From the Back Cover: Finally, a childcare book written with the unique needs of adopted toddlers in mind. Written by an adoptive parent, Adopting A Toddler: What Size Shoes Does She Wear? is an indispensable guide to the wonderful world of toddler adoption. Filled with essential parenting information, Adopting a Toddler answers many questions that parents ask, including questions about changing a name, choosing a crib versus a bed, beginning potty training, and what size shoes to buy.

Adopting a Toddler is easy to read and covers every aspect of adopting a one- to four-year-old; with sections on the toddler wardrobe, the nursery, child safety, mealtime, bath time, selecting a pediatrician, medical considerations, international adoption travel, pre- and post-adoption resources, and more. Adopting a Toddler provides the most up-to-date solutions for preparing for your new arrival.

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About the Author: Denise Harris Hoppenhauer is an adoptive parent and advocate. She is the Program Coordinator for an International Adoption Agency and the 2003 recipient of the Dave Thomas Advocate of the Year Award from the South Carolina Council On Adoptable Children. The Author is donating 10% of her proceeds to Shoes for Orphan Souls.

From the Publisher: At its simplest, this is the story of an adoption. Simple stops there. How is this different? The 13-year-old boy initiates the process himself. None of the boy’s living parents has ever met each other, and they do not share a common language. He comes from one of the remotest, yet loveliest, locations in the world—the North Caucasus. The rules for this process are unfathomable, especially as he comes to America at precisely the moment the USSR collapses. The parents—all of them—decide to form an extended family, which is how Siberia comes to a guest house in Bellingham, WA. At every point where the process seems irremediably impossible, exactly the right person appears with the powers to cut through the Gordian knot; over and over again. At the final moment, when everything has been achieved, the story takes a turn no one could have anticipated, and another roller-coaster is set in motion. This is a book that takes you to Europe’s highest mountain, to Moscow in chaos, to the streets and valleys of Bulgaria, and the palaces of Vienna, all part of the unimaginable tangle that begins when a 13-year-old Russian sends a fax to America. Anyone who has been involved with adoption, or has contemplated adoption, will feel the twists and turns, the emotional peaks and valleys. Normally, international adoptions involve infants, who in effect, start an entirely new life before they are old enough to remember anything about their pre-adoption days. On the other hand, a 13-year-old is already formed; has a culture and a language (which isn’t yours); has parents who have raised him—so why would they let him go? He still loves his birth parents, and they have raised him well. So, what is going on? In this case, has had more than his fair share of tragedy, dislocation and trauma, and is in for a lot more before the book is done The story truly has all the elements of a suspense novel, and it teaches you never to take anything for granted, never to give up, and never to think that anything is hopeless. There is deep, deep sadness in this book, as well as the miracle of two families fusing into one. There is a lot of laughter too, and many, many wonderful characters, some of whom could have stepped out of the pages of Dickens. Furthermore, what happened next—well that is even more remarkable. But, that is another story.

Adopting Natasha: My First Year as a Mother describes the realities of adopting an older child from Russia. In vivid personal detail, Carol Lee shares her experiences with international adoption procedures, the Russian legal system, and the considerable at-home preparation involved in adopting. Most importantly, she describes what it is really like to suddenly become mother to a four-year-old, non-English-speaking child. After 40-plus years of being single and childless, the author grapples with the challenges of being a new mom. To her surprise and glee, she also finds herself engaged to a Russian man.

From the Preface: This book is a report of a courageous experiment conducted by a group of adoptive parents [who] accepted a child for adoption when the child was five years of age or older. The book presents, primarily in the parents’ own words, some of the joys and satisfactions, some of the sorrows and disappointments that resulted from welcoming the older child into the family[, which] proved to be considerably more satisfying than disenchanting for the adoptive parents. ...

The study reported here was conducted with support of a research grant from the Children’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. We should like very much to express our appreciation to the Children’s Bureau for the support which made possible this study.

—Alfred Kadushin, May 1970

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About the Author: Alfred Kadushin, Ph.D. (1916-2014), began in social work as a caseworker in New York City (1947-1950), and then moved to teach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Social Work, where he established a career that spanned over sixty years. The Julia C. Lathrop Distinguished Professor of Social Work, Professor Kadushin played significant pioneering roles in the development of the knowledge base for social work and child welfare practice, policy, education and research, and in its world-wide dissemination.

