Intended as an aid in guiding and supporting children ages 7-12 involved in interactions with the child welfare system, this graphic novel tells the story of two youth: one who, with his family, experiences caseworkers visiting his home; and another youth who is placed by the child welfare system in her grandmother’s home after an incident in her parents’ home.
In these stories of common occurrences in child welfare cases, the children (“Nishan” and “Lila”) each interact with caseworkers, advocates, and counselors. Lila’s story also includes her experience of preparing for her testimony in court. Both stories illustrate how the children learn and develop new skills that help them manage their emotional responses during and in the aftermath of an intervention by the child welfare system. An introduction to the stories explains to the reader that the stories are about 1) “things that could happen next,” 2) “people you might see or talk to,” and 3) “ways to figure out what you’re feeling and how to feel better.” The reader is advised that she/he can keep the stories and write in the booklet if she/he wishes. The stories are depicted with colored drawings. Any spoken comments written for persons in a drawing point the caption to the person speaking.