Murphy's Three Homes: A Story for Children in Foster Care - Hardcover

Gilman PhD, Jan Levinson

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1433803844 ISBN 13: 9781433803840

Publisher: Magination Press, 2008

Synopsis

iParenting Media Award Winner

People tell me I'm no different than any other Tibetan Terrier, but somehow I must be different because I've had three homes.

Being a pup in foster care is awfully confusing. What's Murphy do when he's taken away from his family and placed in a new home, with new people, new pets, and...new EVERYTHING?!

Murphy, a Tibetan Terrier puppy, is told he is a "good luck dog"—he is cheerful, happy, and loves to play and wag his tail. However, after going through two different homes and an animal shelter, Murphy starts to feel like a "bad luck dog" who nobody wants. Murphy’s Three Homes follows this adorable pup through his placement in three new homes, as well as through his anxiety, self-doubt, and hope for a new, loving family. Finally, Murphy is placed in a caring foster home where he feels comfortable and valued. He learns that he is not a bad dog after all and can go back to being a playful puppy and a "good luck dog!"

An extensive Note to Parents, written by author Jan Levinson Gilman, PhD, discusses the emotional experience of children who are in foster care, and provides caregivers with information on how to help kids cope with the difficulties of being placed in multiple homes.

About this title

About the Author:

Dr. Jan Gilman has a BA from U.C. Berkeley and a PhD from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California. She is a Clinical Psychologist living in Santa Rosa, California and has spent thirty years working with children and families. Murphy's Three Homes: A Story for Children in Foster Care is her first children's book.

Kathy O'Malley graduated from Chicago's Columbia College and has illustrated more than 40 children's books, including Murphy's Three Homes: A Story for Children in Foster Care. Kathy works from her home studio outside of Chicago. Visit her at www.kathyomalley.com.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 1—Murphy is a puppy that blatantly represents a child in foster care. He is a Tibetan Terrier, a dog that is supposed to bring good luck, but when he is moved from home to home, he assumes that it is his fault and that other pups must be "good luck dogs." When the humans from his third home love him even when he disobeys the rules, he moves beyond his insecurity and realizes that he was wrong to think of himself as bad luck. Murphy's understanding of the human world is inconsistent from scene to scene. The denouement, for example, hinges on his fear of what he describes as a large, noisy gathering at his home. Without any interim explanation, however, he is impressed that his owner "left her party" to look for him. The oversimplification of the adjustment to a loving home does foster children a disservice. The writing is average, at best, with some noticeably stilted phrases, and is accompanied by rather static illustrations that range from spot art to full-page pictures. A lengthy note to caregivers follows the story, which could be useful to adults who are new to foster children's unique psychological needs. However, for children who need books on this topic, recommend Janell Cannon's Stellaluna (Houghton, 1993), especially if the child's permanency plan calls for a return home.—Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL END

About this edition

• Publisher: Magination Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1433803844
• ISBN 13: 9781433803840
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: O'Malley Kathy