Deployment: One of Our Pieces is Missing: A Picture Book About the Challenging and Fun Changes a Military Family Goes Through

This Book Serves to Honor the Sacrifices Our Military Families Make Each Day

From bestselling author Julia Cook comes a story about the challenging (and fun) changes a military family goes through when a parent is deployed.

"I think I'm pretty lucky because I'm part of a military family. It makes me really proud to know my parents are working to keep our country safe."

"I get to do stuff other kids don't.
My life is kinda unique.
I've tried on night vision goggles,
and I've looked inside a Humvee."

Life is full of unique opportunities and challenges for military families. They live in different places, shop on military bases, and have to navigate changes in how they operate as a family when a parent is deployed. In Deployment: One of Our Pieces is Missing, our family must learn to stretch and adapt as they find their new normal while Dad is gone. And once home again, they work through a mix of emotions as he settles back into the family frame.

With tips for adults to help children process their questions and feelings, this book serves to honor the sacrifices our military families make each day by equipping them with an approachable way to discuss the highs and lows of deployment.

Julia Cook, M.S. is a national award-winning children's author, counselor, and parenting expert. She has presented in thousands of schools nationally and internationally, regularly speaks at education and counseling conferences, and has published children's books on a wide range of character and social development topics. The goal behind Cook's work is to actively involve young people in fun, memorable stories and teach them to become lifelong problem solvers. Inspiration for her books comes from working with children and carefully listening to counselors, parents, and teachers, in order to stay on top of needs in the classroom and at home. Cook has the innate ability to enter the worldview of a child through storybooks, giving children both the "what to say" and the "how to say it."