Caesar's Home: Oscar's Layers is a childrens book about an Onion who goes into a new family and learns how to ask for help and allow adults to help him with his big feelings that come with moving to different families. 

Why did we write Oscar's Layer's?

I grew up in the child protection system since 8 years old. To move around and not have a sense of stability was hard. And having teachers, kids my age and those around me adult and child alike not understand or know what it is like being in the child protection system was also hard. 

8 year old me didn’t know how to explain to my peers why I didn’t call my Foster parents "mum and dad" and why I acted out or didn’t talk about my feelings. I hope that having a book like this will help kids in the system understand that it’s okay to ask for help, that all families are different and that you can lean on others to help with your struggles. This is a book for all ages and all kids whether they are in care, have two mums, two dads, single parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and everyone in between. We decided to use an onion because onions have layers and I as the author and someone with lived experience wanted to represent the layers of trauma, throughout the book Oscar learns to let people help him, he starts to let love heal his broken heart and ultimately pull back those layers.

Publishing my first book Not Held Down ans 16 really helped me grow as a person and author, now at 19 publishing my second book and sharing the experience of being a young author with my friend and awesome illustrator has taught me so many things one massive thing it has taught me is how to work with others and allow myself to ask for help and let people help me. 

Words from the illustrator:

My favourite part of creating this book must be what I've learnt about the foster system. It's amazing how much you don't know and how little we hear about it. I hope that this book brings to others what it has to me. I also hope that it brings comfort to the young kids in care that one's before them didn't receive. I hope young people just enjoy the book!

For those choosing the donation option and the Australia wide option, if it doesnt let you add your choice when you click on it please email us and provide your school/childcare and agency of choice so we can add it to the list, email- [email protected]

I know $3000 seems like a lot of money so we would love to break it down for you so you know where exactly your money is going. 

MARKETING - $100

DESIGN AND PRINT PREPARATION - $1,900

PRINT - $800 (initial print run)

EDITING: $200 

CHILDRENS SMILES WHEN THEY RECIEVE THEIR OWN COPY: FREE

PUBLIC EDUCATION ON HELPING KIDS IN THE SYSTEM: FREE 

Books will be published and sent out in Feb 2023 please follow "Fostering Change Australia" on social media to stay up to date.