Adoption World Specialties was the brain child of a mother and daughter team committed to helping children through the foster and adoptive process.  Their unique experiences were an outgrowth of both personal and professional first-hand knowledge of the needs of these special children.

After the 2008 floods in Iowa devastated their operation, the team regrouped and made the decision to seek a caring company to nurture their cause and move their business into the future.  In May of 2009, Cornerstone Press purchased the business.   In March of 2010, the operation’s name was changed to Adoption World Publishing.

One of the first projects of the new owners was to write and publish a new life book.  In August of 2009, My Growing World written by Kathleen Carroll and illustrated by Lucy Cook Taylor was introduced to the market.  Its’ target audience is 6 – 10 year old children.  Not only has it been very well received, it was reviewed in the February 2010 issue of Adoptive Families magazine.  It was also designated as an Editor’s Choice in the Spring 2010 edition of foster families, a publication in the United Kingdom.

The Real Me, a teen life book, is a company staple.  Recently a therapist from Colorado sang its praises saying she really liked using it in her practice.

The recent tough economic times have made it increasingly difficult for the state and private agencies charged with assisting the foster care population to be able to afford the purchase of these valued tools.   Foundations as well as corporations with a special tie to the foster and adoption cause are helping to fill the financial void.

Characters like Fuzzihead, Piper Pig and Lambabelle are adorable.  They combine with activities like Musical Motions and Moving Day to create a warm and therapeutic setting not found in other adoption and foster care lifebooks.

Among the best parts of the book are the short stories from children in similar circumstances.  They help a child to identify with and understand that their circumstances may not be unique.

Be sure and go to “What they’re saying” at the bottom of our home page.  Look for the big red button!  Click on the button and it will take you to a review on My Growing World which was published in Adoptive Families magazine.

“Hi there! My name is Piper. Your adventures in your growing world are so important that you are going to write them down in this life book. This is your story! You might have a caseworker, foster parents, or adoptive parents who can help you along as you write your story. They will also do their best to help you record information that you may not know.

As you work on your story, you might notice that you have a lot of different feelings. If the information is new to you, you might be excited to find out more about your life! However, there may be things that you think about and record that could make you sad or angry. Don’t worry! We’ll all help you on your journey. All of your feelings are important, and none of them are wrong to feel.

Enjoy the adventure of writing your story!!! If you need to skip a page, go for it! Try to take the time to come back to it later when you feel ready to work on it. It’s more important to think and feel through these pages than to complete each one quickly and in order. You’ll find that some of the pages are just for your enjoyment, and you might find some activities that you can do with other people too! Have fun creating your life book. Happy writing and drawing!”

Kathleen Carroll

Author of “My Growing World”

Piper the pig, Elley the elephant, BeeBear, Linus the giraffe, Hairy, and Fuzzyhead are characters in this memory book for foster children and kids that are adopted after foster experiences. Piper and all of the characters have had foster and adoption stories. This book has a special page about “moving day” which is most usually a traumatic and confusing day for children. Other special pages for child expression are “birth family tree” and “adoptive family tree”, “memories of foster homes”, “memories of adoption day” and many more sensitive subjects that are expounded upon for child therapy. The foster or adoptive parents and/or social workers are also easily engrossed in this beautiful book of artwork and therapeutic messaging. Each child’s story is different. Each adult that touches their life has a unique perspective. “My Growing World” caters to that important fact and allows for personal expression.

In addition to bibliotherapy, there are wonderful arts and crafts for the child. Dot-to-dots, musical motions (the child is asked to find a song they love and something to draw with and draw how the music makes them feel), coloring pages, mazes, word finds, and even a special list of child-friendly recipes. This concept for kids is to spend time in the kitchen getting to know their foster or adoptive parents better.

“My Growing World” is just one of Adoption World Specialties’ publications. We have resources for teenagers, social workers, case workers, agencies and more! Visit our main website at AdoptionWorld.net, and discover our world.

Kathy Mobley, Chuck Carpenter and Jim Ketchum will represent Adoption World Specialties. Our company aims to help foster and adoption situations by providing children with a lifebook and therapeutic, enjoyable guides to life. These life books and resources help children, parents, agencies and social workers document the child’s past and help engage, excite and educate the child about their adoption experience. Please visit our website for further information about our authors, our publications and meet our staff. We look forward to joining you on November 14^th function, in an effort to help facilitate a healthy transition for foster and adopted children.

www.adoptionworld.net

*If you are interested in adding a link to our page or if we could add ours to your page, please let me know! We can help more children if we reach out!

