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One Small Boat: The Story of a Little Girl, Lost Then Found
This story of one little girl's journey through our foster-care system forms an intimate portrait of foster care in America and the children whose lives are forever shaped by it.
Augusten Burroughs called Kathy Harrison's memoir Another Place at the Table a "riveting and profoundly moving story of a hero, disguised as an everyday woman." In One Small Boat, Harrison tells the story of one little girl who arrived on her doorstep, and describes how caring for this child was an experience that challenged everything she thought she knew about foster-care parenting and the needs of the children she shelters.
Daisy was five when she arrived in Harrison's bustling home. Mother of three children by birth and three by adoption, and with a handful of foster kids always coming and going, Harrison had ten children under her roof at any given time. But Daisy was in many ways unique. Daisy's birth mother wasn't poor, uneducated, or drug addicted. She simply couldn't bring herself to take care of her little girl, and the effects on the child were heartrending. Daisy was unwilling to eat-even frightened of it-and seemed to have a severe speech impediment. After two weeks in Kathy's loving home, however, Daisy began to thrive. What had happened to her? And how can a foster-care parent give back all that has been taken from a child like Daisy-knowing that she might leave one day very soon? Harrison had seen many children pass through her doors, but this one touched her in a way she didn't immediately understand.
One Small Boat will be of deep interest to anyone who has nurtured and cared for a child or anyone interested in the intricate web that is our social welfare system.
Augusten Burroughs called Kathy Harrison's memoir Another Place at the Table a "riveting and profoundly moving story of a hero, disguised as an everyday woman." In One Small Boat, Harrison tells the story of one little girl who arrived on her doorstep, and describes how caring for this child was an experience that challenged everything she thought she knew about foster-care parenting and the needs of the children she shelters.
Daisy was five when she arrived in Harrison's bustling home. Mother of three children by birth and three by adoption, and with a handful of foster kids always coming and going, Harrison had ten children under her roof at any given time. But Daisy was in many ways unique. Daisy's birth mother wasn't poor, uneducated, or drug addicted. She simply couldn't bring herself to take care of her little girl, and the effects on the child were heartrending. Daisy was unwilling to eat-even frightened of it-and seemed to have a severe speech impediment. After two weeks in Kathy's loving home, however, Daisy began to thrive. What had happened to her? And how can a foster-care parent give back all that has been taken from a child like Daisy-knowing that she might leave one day very soon? Harrison had seen many children pass through her doors, but this one touched her in a way she didn't immediately understand.
One Small Boat will be of deep interest to anyone who has nurtured and cared for a child or anyone interested in the intricate web that is our social welfare system.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 6, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
January 6, 2011
It seems curmudgeonly of me not to like a book about a kind and dedicated foster mother who takes in damaged children and works tirelessly to heal them, I know. And I do applaud Ms. Harrison for her priceless work as a foster parent, but judging the book and not the person, I have to say eh.
The story is a combo of sticky sweet (watch me make cookies and soup and cookies again and kiss boo-boos and have sensitive heart-to-hearts, not like those BAD mommies) and Law & Order SVU voyeuristic icky. You don't have to bake a single cookie to be a better mom than those who starve and beat their kids right up 'til the moment when they turn them over to a pedophile boyfriend, so enough already with the heavily-drawn contrast, you already won, Kathy.
But more significantly, there's little examination of why she feels compelled to continue taking foster kids when, as she herself says, the kids she already has would all benefit from more attention and one-on-one time. Yeah, I know that part of the reason is that foster homes are scarce and she's constantly getting calls from workers desperate to place kids with her. But she shows, without really analyzing, that she takes new children basically to fill a void in her attention span. When things are calm and none of the other four emotionally damaged or mentally ill children in her home are in crisis, she gets itchy and voila! here's another child with immediate concerns to focus on. Kind of creepy.
As a mother of four pretty average kids, I find it hard to believe that a mom with six kids, four of whom are under 10 and have PTSD, Tourette's, etc., would ever feel underutilized enough to "need" another foster child.
And finally, there is very little critique of the systems that are producing the damaged children she is brought. She points out that kids are more likely to die in foster care than out of it, but doesn't say why that is. She singles out many of the therapists and social workers she deals with as being really great compared to others, but there's not much elaboration of all the ways the others she has had to work with aren't so great. And that's the greatest flaw of the book, to me. As a popular title, it has a chance, while telling the kids' stories, to raise awareness in readers of how child protection fails children, parents, and foster parents. But there's not much of that here. So I praise her fostering, but not the book.
The story is a combo of sticky sweet (watch me make cookies and soup and cookies again and kiss boo-boos and have sensitive heart-to-hearts, not like those BAD mommies) and Law & Order SVU voyeuristic icky. You don't have to bake a single cookie to be a better mom than those who starve and beat their kids right up 'til the moment when they turn them over to a pedophile boyfriend, so enough already with the heavily-drawn contrast, you already won, Kathy.
