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Transfiguring Adoption awarded this book 4 Hoots out of 5 based on how useful it will be for a foster/adoptive family. [Learn more about our Hoot grading system here]

From the Cover of Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle:

“‘Neigh!’ said a horse. ‘Quack!’ said a duck. ‘Beep!’ said the friendly Little Blue Truck.

Little Blue Truck teaches a big important dump truck the value of a few friendly beeps and a group of helping hands.”

** Spoilers Could Be Ahead **

How Is This Relevant To Adoption & Foster Care?

Foster and adoptive youth encounter many social challenges and barriers due to ever changing life circumstances and the impacts of trauma, such as difficulty forming relationships with peers. As a result, most of these youth struggle to interact with others in a healthy or age appropriate manner, let alone develop meaningful attachments. Often times the opportunities to create friendships are lacking in their lives or those opportunities are disrupted. Even more disheartening is the fact that nurturing and maintaining permanent connections with peers is not typically considered when a child experiences a change of schools or communities. This can lead to an array of dilemmas for a child and mars the significance of camaraderie and healthy relationships in their perspective. It is imperative to a child’s future success that they learn how to build (and be encouraged to maintain) healthy friendships, especially ones that will likely comprise their support network throughout life.

CAUTIONARY POINTS:

• Very mild rudeness
  There are two almost unnoticeable moments when the storybook characters are less than courteous towards each other however, if you are caring for a highly sensitive child (especially one affected by such behavior) then it is worth noting that:
  1. the Dump recklessly rushes past Little Blue Truck and his farmyard friends, inadvertently running a couple of them off the road
  2. moments later the farm animals ignore the Dump in reaction to his previously inconsiderate behavior and even by the end of the story show no interest in the Dump or relationship repair

• Unsafe Driving / Disabled Vehicle
  The Dump finds himself rolling into mud and getting stuck as a result of his unsafe driving, particularly for the weather conditions. For children who have been passengers of unsafe drivers or who have experienced a vehicle accident, this scenario may trigger frightening memories.

• Neglect trigger
  This concept may very well be the most likely needed caution point as the majority of foster and adoptive youth have experienced neglect.
  1. As Dump rushed past Blue and friends he comments that he has “big important things to do” and doesn’t have “time to pass the day with every duck along the way!” These remarks can be hurtful to any child who has had caregivers whom were habitually indifferent towards the child’s attempts at connection with such dismissive replies as “I have other things to do” or “I don’t have time, I’m busy.”
  2. When the Dump cries for help after becoming stuck “nobody heard (or nobody cared).” Again, for children whose needs have largely gone unmet to hear that nobody cared about the Dump could be dejecting for them. Furthermore, the correlation that no one cared because of his socially inept behavior may trigger negative connotations or beliefs about themselves and perpetuate the misconception that to be deserving of love bespeaks decorum.

• Momentary distress
  Once Little Blue Truck realizes that he too is “stuck tight” he begins crying for help, beeping his horn, and yelling “I’m stuck!” These couple of lines can read intensely and evoke feelings of worry or anxiety in your child(ren) if you are an animated reader.

Discussion Points:

• Communication Skills and Social Perception
  “Trauma compromises our ability to engage with others by replacing patterns of connection with patterns of protection.” –Stephen PorgesOften the ability to openly and honestly communicate is negatively impacted by trauma as a child’s main focus has become survival. In the interest of having their needs met while avoiding the potential of varying harmful responses from caregivers, traumatized children learn to communicate in ways that best gave them some control to navigate previously unhealthy environments. As a result they can lack skills necessary for effective and healthy communication, a cornerstone of establishing and building healthy relationships. Given that many foster youth develop defensive communication patterns this can be a difficult subject to broach without causing children to feel blame or shame, making the opportunity to use storybook characters all the more efficacious.When our story begins, the reader witnesses Blue as he cordially makes his way through the countryside, kindly greeting all those whom he encounters. After a couple of pages that tacitly serve to upskill animal sound expertise for all those in need, we meet the Dump when he loudly comes barreling through, disrespectfully disrupting the peace and tranquility of the scene with little regard for those along his path. These characters are an easy comparison of communication style “do’s and don’ts.”Moments later the Dump finds himself in a bind requiring assistance, providing the fortuity to explore social perceptions. One of our former placements (who was 11 years old at the time) became genuinely confused at this point in the story as he inquired why it was that the farmyard animals had no interest in aiding the Dump. Understanding the reasons why others perceive and react to us in the way that they do requires us to first understand how our words and actions make others feel and for us to then possess the ability to take responsibility for those words and actions. It is difficult for a child who cannot own and correlate their behavior with its social repercussions to grasp social perceptions and make changes conducive to developing healthy friendships.