Ann Boland

aboland@cornerstonepress.net

]]> http://adoptionworld.net/blog/november-is-adoption-month/feed/ 0 http://adoptionworld.net/blog/the-characters-in-my-growing-world-foster-life-book/ http://adoptionworld.net/blog/the-characters-in-my-growing-world-foster-life-book/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:00:24 +0000 kmobley http://adoptionworld.net/blog/?p=118 The characters created by illustrator Lucy Cook-Taylor for “My Growing World” are very special.  This is the first time a foster life book has used such compelling artwork.  To get kids to pay attention to a lifebook, you need a visually interesting book.  Lucy’s art draws kids in and they relate to the characters.

It’s important to have whimsical, non-gender characters.  Piper (a pig) and Linus (a giraffe) lead kids through the book and Hairy and Fuzzyhead help illustrate points.  BeeBear and Lambabelle add interest and a friendly, comforting tone.  Historically, adoption life books have been boring and lacked color or visual interest.  But “My Growing World” breaks the barrier into creating something that is not only useful but fun to use.  Interesting graphics surround a great cast of characters.

This is a book social workers will enjoy using.

Jim Ketchum
Cornerstone Press

The Real Me is an empowering, contemporary life book for teenagers. It helps teens explore and document the many sides of their personality. This is an exceptional book that quickly distinguishes itself as a must have for young adults in foster care or adoption.

Each chapter allows the teenager to express their feelings and gives powerful inspiration along the way:

“Who Am I Today?” I am more than what others think of me… more than my fears and anxieties… more than my appearance. I am more than my actions or any labels that the world may place upon me!

“Where I Came From” I need to revisit my childhood in order to understand how I got where I am today. I may feel sad or angry or hurt. I can’t change the past, but I can make peace with it! Then I’ll be ready to move on, taking the best of my memories with me.

“What My Future Holds” The future is a promise that I make to myself. I will not be limited by the past or the choices of others. I will follow my dreams and meet every challenge. I will reach out to others when I need assistance and offer a helping hand in return. I will be the best that I can be… I promise!

There are very few adoption lifebooks out there that focus on the teenager perspective. The Real Me is a very special life book and caters to fostered youth as well as a teen that has finally come into an adoptive situation. For the parental perspective, an older child brings unique challenges. For both the teenager and the parent, this life book encourages growth together through documentation of feelings and happenings that have lead you to be together.

Please visit our informational articles about the adoption process as it applies to foster parenting, adopting and the special children in our care.

]]> http://adoptionworld.net/blog/the-real-me-adoption-life-book/feed/ 0 http://adoptionworld.net/blog/adoption-lifebooks-from-adoption-world-specialties/ http://adoptionworld.net/blog/adoption-lifebooks-from-adoption-world-specialties/#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:56:14 +0000 kmobley http://adoptionworld.net/blog/?p=84 Adoption Lifebooks from Adoption World Specialties

Adoption World Specialties is exactly what its name describes – we are specialists on the subject of adoption and foster-to-adopt situations. Discover our world at www.AdoptionWorld.net and you’ll see the variety of bibliotherapy products we have which encompass the child, the parent, the social worker. Our adoption life books and foster life books as well as our teen adoption life books are distinctly different from all other literature on the subject. Each family’s situation is unique and special – our life books help to document the story of the child as he or she enters the world of foster care or adoption.

I am President of Adoption World Specialties, and proud to invite you to our adoption life books and foster care books website. I am excited to be a part of such a wonderful cause, and join the dedicated staff at www.AdoptionWorld.net!

My background is in business development for a printing and publishing company. I jumped at the chance to lead this special adoption life book company because it’s a cause that is close to my heart. Both my daughter and son are adopted. I know, first hand, how adoption life books can open up conversations that help heal.

I am so excited to represent our adoption life book authors Donna Barnes and Terri McCoy. They are a mother/daughter team that started writing adoption books for foster and adopted children in 1992. Donna’s expertise comes from raising 4 foster / adopted children. Her daughter Terri has many years of professional experience as a social worker in the adoption field.

This new adoption lifebook and foster book web site is part of our effort to be more accessible. I would like your feedback. Write to me at kmobley@adoptionworld.net and tell me what you like and what you would like to see changed about this website and our adoption books.

I look forward to learning more about you and helping you meet your adoption book needs!

