Home for a while

K-Gr 2--A foster child tests his foster mother's patience, but she takes him exactly as he is and gains his trust, quieting his fears, and giving him a safety that he seems never to have experienced. Calvin is a tiny white boy who is full of cynicism about this latest place he's landed in: "Calvin clunked his suitcase up the steps of another house. 'This isn't your home,' his thoughts shouted. 'Nobody wants you,' his feelings rumbled." Of course he's protecting himself, and asks Maggie, his foster mother, why she asks if she can hug him good night. "Because you're quite huggable," she answers, and he wants to know more. "Why didn't anyone else think that?" he asks. This story takes apart the fostering experience as few books have--from the newcomer's point of view. Calvin smashes objects and waits for punishment, but Maggie, who is Black, presents as someone with deep wells of compassion. She takes a breath, and tries to see what's behind Calvin's moves. The illustrations show a humble home full of snug details, with bright swashes of paint filling in the details and centering the budding relationship between Calvin and Maggie, as she slices through his fear with truths he comes to believe. VERDICT Most books with this much purpose fall down on the lessons. This one transcends them, for a true story of how a home happens.--Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal

A child in foster care benefits from his foster mother's patience and care. Calvin (who presents as White with light skin and curly brown hair) has his guard up when he arrives at the home of his new foster mother, Maggie (who appears in the illustrations as a woman of color with brown skin and even curlier, darker hair). The narration doesn't provide a backstory to explain how and why he came to Maggie's home, but it does identify it as "another house," which suggests this isn't his first foster placement. Calvin doesn't want to unpack, and he feels both unwanted and anxious about starting at a new school. Maggie wisely gives him space and respects his rejection of hugs. She also responds patiently when Calvin acts out destructively, redirecting his behavior and modeling calming breathing techniques. In time, Calvin accepts Maggie's affection and seems to internalize her affirming statements. Ultimately, the book is as much a model for foster parents as it is a story to provide validation of foster children's experiences, though Calvin's final statements that Maggie is "like a mama bear" and "like no one I've ever met" (this latter phrase echoing Maggie's oft-repeated affirmation of Calvin's specialness) may come across as somehow denigrating his Mama, who is depicted lovingly on earlier pages. Maggie and Calvin's dialogue is color-coded, purple for Maggie and red for Calvin, with narrative text in black. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 16.3% of actual size.) Gentle and wise--especially as a read for foster parents. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.