• Danger Cues & Safety Awareness
  As the story progresses there is a subtle change in the weather conditions, combined with the facts that the Dump is distracted by his likely inflated sense of urgency and that he is driving a bit too fast for the winding road, the results are an accident that was waiting to happen.It may seem counter intuitive that children who operate in a constant state of hyper-vigilance experience an inability to recognize and respond to danger cues but stress inhibits the capacity to be fully cognizant of one’s environment. So while traumatized children are ever searching for signs of the dangers that are familiar to them, they are inattentive to general safety awareness resulting in mishaps and precarious situations. An underdeveloped sense of cause and effect can compound the challenge of maintaining safety in the home, or in various public settings. This is a topic area that we have found few substantial resources for addressing in our time as foster parents, which makes the chance that this story inadvertently gives to have a teaching moment quite helpful!

• Self-Worth
  The first time I read Little Blue Truck to our toddler and Toad came to the rescue of his struggling friends, I was impressed. It was in that unexpected moment that I declared this was officially a book of substance and worth adding to our home library. Here was this character who was just one of many other toads, who differed from the other characters by not fitting the typical farmyard animal mold, and who greatly varied in size. This character who was all but lost in the repertoire of other animals as we became engrossed in the storyline. Here he was, apparently out of nowhere, BEING ENOUGH. It sent the message that even the seemingly least among us have significance and are of importance to us all.“Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.” – Alan Turing (The Imitation Game)As uplifting as self-worth can be, a lack of such can be debilitating both socially and emotionally. Much like an insecure youth who flaunts exaggerated stories of non-existent material possessions and connections to fame or fortune in hopes that others will see value in them, the Dump’s self-worth is perceivably defined by accomplishment and assets. A lack of self-worth intensifies poor relationship building skills as youth often times are perceived by their peers as standoffish, peculiar, or “fake” depending upon how their insecurities and stress response styles influence their reaction to others in social situations. When interactions end up feeling awkward or go awry youth may engage in negative self talk such as, “This always happens to me, there’s no point in trying!” which perpetuates a lack of self-worth. As illustrated by the final interaction between Blue and the Dump, it is not a far stretch to interpret that Blue’s benevolent gesture showed the Dump he is worthy of someone’s friendship and capable of relationship repair despite his mistakes. This is an indispensable lesson which will need replicated for foster and adoptive youth at every auspicious moment that arises.

• Asking for Help
  A lack of self-worth can also contribute to a foster youth’s hesitation to seek assistance, for even the smallest of needs, being that they do not feel as if they deserve the courtesy of being shown a kindness, at least not one given free of expectations or consequences. Asking for help also requires a child to expose vulnerabilities and must contend with fear of rejection, angering a caregiver, or the fact that past needs have gone unmet. Additionally, when you have already lost so much control over your own life it can make asking for help difficult. Even a well-adjusted adult will not always feel in control asking for help let alone a traumatized child.