At www.AdoptionWorld.net you can download a free “POSITIVE ADOPTION LANGUAGE” pamphlet, an essential language tool for professionals and clients. In addition to Adoption World Specialties’ wide array of adoption life books, adoption memory books, foster life books, teen life books, and foster-to-adopt literature for parents and children, we offer this language guide free on our website.

Words can build or destroy relationships, self-esteem and opportunity. Those of us connected to adoption and foster care have a special responsibility to use positive language in regards to this circumstance. It’s important to use positive adoption language to correct media’s negative adoption images and terminology, and to sensitize educators and other professionals. Using positive language is a choice… we hope you will join us in promoting the positive language outlined in this pamphlet.

As an example, “adoptive” parent can be seen as negative or offensive language. The positive or preferred language for this example would be “Mother” or “Father”. It isn’t wrong to say that you’re an “adoptive” parent, but extended use by you or others (especially in front of our children), continues to qualify your parental status.

Another example would be “Hard to Place”. This implies that the child is less than desirable, less than normal. The positive or preferred language suggestions include “child with special needs” – NOT “special needs child” and/or “waiting child”.

For sixteen years we have been a trusted resource for adoption life publications dealing with the memory books, adoption life books and foster books process. Our Adoption Life Book and Memory Book products are used nationwide and beyond. Social workers, therapists, adoptive/foster families and their children enjoy our delightful adoption life books. Regardless of where you fit into the scene, we are likely to have something affordable to help make your job a little easier.

Our website has an entire section named “Information Articles”. The “POSITIVE ADOPTION LANGUAGE” pamphlet is printed literature for your use. The articles posted on our site are there for you to use as a resource for the many facets of the adoption and foster care processes. Please visit www.AdoptionWorld.net and discover our world.

]]> http://adoptionworld.net/blog/positive-adoption-language-adoption-lifebook-pamphlet/feed/ 0 http://adoptionworld.net/blog/the-secret-ingredient-in-life-books/ http://adoptionworld.net/blog/the-secret-ingredient-in-life-books/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 07:03:29 +0000 kmobley http://adoptionworld.net/blog/?p=86 The Secret Ingredient in Life Books

If you haven’t already visited our informational articles page, please do so soon!  One article is called “The Secret Ingredient in Life Books”.  It is written to the foster or adoptive parent by Donna Barnes.  Below are some excerpts from her article.

No one talked about “life books” back in the 70’s. That’s when my husband and I began our adoption journey. Armed only with resolve and love, we walked the whole nine yards through four challenging adoptions without a single life book. Our best attempt was a photo album for one of our daughters. It included the only two photos that we were given when she arrived at the tender age of six months and we added many more as she grew up. By age four, she enjoyed “reading” her photo album . . .

Did our kids survive without life books? Of course!
Would life books have been helpful? Absolutely!

Today, “LIFEBOOK” is the buzzword among professionals and parents alike. And rightly so, because an adoption life book should provide a child with a key ingredient – - the TRUTH (as much as is known) – - about his/her “life story.” It should contain the WHO, WHAT, WHERE AND WHY information that kids need to answer their questions and unscramble their lives. In short, it is . . .

more than a photo album, although photos are vitally important.
more than a “baby book,” although the “baby information is also vital to include if available.
more than a scrapbook of achievements.
more than a book that chronicles all the happy, fun times.

Adopted kids, and those who grow up in foster care, have difficulty building self-esteem without uncovering and processing the truth about their lives . . . And now, we have the secret ingredient, p-r-o-c-e-s-s-i-n-g through a life memory book! In addition to providing statistical information, life books are a means for kids to find out that they were not responsible for the problems in the family. This puts a different slant on everything.

A life book should help kids process their feelings!

To facilitate “processing” the child’s feelings, the child needs to be involved in its creation. After all, there is no therapeutic value to the older child if you do it for him/her. As the adult, part of your task is to discover what the child thinks is the truth about his/her life. If the child has a distorted view of events that shaped his/her life or fantasies that stick in his/her mind as the truth, gently, but honestly, bring truth into the picture. The information that you provide should be age-appropriate and will need to be retold as the child gets older and has more in-depth questions. You will then need to help the child process his/her feelings about their true “life story.” In the end, there is a very positive and accomplished feeling the child gains, two-fold: through writing and drawing their memories they gain an understanding about themselves and their life history, and in doing so the child gets to know you better by talking about their life story with their foster or adoptive family.