‘Reading supports her emotionally, her physical and mental wellbeing, and her understanding of why she is with us’

Debbie: ​“I was reading to Dora the book I’ve got from BookTrust, which was Not All Heroes Wear Capes [by Ben Brooks, illustrated by Nigel Baines]. It’s about people doing extraordinary things for other people. 

“We were sitting and reading, coming to the end of a chapter, and she just looked at me and said: 

‘Well, you’re a hero, aren’t you? Because you took me in and you didn’t have to do that.’ 

“I said: ​‘No, but we saw this little girl that was quite scared and needed somebody to love her, and we wanted to do that for you.’ 

“And she said: ​‘Well, you and Uncle Francis are my heroes without a cape then, aren’t you?’ 

“She put all that together from reading that book. For that to come from her, despite her developmental and intellectual disabilities, and for her to then verbalise those thoughts, that’s what made it even more special for me. 

“And it all came from that one book. So thank you. “ 

Francis: ​“We still often need to reassure Dora that: ​‘You are safe here.’ She knows her birth mum lives quite close. She’s convinced her mum can hear her talking, and we have to give her lots of reassurance. Books really help with that.”

Debbie: ​“We validate her and tell her that, yes, those things happened, but you’re here now and you are safe and those things aren’t going to happen again. Books open the doorways to those conversations. 

“The book we’re reading now is about a panda and his companion, a little dragon. They’re travelling to new spaces, they have to go through hardship and storms. 

“Although Dora has intellectual disabilities, she can pick out bits and say: ​‘Well, that’s kind of like me, isn’t it? Because I have those bad dreams.’ 

“And I’ll say to her: ​‘Uncle Francis and I, we’re like the panda. We’re going to look after you and we’re going to make sure that you get through that storm safely. And she says: ​‘Yeah, I can see that.’ 

Francis: ​“There are lots of different theories on neurodivergence, why a child works in this way, and what makes them tick. But no child fits every single box. You try all these little strategies and if it doesn’t work, you move on.”

Francis: ​“She likes to choose a book. She will read a page, I’ll read a page, we dim the lights in her bedroom and make it more peaceful. Sometimes I’m still reading the book and she’s asleep.

Debbie: ​“Because Francis works away quite often, I let him have that time with her to read before bedtime. It just gives her that reassurance that, yes, Uncle Francis does go away, but he is coming back. It’s important [for] her attachment, (she calls him dad) and that dad and daughter time. Just reading books and sharing stories together. 

“The whole experience of having Dora with us and finding good books that support her has completely changed my opinion of reading. 

“It’s not only about learning to read so she has that skill. Reading supports her emotionally. It supports her physical state, her mental wellbeing, her understanding of why she is with us, and her attachment to this new family, a family that she’s going to be part of. That has broadened my opinion of how books can play a big part in somebody’s life.”