From the Back Cover: Are you thinking of adopting an older child? There are over 100,000 children hoping for families in the United States and more worldwide. Adopting an older child, though, can present a unique set of parenting issues as well as rewards.

Adopting Older Children highlights the most significant challenges when parenting older adoptees who face mental health, behavioral and educational issues. Included is critical information about developmental concerns, issues related to emerging sense of self, sexual orientation, cultural identity and other special needs that an adoptee may have. This will help prospective parents be aware of concerns that can arise for their adopted children and help parents deal with difficulties these children are facing.

Authors Bosco-Ruggiero, Russo Wassell and child welfare expert Groza deliver definitive techniques and strategies for adoptive parents and professionals:

» Navigating domestic and international adoption processes

» Coping with transition and family dynamics

» Educating others about adoption

» Preparing the family unit

» Understanding the background, personality and problems of your adopted child

» Acquiring critical resource information for prospective parents (including single, LBGT and older adoptive parents)

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About the Author: Stephanie Bosco-Ruggiero, M.A., is a Communications and Research Assistant for the National Center for Social Work Trauma Education and Workforce Development at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service. She resides in Wappingers Falls, New York.

Gloria Russo Wassell, M.S., L.M.H.C., is a nationally certified counselor and doctorial candidate in Educational and Developmental Psychology at Cornell University with a private practice specializing in child and adolescent development. She resides in Dover Plains, New York.

Victor Groza, Ph.D., L.I.S.W.-S., is a professor of Social Work at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, with an area of expertise in child welfare and institutional care of children, focusing on family, children and service system issues in domestic, older-child adoption and intercountry adoption. He is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles relating to child welfare and global adoption. Since 1991 he has been involved in various child welfare projects in Romania, India, Ukraine, Guatemala and Ethiopia. He resides in Cleveland, Ohio.

From the Back Cover: Hundreds of thousands of children in this country are without permanent homes right now, waiting in foster homes and institutions for families who could adopt them. Here, in “a book that workers and parents have been waiting for” (Child Welfare), nationally known family counselor and adoptive parent Claudia Jewett explains just what is in store for those who decide to open their hearts to a waiting child. “One of the truly fine books in its genre, rich with insights and practical counsel.” (Publishers Weekly)

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By the Same Author: Helping Children Cope With Separation and Loss (1982).

From the Back Cover: With a focus on optimizing the potential of older child adoption as a key element in child welfare services, this book analyzes the personal and social economy values of adoption, and the changing characteristics of adoptive children and families, while providing models of psychosocial adjustment to adoption. The implications for child welfare policy and services are explored in depth, with special attention to methods for identifying risk factors and to strategies for maintaining adoptions that have been identified as at-risk for disruption.

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About the Author: Richard P. Barth, a fost-adopt father, is Associate Professor, Associate Director of the Family Welfare Research Group, and Chairman of the School Social Work Program, in the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. He is Book Review Editor for the journal, Children and Youth Services Review, and Consulting Editor for the Journal of Adolescent Research. He is the author of Social and Cognitive Treatment of Children and Adolescents.

Marianne Berry is a doctoral candidate in Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a Fellow of the American Association of University Women. She was previously a child welfare worker in Dallas, Texas, and has published extensively on the adoption of special-needs children, outcomes of children under permanency planning, and parent training in child welfare services.

From the Back Cover: This is a book of real life stories of adopters which takes the reader through every stage of the adoption process starting with the moment when they decide that adoption is the right option for them to the stories of the adoptees themselves. In between, the book looks at all the different types of adoption that are carried out by all sorts of families of all sorts of children of every race and age and with every kind of problem. They range from babies who are only days old to teenagers with a multitude of psychological and physical problems. The book looks at both the success and failure of these adoptions.

The book’s aim is to inform and enlighten professionals, adopters, potential adopters and all those whose lives have in some way been touched by adoption or want to know more about it. In 16 chapters it includes more than 70 real life stories which are all told from the heart sometimes in a moment of crisis and sometimes at a time of joy. They are not analysed, they are true stories about how it feels to be at the centre of adoption. Recounted over the past 10 years, they are reflective of adoption today in Britain.

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About the Author: Ann Morris is a journalist, magazine editor and media consultant, and has written a wide range of articles on adoption.

