It's National Reading Month! Reading has many benefits for adults and children, and whether you want to pick up an old classic or discover a new book, now is a great time dive into a book. 

If you're looking for a new read, we've got you covered. All month, we'll be posting reading lists for different types of reading. Today, we're sharing some of our favorite books for foster families. 

No matter where you are on the foster care journey, these books will help you gain a deeper understanding of caring for a child in foster care.

Keep checking back as we publish additional lists throughout the month. Happy reading! 

Recommended reading for foster families

• Murder, Motherhood, and Miraculous Grace — An incredible true story of faith, family and a journey toward seemingly impossible forgivingness. It's the story that tests the limits of the human heart and is a life-affirming testament to how unconditional love and relentless obedience can transform even the darkest nights into mornings of hope.
• The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind — This books explains, and makes accessible, the new science of how a child's brain is wired and how it matures. By applying these discoveries to everyday parenting, you can turn any outburst, argument or fear into a chance to integrate your child's brain and foster vital growth. 
• Reframing Foster Care: Filtering Your Foster Parenting Journey Through the Lens of the Gospel — The gospel is a lens through which you can filter your foster parenting journey and ultimately find the strength, motivation and courage you need to be sustained along the way. In a collection of reflections on the foster parenting journey, you will find hope and remind you that the work you do is worth it.
• Replanted: Faith-Based Support for Adoptive and Foster Families — Frequently recommended by many foster parents, the book is broken down into three parts: Soil or emotional support, sunlight or informational support, and water or tangible support.
• Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive — Drawing on stunning new findings in neurobiology and attachment research, the book explains how interpersonal relationships directly impact the development of the brain and offer parents a step-by-step approach to forming a deeper understanding of their own life stories, which will help them raise compassionate and resilient children.
• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma — A leading expert in trauma uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control and trust. It also exposes the tremendous power of our relationships, both to hurt and to heal, and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.
• The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder — A common but frequently misdiagnosed problem in which the central nervous system misinterprets messages from the senses. The book offers comprehensive, clear information for parents and professionals — and a drug-free treatment approach for children.
• The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder — Whether your child faces challenges with touch, balance, movement, body position, vision, hearing, smell, taste, motor planning or other sensory problems, this book presents lively and engaging ways to bring fun and play to everyday situations.

Check out our other reading lists

Reading list for families
Reading list for children in foster care
Reading list for single parents

Want to know more about opening your home to a child in need? Start your foster care journey by attending one of our free virtual informational meetings.