What is wonderful about this series of books is that they have a dual purpose. They teach parents how to handle children with problems in a loving and non-judgemental way, and they are also good children's stories. Aimed at adopted and fostered children and their new parents, they show some of the common behavioural and physical problems that children who have suffered in the early years of their lives can exhibit. Each book has pages at the end to give parents advice on using the stories. Rosie Rudey is very rude and grumpy indeed, and she doesn't get on very well with her siblings. When they tease her in return, she gets a 'fuzzy' feeling in her tummy that can only be helped by eating chocolate, and during one such episode, she steals her siblings Easter eggs and also the chocolate bars they have bought that day with their pocket money and makes a big chocolate mountain in her room - and then eats the lot. This, of course, makes her sick, and when mum finds her in the garden with a suspiciously chocolate-looking pile beside her, all is clear. Mum handles the situation well and helps Rosie understand that all the chocolate in the world won't fill up the fuzzy, empty space she has inside. She also gently talks with Rosie about how the missing chocolate might be replaced. While Rosie isn't totally convinced by her mum, she has loved the hugs her mum has given her and thinks that just one chocolate bar might actually help fix that empty, fuzzy space. This story is very good at helping children see that change must come about gradually, and that loving parents, either adoptive or fostering or provided in care will help them along. Written by a mum who has had five adopted children (along with her daughter, the original Rosie), the books in this series will prove invaluable to those who must deal with children with serious background difficulties. The pictures are wonderfully simple and effective, full of grey and brown and taupe, with solid characters - very reassuring. Available from Amazon, from book shops, and from the publisher: www.jkp.com.