Adoptive Parenting from the Ground Up: For The Infant or Child Who Waited is an essential resource for any parent building their family through the adoption of an older infant or child. This book, written by social worker, adoptive parent and Heart of the Matter Seminars co-founder and presenter shares both professional and personal insight into parenting children who have spent time in less than optimal care. Drawing from a wide range of professional disciplines, it provides a user-friendly framework of research for today’s adoptive parent. While the book provides information useful to those in the pre-adoption stages, parents will find themselves reaching for Adoptive Parenting from the Ground Up time and time again.

From the Dust Jacket: Are you in the process of adoption? Do you know a family that has adopted a child? In After the Adoption, Elizabeth Hormann shows how to nurture relationships in the adoptive family. Writing from experience, she helps you and your family bond intimately with your child. She highlights the joys of adopting children at various ages and prepares you for possible problems. This insightful book carefully considers aspects of adopting children at every age from infancy through the teen years. Among the topics discussed are:

• meeting the emotional needs of children at various age levels

• understanding how you form attachments

• preparing your immediate and extended family for accepting a new child

• adapting to special adoptions, such as interracial, international, and sibling groups

• caring for your handicapped child

• the pros and cons of private and agency adoptions

Elizabeth Hormann shows how to create ties of love that are strong enough to withstand the pressures of adjustment. Her practical, creative guidelines will encourage every member of the family to reach out in love to the adopted child. After the Adoption will help parents, grandparents, social workers, therapists, and pastoral counselors build loving relationships with adopted children.

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About the Author: Elizabeth Hormann, a graduate of Boston College, received her Ed.M. from Harvard University. She writes extensively for magazines. A single parent, she lives with her four “homemade” children and one adopted child in Germany.

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By the Same Author: Breastfeeding an Adopted Baby and Relactation (2007, La Leche League International).

The Alternate Path is the story of one family’s adoption of two preschool Russian orphans. The true story begins with a description of the adoption process, then the book presents the issues encountered in adopting older children from another country. It is both humorous and touching. The problems encountered are not what is expected, and solutions come from everyday living and loving. Adoptions have become such a large part of family creation, yet little is written about the process and the challenges. One family’s real-life struggles provide an insight into what adoption can be and how a family can grow together.

Come along with Hector and Sue Badeau on their ultimate road trip—adopting and raising 22 children, from diverse backgrounds with many special needs. Like any road trip, their story has twists and turns, detours and surprises. You’ll be inspired, laugh out loud and shed tears as you share their experiences in foster care and adoption, coping with teenage pregnancies, addictions, unimaginable accomplishments and raw moments of grief after the untimely deaths of three beloved sons. Are We There Yet is an entertaining story which also imparts nuggets of parenting wisdom for any parent or grandparent. It is packed with spiritual truths and life lessons for teachers, social workers, pastors and others who care about vulnerable children and families in our world today.

From the Back Cover: The first time I visited my new home...I knew that this was the home for me...When she showed me the room that was to be mine, I kept saying, “It’s just as if I was a real boy!” It was as if I was a real boy who had a home and a family of his own. This was all new to me...

That moment, as Gordon says, “opened the key to Jeannie’s heart”—she was sure she had made the right decision when she planned to adopt him. But their new family would not be without its problems. Gordon was ten years old, and had been living in a psychiatric hospital for three years, with undiagnosed mental health issues. Jeannie was adopting as a single parent, with all the challenges this can bring. But together, they built a loving family. In this moving account, mother and son look back at the way in which adoption changed two lives for the better.

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About the Author: Gordon Mackenzie was born in Scotland and adopted in 1983 at the age of ten. He now lives in a small town in the Canadian prairies, where he works as a beekeeper in a commercial apiary. He has two children, three cats and plays a number of stringed instruments, including the mandolin. He plays guitar in the worship group in his local church and upholds his Scottish heritage by giving the Address to the Haggis at the annual Burns Supper.

Jeannie Mackenzie was born in Scotland and has no intention of leaving it. She has been a teacher and worked at a senior level in one of Scotland’s leading education authorities. She has also researched and published in the field of education and is the author of Family Learning: Engaging with parents. She now teaches mindfulness approaches to help with stress and chronic pain. Much more importantly, she is Gordon’s mum. Originally a single parent, she is now married with a blended family of three children and five grandchildren.

From the Back Cover: In At Any Cost, for the first time Mike and Hayley Jones share their remarkable, chaotic, intercontinental story of adopting eight siblings from Sierra Leone. Facing doubts from within, character assaults from without, and a mind-numbing bureaucratic jungle, the Joneses and their two young biological sons embarked on a 34-month heart-wrenching odyssey that gave birth to “The Jones Dozen.”

