Somerset woman dedicates her first book to children she fostered

Emma Lloyd and her family have been fostering children for more than eight years

A foster carer has dedicated her first book to all the children who came to her "without warm jumpers". 

Emma Lloyd, 52, who has fostered for more than eight years, said reading to the children would help them settle at night and "forget unhappy memories".

The author, from Wellington, wrote the book after her own son thought the stories she made up should be shared.

The Little Red Dragon is about a dragon who encounters friendship and kindness as he looks for his missing jumper.  

Ms Llloyd was inspired to write down the story by her 17-year-old son

Ms Lloyd said she was inspired to start fostering by friends and has since taken in babies, siblings and teenagers.

"They can arrive late at night, maybe without pyjamas or shoes for the next day, and often without warm coats or jumpers," Ms Lloyd said.

"It's a scary time for these children and sometimes they display that through their behaviour. But it is an incredibly rewarding role.

"Seeing them a few months later, twirling around in their new party dress or proudly heading off to school - these are all little pictures I keep in my mind of children building their self-esteem and confidence," she said. 

Ms Lloyd described fostering as an "incredibly rewarding role"

Ms Lloyd was telling The Little Red Dragon to her eight-year-old daughter when her son, 17, walked in and told her she should "write it down so other children could hear it".

"For traumatised children especially, reading can allow them to lose themselves in another world and forget unhappy memories, or feelings of sadness or anger, just for a moment," she explained.

Ms Lloyd said rather than reading a book, she would dim the lights and tell her own story, which would comfort children, while not being stimulated by pictures, and help them get to sleep. 

The book, illustrated by Sophie Jones, has now been read by some of the children who first inspired Ms Lloyd to get it published

On having the book published, Ms Lloyd said one of the "nicest moments" was when she received a video of a child she had fostered, with her new adoptive parents reading the book.

"That was lovely to see, because it was children like her that inspired me to publish it," she said.

Somerset County Council lead member for children and families, Tessa Munt, said the county urgently needed more foster homes and it was "wonderful" to see Ms Lloyd raising awareness of the importance of fostering.