Literature & Fiction

Read more

Read more

It really isn’t my fault that Mrs Katherine De Búrca will never be able to judge a competition again, not with post-traumatic stress disorder. And it’s also not my fault that from now on there needs to be a minimum distance of five metres between the judging panel and the contestants at all times. And it’s totally, one billion per cent, NOT my fault that all wigs now need to be checked to make sure that they reach EU safety standards …

Milly McCarthy is a ten-year-old girl from Cork – and she’s determined to win a medal for Irish dancing. But her lessons don’t go according to plan, and when she is subbed into a show at short notice, there’s only one way things are going to go … disastrously!

Read more

Alicia’s book is more than a story; it is a heartfelt love letter addressed to her future child. With the celestial expanse of the night sky as her canvas, she masterfully introduces the concept of adoption to young readers. Through the mystical elements of stars, constellations, and the boundless universe, children are gently guided into understanding the profound nature of adoption and the love that binds families together.

This touching narrative also includes a special page designed for families to inscribe their child’s unique adoption story, fostering a personal connection and creating a cherished keepsake. Alicia’s writing not only fosters a sense of belonging but also provides a platform for families to share their own stories, creating a deeper understanding of their individual journeys.

Alicia, an author, photographer, and hopeful adoptive mom, infuses her personal experience and perspective into this narrative. Her deep understanding of the magic of adoption is evident as she shares a piece of her heart in this book. Residing in Maryland with her husband, Alicia’s Jersey roots remain a part of her identity. Beyond her literary pursuits, she finds joy in exploring national parks, enjoying beach reads, indulging in Hallmark movies, and embarking on adventures with her husband.

With “Written in the Stars: An Adoption Story,” Alicia endeavors to provide families with a heartwarming tool to introduce and celebrate the concept of adoption with their children. Her desire to create connections and spread understanding shines through her storytelling, making her a beacon of hope and love within the adoptive community.

Read more

Read more

Record and cherish all the wonderful moments in your adopted child’s first year with you.

Embark on a heartwarming journey with our high quality, large size ‘Adoption Life Story Book’—the perfect keepsake to cherish every milestone moment in your child’s unique journey.

Capture the essence of your adoption journey, from the initial decision to adopt to the first 12 months together. This beautifully illustrated memory book is more than a journal; it’s a treasure trove of memories, a family heirloom to document your child’s story.

With a child friendly format, so they can easily understand and cherish their personal life story.

Create a lasting legacy with pages dedicated to birth family, foster family, introductions, celebration day, and your child’s favourite things.

This comprehensive journal provides ample space for photographs and notes, ensuring you record every precious detail.

Make every memory count with our Adoption Life Story Book—a heartfelt celebration of your family’s love and journey together.

What’s covered:

• Key information about your adopted child
• Things they like
• About you and your family, including your family tree
• The Birth family and family tree
• Foster carers family
• Your child’s new home and bedroom
• Why you chose to adopt
• Your child’s milestone moments
• Why your child needed to be adopted
• Your journey to the child
• Adoption Introductions
• Your child’s favourite things and what they enjoy doing
• Your first 12 months together
• Their first birthday and Christmas with you
• Adoption celebration day
• Your hopes and dreams for your child
• Packed with space for photos and notes

Read more

A Wonderful Keepsake Journal for Adoptive Parents and their Adopted Child

Record the events and milestones of the adoption process continuing through the first year of your new “forever family”. Perfect for an adopted child – age infant up to elementary. Questions and prompts are suitable for International or Domestic Adoptions. Even though this book was not designed for the Foster to Adopt parents, it can be adapted by just answering the prompts that best suit your situation.

Whats Included:

• “Belongs To” page.
• “In The Beginning Section”: Journal prompts that address the why, how, when, and where aspect of your adoption journey. Includes a Timeline Section to record the dates and happenings of the adoption process from beginning to end.
• “Adoption Day Section”: place holders for photos and stats of the celebration day, and notes from family & friends.
• “Family” Section: Includes two FamilyTrees – one for birth family and one for the adoptive family, About Mommy & Daddy pages, and ample space for notes and greetings from family and friends.
• “First 12 Months Section”: prompts, photo place holder, and journal pages for each month of the first year of your child with their new forever family.
• A place to “Trace Your Child’s Hand and Foot” on Adoption Day and then again one year later for comparison.
• Listing pages for your child’s “Favorite Books and Movies”.
• “Photo Gallery” pages for adding photos of important milestones the first year in their forever home. There’s room for a few notes about each photo.
• A “Coloring Page” and an “Artwork Page” to showcase their talent for future reference.
• Ample space/pages throughout for additional journaling and notes.

Description:

• Matte Hardcover
• 100 pages perfectly bound
• Black & white interior
• Size: 7″x10″

Read more

An adoption ceremony – often referred to as a Celebration Hearing, Pronouncement Hearing or Adoption Visit – can be a helpful tool to support therapeutic life story work and to help adopted children to understand what happened when a judge made important decisions about their lives.
This story is designed to show children what to expect at their adoption ceremony and to reassure them that the decision has already been made and will not change at the ceremony. It may be used to explain the purpose of the Celebration Hearing to a child’s friends and classmates, and also serves as a thoughtful gift to help a child to understand and process the ceremony after the fact.

This story is suitable for adoption from foster care, not private adoption.

Praise for Room in the Nest

“…This magnificent story shows sensitivity to the topic and complicated feelings surrounding foster care. She explains how the Caring Goose always tries to help the parents out first and give them guidance and that she is not trying to rip families apart but instead shows compassion and works to try and keep families together. Still, sometimes that is not always best for the children. Room in the Nest is a heartwarming picture book that teaches children about foster care, foster placements, long-term fostering, kinship care, reunification, adoption, and a broad look at family court. This is a beautiful story to share with children that have to go through this process to help ease their fears and for other children to understand what happens if someone they know goes into foster care. This honest and beautiful look at the system is a much-needed resource for families, teachers, social workers, and anyone working with troubled families.” – Literary Titan

“…Holly has taken a complex and emotionally charged concept and presented it in a way that children will appreciate and understand…” – Readers’ Favorite

“…Room in the Nest” is a great tool to use for life story work to start discussions about foster carers. It’s also a great book for all children to read, to help them understand why some children need to stay with foster carers sometimes for a short period of time, sometimes for much longer.” – We Made A Wish adoption magazine

Praise for Delly Duck: Why A Little Chick Couldn’t Stay With His Birth Mother

“One of the best adoption books of all time” – BookAuthority

“…a beautifully illustrated children’s story book, explaining big issues like adoption and fostering, in an age appropriate way.” – We Made A Wish adoption magazine

“…Delly Duck is a great choice for adopted and fostered children to explain adoption or support therapeutic life story work. The book can be used to help answer difficult and emotive questions…” – Maggie and Rose Book Adventurers

“A fantastic book for Parents, Foster Parents, Adoptive Parents, Legal Guardians, Kinship Carers, Social Workers, Play Therapists or Teachers… I can thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who is adopting, fostering, or is a child’s Legal Guardian… I love the way the book shows the love, and loss of the birth parent, and highlights the fact that sometimes a birth parent is simply not equipped with the necessary skills to keep their child safe consistently.
This beautiful, sensitively written story explains why a child may need to be removed from their birth parent, and explores in a gentle way the emotions felt by parent and child, and the roles other people play in protecting the child, and offering the child a loving, safe environment…” – Icing on the Bake

Please click on the series name to see more titles by this author about foster care, kinship care, special guardianship and adoption.

Read more