At Any Cost is the story of a couple who not only believe God calls each of us to trust Him more than we ever thought possible, but are living proof of God’s immeasurable grace and unfathomable love. Join Mike and Hayley on their inspiring journey of faith and obedience to the call God placed on their lives. You might just discover where God is leading you next.

From the Publisher: James was desperately in need of a family. His life so far had been traumatic. Neglected and abused by his birth parents, separated from his brother and with a string of foster homes, institutional stays and a failed adoption, James had grown into an anti-social ten-year-old at war with the world. His social workers were beginning to wonder if they would ever be able to find a family for their damaged young charge. The Brown family felt it was time to expand their family. For months they had participating in the preparation required for a permanent adoption placement. The social workers running the Special Needs Adoption Program pulled no punches. It was going to take a lot of skill, patience and flexibility to cope with one of their damaged children. The Brown family believed they were up to the challenge.

Ashley Wells has answered this question countless times. Ashley, and her husband Michael, were licensed to accept a placement of up to four children aged eight and younger into their home through their local foster care system. They didn’t realize these parameters would exactly describe the children God would bring into their lives. In April 2012, after ninety minutes to prepare, Ashley and Michael became the parents of an eight-year-old boy, five-year-old girl, thirteen-month-old girl, and a two-and-a-half-week-old baby boy. Their journey included the typical “roller coaster” ride of emotions and setbacks, yet through God’s grace they persevered in the journey. On November 22, 2013, Michael and Ashley welcomed these four children into their family forever through adoption.

Grace Layton had just finished her freshman year in college when she was stricken with polio. It was 1950, five years before the polio vaccine, and the disease was merciless, leaving her a quadriplegic. Brimming Over tells the story not only of her disease and the painful, frightening short-term recovery, but of the life that unfolded after the disease. Layton went on to marry and adopt nine non-white children, each with a physical or emotional handicap. The book recounts the early efforts of her and husband, Dave Sandness, to establish independence; of the greeting card business she established by drawing charcoal illustrations using her mouth; of several moves the family made around the country; and of the trials, tribulations and joys of raising nine children, each with their own distinct personality.

From the Publisher: The author’s first book, Brothers Are All the Same deals with the questions put to siblings when a child becomes part of a family through adoption as an older child.

A neighbor boy, who “acts like he’s the only one who is ever right,” tells two sisters that their adopted younger brother can never be their real brother because he “didn’t come from the hospital and he wasn’t even a baby. He was walking around when they brought him home. Besides, Joshie doesn’t look line Nina or her family.”

In the end, the sisters convince their neighbor that just as there are many ways to make airplanes or build tree houses, there are lots of ways to get brothers or sisters.

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About the Author: Mary Milgram is the mother of three children, the youngest of whom was adopted.

That Sunday was unlike any other. Little did Lydia and Steven know that adoption was about to knock on their door on a snowy Alaskan afternoon. Nothing would ever be the same... Bu Dong: The Adoption an Older Child, is an emotional true story of resilience, from the very idea of adopting a child, to years after the infamous “Gotcha Day.” It is a saga spreading over half a decade with the ups and downs of adopting a teen and the lessons learned for future parents. If you have ever considered adopting an older child, or if you simply want to enjoy a moving story, this book is for you.

From the Publisher: Children who have been abused can heal. In this book, the Razvis share what they have learned about how to care for children who have been abused. They have helped six of their adopted children conquer trauma and become healthy: physically, mentally, and emotionally. This is their personal story. Publisher’s Note: It strongly recommended to purchase this book’s companion workbook, Trigger Journal, which is also published by Conquered By Love Ministries.

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About the Author: Imran and Tami Razvi are the parents of 11 children (four birth children and seven adopted children). In their dozens of parenting books they teach the unique, practical parenting techniques which make their family so unified. Their adoption books share the skills for healing traumatized children that have helped their family overcome seemingly impossible challenges.

Concerning the matter of older-child adoption in Jamaica.

From the Dust Jacket: Children of intercountry adoption have complex histories that place them at high risk for difficulty or failure in school. Teachers and other school professionals rarely know how to test them, teach them, or meet their needs. This volume explains those needs and offers guidelines and suggestions for maximizing the educational performance of these children and helping them to meet their potential.

