Where did my Dinosaur go?

The meerkats Mia and Kit do not like their new home, not one bit of it! They don’t like their new routine, their new bedroom, or new foods for dinner – and most of all, they definitely do not like their new carer, Becky the capybara. But when the meerkats (along with their very special cuddly dinosaur toys) stay with Becky, they discover that a new home can be OK, and sometimes it’s alright to trust new people. 

Moving to a new place can be scary for any child, but even more so for children in care, who may have to move to new carers if they cannot live with their birth parents. Learning to trust new carers can also be more difficult for children who have experienced neglect, trauma and loss in their early lives. This colourful picture book explores what it’s like to move to a new place, and how children can develop trust in new adults.  

Who is this book for? 

Any parent, carer or social worker wanting to bring up the subject of moves with their child, and help them learn more about the importance of trust. The book is most suited to children in foster care and kinship care, but can be used in many other scenarios as Mia and Kit’s family situation is deliberately left unlabelled.  

What you will find in this book

A warm tale of learning to feel at home in a new place and the importance of trust, this book is suitable for reading with children aged 4–10, who have had to move away from their family for a range of reasons. This includes children living or about to be living in foster care, kinship care, adoption, private foster care or residential care.  

A booklet is included at the back of the book which gives more information for carers and workers about how best to discuss the story and get the most out of it with children. 

This charming book was created by a team of psychology researchers, a foster carer and care experienced young people coming together to tell a story that will resonate with children and adults alike. 

Authors 

Paul Calder has been a foster carer for 11 years, and got involved in the book after being on an eight-week Reflective Fostering programme. 

Amelia Goswell graduated with a degree in geography from Durham University and currently works as a transport planner in London. 

Bradley Kemp is a care experienced individual who was in care from a young age till the age of 18. He got involved with this project to show how important it is to have trust built up between a carer and a child in care.  

Meryl Westlake is a researcher at University College London (UCL) studying mental health and risk-taking among children living in residential care. She hopes that the book can share understanding from research in a way that helps children and their foster carers have important conversations about trust. 

Dr Eva A Sprecher is a researcher at UCL, who works with care experienced young people and foster carers to understand how we can support young people who have lived in care with their mental health, especially through thinking about relationships.  

Illustrator 

Lauren Fernandes is a care experienced artist and illustrator living in Dublin with her husband, daughter, two dogs and cat.