sentences when you are reading it. This is a great book to read and re-read to kids in foster care!

This book is great! Although it is repetitive, this is how kids learn! The detailed, realistic pictures really draw children in. There were so many small details, like the emotions on people's faces that my 7 year old poured over when we read this book. I am a long time foster parent and I am always looking for books to read with my kids. This is a great choice.