The volume includes research on children adopted from several countries, including Russia and former Soviet states, Romania, and China. Content includes information from adoption literature on English as a Second Language classes, as well as special education law and research. The volume also presents the stories of real children adopted from Romania, Russia, and China, along with their parents and their interactions with schools in the United States.

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About the Author: Ruth Lyn Meese is Professor of Special Education at Longwood University in Virginia. She is the author of three textbooks and numerous articles on special education. She is also a member of Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption (FRUA) and the proud parent of a daughter adopted from Russia at age four.

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By the Same Author: Family Matters: Adoption and Foster Care in Children’s Literature (2009, Libraries Unlimited).

A story of foster care and adoption; the pitfalls, the realities, the truth from an adoptive parent and former foster parent. About the Author: Jane Kolar, adoptive parent and former foster parent, writes in this book about adopting children older than 18 months with undetected learning issues and health issues. Her other works include a novel, Fitzwilly: Two Bannocks for Fitzwilly, a rabbit-care manual, and books on writing: The Rainy Day Book, All About the Middles, and Finishing What You Begin. Jane began writing poetry and essays at age 8 when her father gave her one of his old unused theme books from college. Then, after raising her children, she began writing more and publishing her work. Jane is also a composer, songwriter, singer and musician, with a CD, Lifted on Wings of Spirit available through GBSPublishing.com. Its lyrics were written by Jane as well as some of the music with the balance of the music and all arrangements written by her music partner. They have collaborated on over 70 songs available as sheet music and have many more in the works.

Two weeks after saying farewell to her first foster child, Casey is asked to look after Sophia, a troubled 12-year-old with a sad past. Sophia’s actions are disturbing and provocative and, before long, Casey and her family find themselves in a dark and dangerous situation, leading Casey to question whether she is really cut out for foster care. Two years ago Sophia’s mother had a terrible accident. Sophia has been in care ever since. Right away, Casey feels something isn’t right. Sophia’s a well-developed girl, who looks more like 18 than 12. She only seems to have eyes and ears for men, and treats all women with contempt and disgust. And she has everyone around her jumping through hoops. Over time, as more details begin to emerge about Sophia’s past, it becomes clear that her behaviour is a front for an early life filled with pain and suffering. But although Casey feels she is gradually breaking through to Sophia and getting her to open up about things she has never spoken about before, her violence is threatening the safety of the whole family, forcing Casey to question whether she can really handle this lost and damaged girl. Both shocking and inspiring, this true story will shed new light on the extreme and sometimes dangerous nature of foster care.

From the Dust Jacket: “The photo of the little girl was grainy black and white, even a little blurred. There was no pretty background, no fun props, and no cute outfit. Her bangs were uneven and jaggedly cut, and she wasn’t smiling. She had a vacant, distant look in her eyes. But it was those eyes that pulled me in and grabbed my heart.” I looked at my husband and said ‘Bernie, she needs us.’ He answered, ‘I know.’”

When young Danielle was rescued from a dark room in her mother’s filthy, roach-infested home, she spoke only in grunts and yelps, walked on her tiptoes, was not toilet-trained, and drank from a baby bottle. She was almost seven years old.

This book shares the deeply moving story of how Diane and Bernie Lierow were led to this remarkable little girl and became determined to overcome’ every obstacle so that she would become their daughter and receive the care and love that all children deserve.

A special ed classroom at Sanders Memorial Elementary School in Land O’Lakes, Florida, was where they would first meet Danielle, the child whose photo had captivated them at an adoption event several weeks earlier. They were filled with excitement, but also trepidation: What if they saw her and decided that she was just too much for them to handle? What if she harmed their son Willie, or took too much of their attention away from him? What if this young girl who drooled, bit her own arms and hands, and did not engage with others, threw a tantrum at the sight of them?

Once the Lierows entered the classroom, their fears fell away in a moment that was as surprising as it was simple—the moment when a little game with a Slinky toy established their first bond with Dani and marked the beginning of their new life together as a family.

Even more remarkable is what has happened since—how the Lierows learned to satisfy their daughter’s craving for contact and stimuli, how Dani began to overcome her severe learning disabilities, how she learned she no longer had to steal food, and how their son Willie may be the greatest brother ever.

Charting a perilous journey from hardship to hope, love, and a second chance at life, Dani’s Story is a book you cannot put down and, like the girl in the photo, you will never forget.

