About the Series
The Robbie RabbitTM series is an educational and dialogue-opening book series designed particularly for children 5 to 10 years of age. "Robbie's Trail through Foster Care" and "Robbie's Trail through Adoption" each come with children's activities and an adult guide containing tips and support for foster parents and/or adoptive parents. Robbie ReadersTM are short stories with children's activities in the back of each book.
The Robbie RabbitTM stories completely hit the mark, partly because they were created by someone who has been on both sides of the fence. Author Adam Robe, now the director of an adoption agency in the Midwest, spent four years in foster care before he was adopted at age nine.
About the stories.
With animals starring in the traditional human roles (child, caseworker, foster parent, etc.), children quickly find themselves immersed in a non-threatening storyline they can actually relate to. Storylines remain true to what happens in real life (i.e., birthparent visits, caseworker visits, new foster parents, court hearings, moments of uncertainty, etc.), yet most stories have moments where children laugh out loud.
Foster/adoptive parents and caseworkers alike will gain insight into these children's unique perspective of life by hearing what the main character thinks and seeing how he responds to some tough life changes. Foster/adoptive parents and caseworkers will also pick up several tips from their animal counterparts that can help them better communicate with children about their feelings and these life changes.
About the children's activities.
In kid-friendly language, each activity delves more deeply into one of several universal issues for children in out-of-home care. Because many of the activities relate back to the story, the foster/adoptive parent or caseworker can use this "shared" experience to open a dialogue with the child about the main character and his feelings. Other activities are somewhat introspective, prompting children to think about their particular situation, support system, etc. Activities are conveniently located in the back of each book.
About the adult guides.
Special adult guides for "Robbie's Trail through Foster Care" and "Robbie's Trail through Adoption" provide much-needed support for foster parents and adoptive parents alike. Although the adult guides provide background and tips for helping children in out-of-home care, these companion pieces exist primarily to help adults facilitate each activity. Instructions, talking points and answers (when applicable) are also included in these guides.
Included in the prices of "Robbie's Trail through Foster Care" and "Robbie's Trail through Adoption" are downloadable PDFs of the adult guides. If you prefer a hard-copy adult guide, you may choose this option at checkout for an additional charge (hard-copy version may ship separately).