AuthorTheresa Ann Fraser
PublisherLoving Healing Press
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Child Protection Services have been involved with Billy and his mother for some time now. He has been happily settled in a kinship placement with his grandmother and enjoys his pet cat, interacting with neighbors and even taking piano lessons. As the story unfolds, Billy's grandmother has unexpectedly passed away and so the story of Billy Had To Move begins.
Unfortunately, Billy's mother cannot be located. Mr. Murphy, Billy's social worker, places him in the foster home of Amy, Tim, and their baby "Colly." Billy experiences great loss resulting not only from his grandmother's death, but also the loss of the life he knew. Billy's inner journey therefore has also begun and with the help of Ms. Woods, a Play Therapist, there is hope.
Therapists' Acclaim for Billy Had To Move
"This gem of a book gently frames the stages of a child's natural quest to make sense of his story. Fraser has created more than a teaching story: she generously offers a sacred space that compassionately holds and supports the multidimensional realities of our foster children and their birth families, our social workers and foster families, our teachers and child psychotherapists."
--Gisela Schubach De Domenico, PhD, MFT, R-PTS
"Billy Had To Move is a profound story about the complex issues children in foster care often face. Fraser provides important lessons for caregivers. The book gracefully introduces the sandtray and provides insight into how powerful the experience can be when the child has an opportunity to explore their trauma in the sandtray."
--Mark E. Hulbert, MA, LLP
"A wonderful addition to the bibliotherapy field. This is a much-needed book for foster care children to help them in adjusting to a new caregiver and placement. It offers a welcoming view of how children's worries and losses can be understood by a caring Play Therapist, in a warm and inviting setting."
--Athena A. Drewes, PsyD, RPT-S; Director of Clinical Training, The Astor Home for Children, Poughkeepsie, NY
"In this engaging, warm-hearted story, Billy grieving the loss of his grandmother, finds a way to heal by expressing his thoughts and feelings in Play Therapy. Highly recommended!"
--Charles E. Schaefer, PhD, RPT-S Director Emeritus, The Association for Play Therapy
Learn More About This Book at www.TheresaFraser.com
From the Growing With Love series at Loving Healing Press www.LovingHealing.com
Juvenile Fiction : Family - Orphans & Foster Homes
Reviews
In the book Billy Had To Move, Billy has been sent to live with his grandmother for his own safety by a social worker. Sadly, Billy grandmother passes away and Billy is left with no other family to care for him and is placed in a foster home. This book shows grief, fear, anxiety and finally acceptance and love.
I think that Theresa Ann Fraser did a wonderful job fulfilling her purpose with this story. Many children are put through “the system”, by no fault of their own. Theresa shows the perspective of the child.
I really think the point of this book is to help other children who are in a similar predicament. It shows that the feelings they possess are normal. It also teaches them that it’s okay to open up to others who are trying to help them.
It’s my opinion that Billy Had To Move would be a great book for any child going through foster care and their caregivers. Also, I believe this is an excellent book to share with children who have been adopted. As well as siblings and/or children living within the foster home who are now having the share their parents.
Personally, this story holds my heartstrings. My niece was fostered a couple of times, before she ended up in our home, where ultimately we were able to adopt her. As her caregiver, while I think I understand what she’s going through, I’m aware that I will never fully understand. I think this story helped all of us understand a little better.
I have a lot of respect for Ms. Fraser for tackling such a sensitive subject and doing so with such a genuine understanding.
Reviewed on 03/22/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Pamela Leffler
Written in a context that would be considered laments terms for an adult, but in fact, this book is perfect for a child to read. Words that are so explanatory and vivid, a reader can actually get a metal picture of the facial expressions of the character without looking at the pictures.
The character of Billy is written so well to describe a typical kid’s random thoughts even in a tough situation.
Growing up I was adopted, and in my adopted family we still took in many foster kids. I have experience with the topic of this book and can highly relate to its plot. I would recommend a young foster child, read this book, or get this book read to them. I believe it would help them understand a little more about their situation, by reading in a book that another child has gone through a similar situation. When A child is able to relate to another child on subject matter and experiences, they are more apt to feel a little safer and more at ease about what it going on. A great read that I believe will be in and out of school counselor’s offices and therapist rooms in the future.
Reviewed on 04/06/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Michelle Lichtenfels
Billy Had to Move is not your typical children’s story because it is written from the perspective of a boy who has suffered great loss, and who experiences the procedure of foster care placement and therapy.
It is the story of Billy, who went to live with his Nana (grandmother) when his mother could no longer take care of him. At the age of 7 his grandmother dies, his mother has disappeared, and he is placed in foster care with a kind family. As time passes and he begins to adjust, there is always the question of whether the Child Protection Services will find his mother and he will possibly have to move back with her. Billy then begins therapy and the story ends on a hopeful note.
As a parent, this book certainly opened my eyes to the realities of foster care and the many complex issues these children face when confronting placement. I reread the story several times, and each time I appreciated the way the author’s knowledge of foster care makes this book a great tool for all those involved in the field of Youth Protection Services. The caregiver’s guide at the end of the book is an excellent addition for the caregiver as it points out the issues dealt in the story and the purpose of the book:
“Using Billy Had to Move to normalize some of your child’s symptoms and experiences is the primary purpose of this book. Billy Had to Move can be used as a tool to introduce foster care or therapy. It can also be used to help children recognize that they are not alone in experiencing various types of loss.”
I read this book with my 8-year-old daughter who, at the end of the story, wanted it to continue so she could know how the play therapy was going to make Billy feel better. I understood that she wanted to be reassured he would feel better. She also pointed out that there were “too many words on the page”. I agree that less paragraphs on one page and more illustrations will make this book more user-friendly for children of this age group, especially since the reader needs time to absorb the deep issues brought up in the story.
Canadian author, Theresa Ann Fraser, has written an important book extremely useful to the foster care child, the caregiver, the therapist and the teacher. As such a book is not common, it is valuable for this field and also in all schools since, unfortunately, the number of cases dealt by the Youth Protection Services has become more common. Kudos to Theresa for her insightful assistance through this fine book!
Reviewed on 08/13/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Laura Fabiani
