Somebody Cares: A Guide for Kids Who Have Experienced Neglect

1st place, Picture Books ages 6 & older, 2016 Purple Dragonfly Award

This is a book for children who have experienced parental neglect and have been taking care of many things on their own.

Every kid needs a grown-up who takes care of them and is kind to them. When kids don’t have the care, love, and attention that they need while growing up, they can feel lonely, sad, angry, or worried. Sometimes these feelings can cause problems with other behaviors, too.

Somebody Cares follows children who have experienced neglect and helps them understand their associated feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. It helps kids prepare for changes that occur as they and their families begin to receive help, whether they remain in their homes or transition to a kinship or foster family.

And, mostly, Somebody Cares teaches kids that they were not to blame for their experiences and that they were brave to do so much on their own. Includes a Note to Readers inside for children and an online Note to Parents and Caregivers for adults.

Susan Farber Straus, PhD, is a clinical child psychologist who has worked for many years with young children, many of whom have been neglected or experienced other forms of trauma.  Following her education at Cornell University and Ohio State, and internship at McLean Hospital, she worked in both private practice and residential treatment settings. She is currently senior psychologist at Catholic Charities Child and Family Services in Baltimore, Maryland. She and her husband have two daughters, now grown, and three grandchildren.
 
Claire Keay, illustrator of numerouse children's books including Bee Calm, 1-2-3 A Calmer Me, and Bumblebee Bike, lives in the south of England where she works from her small studio at home illustrating children's books and greeting cards. Visit her at www.clairekeay.co.uk.