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Diane and Bernie Lierow are parents to six children, including Dani, as well as foster parents. Their story won a Pulitzer Prize for the St. Petersburg Times and was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. They live on a farm in Tennessee with miniature horses, goats, chickens, and Great Pyrenees dogs.

Kay West is a veteran print media journalist who has also written three books.

From the Dust Jacket: Despite a successful City career, there is a void in Beth’s life, a void that only a child can fill. Newly on her own, she is confronted with the inevitability of a childless future and so embarks on a journey to adopt the child she has always longed for.

Poignant, honest and intimate, Dear Mummy, Welcome is the true story of one woman’s fight against the odds, and a little girl’s journey to find a mother.

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About the Author: Born in Cardiff, Bethany Hallett moved to Wolverhampton when she was nine. At twenty, she joined the diplomatic service and was posted to West Berlin, Kathmandu and Bangkok, before commencing a careeer in the City of London. She left in 2005 so that she could adopt, as a single parent, a four-year-old girl of English and Bangladeshi origin.

Memories can be good and bad, happy and sad; those we want to keep alive and others we would rather forget. Looked-after children may have more difficult memories that most, because of separation and loss and traumatic events that may have taken place. In this charming picture book, Elfa the elephant discovers that sharing her memories and remembering the good things that happened is more helpful than keeping them locked away. Elfa goes through life carrying a big, heavy box on her back. Inside it, she keeps her most precious things—her memories. One day, while playing with a group of warthogs, a ball comes whizzing past and hits the box on Elfa’s back. Elfa starts to shout and angrily stamps her feet. Just then, Marvin the monkey swings down from the top of a tree, and asks what’s wrong. Elfa tells Marvin how cross she is that nobody has ever asked her about the big box on her back, and that it is full of her most precious memories, and sometimes she just wants to talk about them with someone else. And so they open her box to have a look at her memories. But suddenly, Elfa notices that some memories have just faded away. Elfa is tearful, and wonders what she is going to do. And so begins a journey to find the missing memories by revisiting significant places and people and remember the important things from her past. This book reinforces the importance of memories and the part they play in making us who we are. Adults can use this story as an aid to doing life story work with young children, to help them remember the good times and also the bad, thus helping them deal with troubled pasts. A booklet called My Book of Memories is included at the back of the book, for children to draw and write the things they remember.

Imagine taking a refreshing two-minute time-out that will bring godly encouragement to the maddening pace of any day. That’s just what Donna Huisjen has created with her fast-paced daily readings that combine a brief story, a scriptural reflection, a prayer, and an inspirational thought to take you through the day. As a single adoptive mom who raised three special-needs daughters, her struggles and joys will strike a familiar chord with any mother. Her thoughts on topics such as character development, compassion, appreciating each child’s uniqueness, and savoring simple pleasures are sure to brighten every single day with positive perspective-builders. The author is the adoptive mother of three daughters.

From the Publisher: This book is a guide to understanding and protecting children and care providers involved in out-of-home or adoptive care. It is especially aimed at situations where there have been prior instances of abuse or current allegations of possible abuse. Families at Risk balances the need to protect children with concern for the well-being of families. Although originally written for foster-care situations, this book is directly applicable to older-child adoptions.

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About the Author: Jodee Kulp founded Graphic Arts in 1979. It is now one of the Twin Cities’ best known and most successful design production studios.

In addition, she and her husband, Karl, have cared for children in out-of-home care since 1980. Presently, they have adopted one daughter.

As Jodee’s involvement with social service agencies became more frequent and often frustrating, she decided to write and design a simple brochure for families dealing with child welfare services.

She discovered that when it comes to children in out-of-home care and their families, nothin is simple or easy. Asking questions and probing inconsistencies with the same tenacity she’s used to build a strong family and a successful business, Jodee Kulp spent two years writing this incredibly comprehensive and useful guide through the maze of hoops, barriers and pitfalls that surrogate families—and out-of-home children—face.

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By the Same Author: Our FAScinating Journey: The Best We Can Be: Keys to Brain Potential Along the Path of Prenatal Brain Injury (2002; 2nd ed., 2004).

Fasten Your Sweet Belt is a must-read for any adoptive parent. Using personal stories, firsthand accounts from adoptive children and refreshing humor, the author and her 15-year-old adopted daughter dispense insightful wisdom on the do’s and don’ts of the journey of building a family through older child adoption.