Spark learns to fly

Spark the dragon lives happily with his parents and baby sister, but then his mum and dad start to argue, and sometimes to fight. When the children get injured, they have to go and live with a foster carer, who helps them understand their situation.

This engaging picture book, designed for use with young children, looks at the difficult issue of domestic violence and what this could mean for the children involved. Spark and Flame learn to understand why they had to leave home, why they cannot live with their birth parents any more, and to come to terms with their painful emotions.

Who is this book for?

Ideal for social workers, foster carers or residential workers to use with children aged four to seven who have been affected by domestic violence.

What you will find in this book

The simple story and colourful illustrations provide a gentle introduction to talking about domestic violence and how this may have affected the children involved. It is a great way to start discussions between carers, social workers and children.

The book is accompanied by practical guidelines for adults reading the story with children that provide examples of questions and statements to encourage and initiate interaction.

Author

Judith Foxon is an adoption worker and has many years’ experience in recruiting and preparing families for children of all ages and of direct work with children. As an adoptive parent and foster carer herself, she is committed to developing better ways of helping families to communicate with and support their children.

Illustrator

Rachel Fuller specialises in children’s books, developing and illustrating novelty packages as well as young fiction and educational materials. She has also illustrated A safe place for Rufus, Elfa and the box of memories and Spark learns to fly.