But more significantly, there's little examination of why she feels compelled to continue taking foster kids when, as she herself says, the kids she already has would all benefit from more attention and one-on-one time. Yeah, I know that part of the reason is that foster homes are scarce and she's constantly getting calls from workers desperate to place kids with her. But she shows, without really analyzing, that she takes new children basically to fill a void in her attention span. When things are calm and none of the other four emotionally damaged or mentally ill children in her home are in crisis, she gets itchy and voila! here's another child with immediate concerns to focus on. Kind of creepy.
As a mother of four pretty average kids, I find it hard to believe that a mom with six kids, four of whom are under 10 and have PTSD, Tourette's, etc., would ever feel underutilized enough to "need" another foster child.
And finally, there is very little critique of the systems that are producing the damaged children she is brought. She points out that kids are more likely to die in foster care than out of it, but doesn't say why that is. She singles out many of the therapists and social workers she deals with as being really great compared to others, but there's not much elaboration of all the ways the others she has had to work with aren't so great. And that's the greatest flaw of the book, to me. As a popular title, it has a chance, while telling the kids' stories, to raise awareness in readers of how child protection fails children, parents, and foster parents. But there's not much of that here. So I praise her fostering, but not the book.
March 22, 2008
I LOVED this book. It was so inspiring. I truly admire this author and her heart. She has figured out the meaning of unconditional love through her actions.
April 9, 2014
This is a powerful book that gives the reader a glimpse of the heartbreak so many children endure in our country's foster care system and the special people who make a difference as foster parents.
August 20, 2015
One Small Boat focuses on the real life of a foster mother. She lives with her husband, Bruce, and their children. They have children of their own and have also adopted. On top of that, they take in more children in need. Kathy mentions at times how she doesn't know why she chose such a crazy life for only seventeen dollars a day, but then she sees special children and the impact she can make on them. Special children like Daisy.
Daisy was first put in foster care voluntarily by her mother. She came to Kathy. Kathy immediately saw the kind and sweet glow emanating from Daisy. Daisy came to Kathy small, fragile, and hardly able to form a sentence. But like any good foster mother, Kathy knew some special and sweet was inside this scared little girl. Through tears and laughs, leaving and coming back, and ultimately living with her long lost father, Kathy and Daisy formed a special bond.
If this book were fiction, we would have gotten a happily ever after where Daisy can stay with Kathy and her family forever. But that doesn't happen. This book helps us realize the importance of foster carers and the children they help. Grief comes and goes with every child, but so does love. That love is what you hold on to throughout your life. That love leaps off of the pages of this book and into your heart.
Daisy was first put in foster care voluntarily by her mother. She came to Kathy. Kathy immediately saw the kind and sweet glow emanating from Daisy. Daisy came to Kathy small, fragile, and hardly able to form a sentence. But like any good foster mother, Kathy knew some special and sweet was inside this scared little girl. Through tears and laughs, leaving and coming back, and ultimately living with her long lost father, Kathy and Daisy formed a special bond.
If this book were fiction, we would have gotten a happily ever after where Daisy can stay with Kathy and her family forever. But that doesn't happen. This book helps us realize the importance of foster carers and the children they help. Grief comes and goes with every child, but so does love. That love is what you hold on to throughout your life. That love leaps off of the pages of this book and into your heart.
March 25, 2018
Ok I’m just gonna start reading with a box of Kleenex! These last few books just confirmed my “why� we choose to foster!
May 15, 2019
What a beautiful book! This is about an ordinary person who does amazing things, not because she has to, but because she wants to! It is very inspiring.
June 20, 2018
Kathy Harrison is not a writer. She’s a mom, and clearly a great one. She’s a foster mom and has the ability to hold children in her heart for a short time, bandaging up their most grievous wounds and sending them out into the world again. The stories she has to tell are heartbreaking and powerful.
But she is just not a writer. The recollections she has are filtered through her own voice—everyone, from kids to her husband to social workers, speaks with the voice of a prim American woman in her mid-sixties. She reminds me of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor that way—teenagers and foster kids either speak in a white person’s interpretation of “street slang� (you can tell because the grammar is wonky) or sound exactly like the author’s narration. Conversations between Kathy and social workers reminded me of after-school specials, both parties artificially moralizing at each other. And it’s abundantly obvious which vignettes are based in reality and which just fill space between dialogue; the former feel real, the latter are clichés.
I kept reading out of curiosity and to get tips on wise things to say to traumatized children, not because the book was skillfully crafted. I was glad to have read it, but I won’t read it again or recommend it to anyone else.
But she is just not a writer. The recollections she has are filtered through her own voice—everyone, from kids to her husband to social workers, speaks with the voice of a prim American woman in her mid-sixties. She reminds me of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor that way—teenagers and foster kids either speak in a white person’s interpretation of “street slang� (you can tell because the grammar is wonky) or sound exactly like the author’s narration. Conversations between Kathy and social workers reminded me of after-school specials, both parties artificially moralizing at each other. And it’s abundantly obvious which vignettes are based in reality and which just fill space between dialogue; the former feel real, the latter are clichés.
