Wally's Grab and Run
Published on 2. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
48 pages
979-8-9913438-5-5 (ISBN)
Description
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.
More details
Person
Susan Burnash is a children's book author whose stories help young readers understand emotions, identity, and how reactions shape their relationships with others. With a background in marketing and nonprofit video production, she brings a deep appreciation for storytelling as a tool for connection, reflection, and meaningful conversation.As a child, Susan found comfort and belonging in books. Growing up shy in a loud household, reading became a safe space where emotions could be explored quietly and honestly. That early love of books shaped her belief that stories can help children name feelings, make sense of experiences, and feel less alone.Today, Susan creates picture books designed to support social-emotional learning in classrooms, libraries, and homes. Her debut book, Spot or Not? explores identity and purpose through the story of a blue spot as he discovers his place in a Pointillist artwork. The book blends lyrical storytelling with art education and serves as the first title in the More Than Art series.Her second book, Wally's Grab and Run, uses the perspective of a dog to explore big emotions such as fear, uncertainty, and trust. While inspired by themes relevant to foster care and transitional experiences, the story is intentionally written to support broader SEL conversations-helping children recognize emotions, understand reactions, and engage in thoughtful dialogue with peers and caring adults. The book is frequently used by teachers, librarians, counselors, and caregivers as a read-aloud that opens space for discussion, empathy, and emotional awareness.Susan's stories are created with educators in mind-offering layered meaning, opportunities for discussion, and emotional accessibility for a wide range of children and experiences.