Wally's Grab and Run - Susan Burnash;Ben Askew

Wally the foster dog doesn't trust anyone. After moving from home to home, he learns to expect disappointment-and to believe that food and safety can vanish at any moment. So when he enters yet another foster family, Wally does what he knows best: grab the food and run. But, as his new foster family shows him patience, consistency, and compassion, he wonders if it's time to lower the walls he's built to protect himself and open his heart to learn to trust again.

Wally's Grab and Run is a heartfelt picture book for children ages 4-8 that explores the emotional realities of foster care through the eyes of a lovable, guarded foster dog. The story reflects many challenges children in foster care face, including fear of abandonment, food insecurity, difficulty trusting adults, and the confusion of moving between homes.

Written with trauma-informed care in mind, this book supports meaningful conversations about big feelings in a safe, age-appropriate way. The story uses clear emotional language and relatable behavior to help children recognize their own reactions and build emotional awareness.

Themes & Benefits:

• Trust & Attachment: Encourages children to explore safe relationship-building at their own pace

• Abandonment & Safety: Opens conversations about loss, consistency, and emotional security

• Hope & Healing: Shows that new beginnings and safe relationships can support emotional healing

• Emotional Literacy: Helps children name and express difficult feelings

• Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): Aligns with SEL goals such as empathy, emotional regulation, and resilience

Perfect for foster families, adoptive families, counselors, therapists, social workers, teachers, and librarians, Wally's Grab and Run offers a compassionate resource for helping children impacted by foster care feel seen, understood, and hopeful.