Chiquita's Children: Teaching Children About Foster Families

PreS-Gr 3—Counselor and children's advocate Wolff and Hanson, a licensed psychologist, use Chiquita, a hen who yearns to raise a big family, as a stand-in for a human foster parent. Her barnyard friends see Chiquita grieve daily as her eggs are taken as soon as they are hatched. One day, Farmer Olsen places a dozen eggs from various birds in Chiquita's nest. She eagerly takes on this responsibility and devotes herself to the eggs. Her friends throw an avian baby shower, though Golda, a cranky goose, continually warns Chiquita about the rigors of being a vigilant parent. When Wanda the weasel tries to hoodwink the trusting Chiquita, it is Golda who intervenes and keeps the eggs safe. Chiquita's babies hatch, and she relishes her large, hungry brood, though she admits that being a parent involves hard work. Dey's attractive illustrations flood each page with bright colors and complement the text well. On one level, this is a story of a devoted animal mother protecting her young from a predator and other dangers. However, the authors' intent is therapeutic—the aim is to teach coping skills and facilitate discussions with foster children. This book also lists questions and tips to guide conversations. Though these features strengthen the tale for its primary audience, they weaken it slightly as a general interest read-aloud. Chiquita, for example, is rendered as a sweet, clueless, and one-dimensional character. This selection offers a considerably simpler, more upbeat explanation of why some children need foster care than Julie Pearson's Elliot. It is more akin to Jan Levinson Gilman's Murphy's Three Homes: A Story for Children in Foster Care.