• Strengths of Character
  Blue embodies many stereotypically positive qualities that we strive to instill in our children every day. He is kind, respectful, and courteous. These are easy go-to examples for young children but for older children, the quality that has held the most significance when discussing this book in our home is, above all else, the fact that Blue is magnanimous.”A magnanimous person has a generous spirit. Magnanimous comes from Latin magnus ‘great’ and animus ‘soul,’ so it literally describes someone who is big-hearted. A person can show that over-sized spirit by being noble or brave, or by easily forgiving others and not showing resentment.”Highlighting Blue’s altruistic personality has been useful in breaking down barriers with placements who are skeptical of a caregiver’s intentions as they grapple with believing in the integrity of others while questioning such notions as:
  • “How can you think that the social worker cares?”
  • “Why would you want me in your home?”
  • “How can you still care about me after what I did?”
  • “Why do you talk nice about my family?”
  • “How would you know that my therapist wants to help me?”.
• The answer to these questions, and more, is the same: while we are all far from perfect, good people do exist in the world. The ability to believe in the genuine kindness of others is a powerful element when developing trust, without which there is little hope for sustainable healthy relationships.The Dump’s character strengths are easy to overlook though are possibly the most important. Even though he initially comes off as unpleasant, the dump is able to demonstrate humility, appreciation, the ability to learn from his mistakes, and the willingness to change. Remember that this discussion point is an opportunity to remind your child(ren) of their positive qualities and attributes that shine through regardless of any challenges or perceived flaws!
• The Value of Friendship
  It is difficult for a child who has been forced to become self-reliant for survival to trust in others or see the value of healthy relationships. Foster youth are far too often shuffled around and then dismissed when self-advocating to maintain friendships (or even relationships with siblings and prior caregivers). Encouraging foster and adoptive youth to utilize their treatment team as their support network, which is commonly done in my years of experience as both residential placement staff and as a foster parent, is not practical and ultimately detrimental to their best interests. The likelihood that any member of that team will be present as an informal support in their life 20 years later is improbable and leads to youth aging out of the foster care system with no permanent connections or reliable support network in life. Relationships and connection are vital to the healing process, as our current foster teen states: “if you have a bonding relationship with some else then you can talk to them and they can help you get through it.”

Discussion Guide:

Communication Skills and Perceptions

1. How does Little Blue Truck LOOK friendly to others?
2. How does Little Blue Truck SOUND friendly to others?
3. How did the farm animals react to the way that Little Blue Truck looks and sounds?
4. What about the Dump, does he look or sound friendly? Why not?
5. How do you think Blue felt when Dump loudly rushed past him to the “big important things” he had to do?
6. How do the farm animals react to the way that Dump looks and sounds? Did you notice their facial expressions or body language?
7. How could the Dump have communicated differently?
8. What type of friend might Blue and the animals interpret the Dump to be based on this interaction?
9. Do you think it is fair to form an opinion about someone based on a first impression?
10. How could the Dump improve negative perceptions of himself? (This is the question that can lead to discussions of dispelling negative self-talk and engaging in relationship repair!)

Danger Cues and Safety Awareness

1. Did you notice at what point in the story it began to rain? (Most adults don’t even notice this detail and it can be fun to go back and look together.)
2. Why should the Dump have used more caution when driving in rainy, wet weather? Or on a curvy road?
3. Do you think that whatever the Dump needed to do was an emergency, or could he have gone at a steadier pace?

Self-Worth

1. What is it about Toad that makes him an admirable role model? (ANSWER: He believes in himself!)
2. Why do you think it seems to matter so much to the Dump that he has “big important wheels” and “big important things to do”?
3. Was it the things he had to do, the stuff that he possessed, or the relationships that were built that really mattered in the end for the Dump?

Asking for Help

1. How do you think the Dump may have felt needing to ask for help?
2. Why do you think that Blue may have felt more confident than the Dump when asking for help?
3. How do you think it made the Dump feel when he saw Little Blue Truck coming to help him?

Strengths of Character

1. What are some of Little Blue Truck’s positive character traits? What are some of your own?
2. Why do you think Blue helped the Dump when he got stuck, even though nobody else did?
3. What character strengths does the Dump demonstrate?

The Value of Friendship

1. Why do you think that it is important to have at least “a few good friends” in life?
2. Do you agree that it’s “better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”?
3. How can the friendships you develop now impact your life once you become an adult?

About the Author: Felecia Neil

Felecia Neil is a foster care alumni who has 12 years of experience working within residential settings and has served as a foster parent for over 5 years. She is currently a much needed asset to the Transfiguring Adoption team where she reviews books and helps to assure the organization considers the perspective of foster youth.

**Transfiguring Adoption is a nonprofit organization seeking to nurture growth in foster and adoptive families by giving a HOOT about their families. Transfiguring Adoption does not intend for its reviewers nor its review to be professional, medical or legal advice. These reviews and discussion guides are intended to help parents to better be able to connect and understand their children who come from traumatic backgrounds.