Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Searching... Salem Main Library | J 362.733 Pearson 2016 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | PEARSON | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Newberg Public Library | FAMILY PEARSON | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Woodburn Public Library | E PEARSON | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Elliot's parents love him very much, but all is not well. When he cries, they do not understand why. When he yells, they do not know what to do. When he misbehaves, they do not know how to react. One day a social worker named Thomas comes to visit, and Elliot's world turns upside-down.Manon Gauthier's soft collage illustrations feature approachable rabbit characters, while Julie Pearson's soothing, repetitive text guides Elliot gently through the foster child system. The new families that care for the little boy are kind, but everything is strange and new, and the sudden changes make him want to cry and yell AND misbehave. Then, when it becomes clear that Elliot's parents will never be able to take him back, Thomas sets out to find Elliot one last home - a forever, forever home with a family that will love and care for him no matter what.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-Despite this book's serious subject matter-a child who needs foster care-its tone is calm and soothing. Pearson creates a rhythm by repeating the three major ways that a young rabbit named Elliot is misunderstood by a series of adult caregivers, beginning with his parents. They love him but don't know why he cries, and they don't know how to respond when he yells or misbehaves. Fortunately, his parents ask for help, and Thomas, clearly a social worker, places Elliot with a foster family, while his parents are taught "how to take better care of him." This new family understands him and meets his needs. Still, Elliot enjoys his parents' visits but is nervous when he returns to live with them. When the old problems recur, Thomas places Elliot with another foster family. The child adjusts to his new environment and is happy to be understood. His parents visit, and he wants to live with them again. Eventually, he returns to his birth parents, but the problems persist, and this time Thomas promises Elliot to find a "forever family." This popular phrase conveys the eternal commitment that adoptive parents and siblings share with an adopted child, and Elliot's ultimate placement with a loving "forever family" turns out to be the best resolution. Gauthier's gouache and pencil drawings are simple but poignantly depict the range of emotions Elliot experiences. The muted colors also help reinforce the low-key, reassuring message. Pearson handles this delicate subject with an understandable, sensitive, and sympathetic text. VERDICT Recommended for libraries seeking books to help young children understand that birth parents sometimes do not how to care for them and that other caregivers must enter their lives.-Deborah Vose, Highlands Elementary School, Braintree, MA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Elliot-a young rabbit with a tendency to cry, yell, and misbehave-moves between several homes in this story of adoption, foster care, and finding a "forever family." Debut author Pearson never blames Elliot for his behavior (it's unclear if he's meant to have a developmental disorder), instead focusing on his parents' inability to understand their son. After Elliot's parents seek help, he is sent to live temporarily with an unfamiliar but loving family. Elliot later returns to his parents, but this proves short-lived; following a stint with a second foster family, Elliot is told that his "parents could never take care of him, because they did not know how." A muted palette of gray, blue, and manila reflects the somber, uncertain mood, and Gauthier's (Magic Little Words) naïf-styled rabbits resemble cutout paper dolls dropped into the scenes, suggestive of the way Elliot is shuttled around. Elliot eventually finds a family that understands him, and while the book's somewhat oblique language may require supplemental explanation from adult readers, Pearson's refusal to sugarcoat his journey should resonate with children in similar situations. Ages 5-8. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Elliot, an anthropomorphized bunny, is just a regular kid. His parents love him very much, but they don't know how to take care of him. A man named Thomas comes to help, and he takes Elliot to a foster family where everything is different. His new environment is jarring, but Elliot soon feels understood and cared for. He goes back and forth with his own parents and other families until, finally, he is adopted into a family that will take care of him forever. Fostering is a difficult topic, but Pearson addresses it in a gentle, age-appropriate manner free of blame. Her direct lines keep the focus solidly on Elliot's emotional reactions, and repetition reinforces a reassuring undercurrent of familiarity in each new home. Gauthier's collage illustrations, in muted tones and childlike shapes, effectively dampen the realism of the potentially scary scenarios in the story and keep the mood somber but hopeful. Though it might not be representative of every fostering experience, this sensitive story nevertheless could be a comfort to children in the foster system.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2016 Booklist