I kept reading out of curiosity and to get tips on wise things to say to traumatized children, not because the book was skillfully crafted. I was glad to have read it, but I won’t read it again or recommend it to anyone else.
December 13, 2011
Ever think about becoming a foster parent or legal guardian to a child? This book should be something you read before taking that on. Hopefully it will not talk you out of becoming a foster parent because the book doesn't try to do that. It is utterly truthful on the hardships for the children, social workers, foster & biological families.
At times Kathy Harrison is a little on the sappy side but I like her. She gets shit done. She's an amazing advocate for these children stuck in the system that "nobody wants". I love the part of the book where she gets a phone call about 3 children that need to be placed in a foster home. 1 of the girls, the social worker says, is very difficult and is on a wait list to be put into a specialized home for psychological disorders. Kathy says something along the lines of "well, the other 2 girls sound like they will easy to place so I'll take the difficult one."
And, that summarizes her personality and advocacy. She is the epitome of unconditional and I strive to be like her as a foster parent. Great read.
At times Kathy Harrison is a little on the sappy side but I like her. She gets shit done. She's an amazing advocate for these children stuck in the system that "nobody wants". I love the part of the book where she gets a phone call about 3 children that need to be placed in a foster home. 1 of the girls, the social worker says, is very difficult and is on a wait list to be put into a specialized home for psychological disorders. Kathy says something along the lines of "well, the other 2 girls sound like they will easy to place so I'll take the difficult one."
And, that summarizes her personality and advocacy. She is the epitome of unconditional and I strive to be like her as a foster parent. Great read.
September 12, 2014
Amazing, amazing, amazing! This is a women who knows hurt children inside and out. Anyone who is considering fostering or wants to know more about foster care should read this book and Another Place At The Table. Kathy shows that there are truly heroes in the child welfare system.
October 28, 2017
Brutally Honest
I am thankful for the author's honesty: she admits to hard truths about times she messed up. I admire her hope and perseverance, and I'm so thankful for the role she played in so many children's lives. Very inspirational. And sobering.
I am thankful for the author's honesty: she admits to hard truths about times she messed up. I admire her hope and perseverance, and I'm so thankful for the role she played in so many children's lives. Very inspirational. And sobering.
April 3, 2018
This was soooo good. Heartbreaking but also heartwarming. Definitely going to read this author's other book, "Another Place at the Table." It cheers me that there are still a few caring people left in the world.
August 30, 2012
This book just hurt my soul, but it was amazing.
June 4, 2023
I love historical events like this.
Boats and historical events are what make me love reading. Could you please share the sequel books of your series?
In fact, even though I started reading very late, I'm getting more and more immersed every day.
It is a great chance to read the books of important authors. I know that. I'm looking forward to your new books.
I am writing the importance of reading a book here for friends who want to read this book. I hope it will benefit sellers and customers...
Are the top 10 benefits of reading for all ages:
1. Reading Exercises the Brain
While reading, we have to remember different characters and settings that belong to a given story. Even if you enjoy reading a book in one sitting, you have to remember the details throughout the time you take to read the book. Therefore, reading is a workout for your brain that improves memory function.
2. Reading is a Form of (free) Entertainment
Did you know that most of the popular TV shows and movies are based on books? So why not indulge in the original form of entertainment by immersing yourself in reading. Most importantly, it’s free with your Markham Public Library card.
3. Reading Improves Concentration and the Ability to Focus
We can all agree that reading cannot happen without focus and in order to fully understand the story, we have to concentrate on each page that we read. In a world where gadgets are only getting faster and shortening our attention span, we need to constantly practice concentration and focus. Reading is one of the few activities that requires your undivided attention, therefore, improving your ability to concentrate.
4. Reading Improves Literacy
Have you ever read a book where you came across an unfamiliar word? Books have the power to improve your vocabulary by introducing you to new words. The more you read, the more your vocabulary grows, along with your ability to effectively communicate. Additionally, reading improves writing skills by helping the reader understand and learn different writing styles.
5. Reading Improves Sleep
By creating a bedtime routine that includes reading, you can signal to your body that it is time to sleep. Now, more than ever, we rely on increased screen time to get through the day. Therefore, by setting your phone aside and picking up a book, you are telling your brain that it is time to quiet down. Moreover, since reading helps you de-stress, doing so right before bed helps calm your mind and anxiety and improve the quality of sleep.
6. Reading Increases General Knowledge
Books are always filled with fun and interesting facts. Whether you read fiction or non-fictions, books have the ability to provide us with information we would’ve otherwise not known. Reading a variety of topics can make you a more knowledgeable person, in turn improving your conversation skills.
7. Reading is Motivational
By reading books about protagonists who have overcome challenges, we are oftentimes encouraged to do the same. The right book can motivate you to never give up and stay positive, regardless of whether it’s a romance novel or a self-help book.
Boats and historical events are what make me love reading. Could you please share the sequel books of your series?
In fact, even though I started reading very late, I'm getting more and more immersed every day.
It is a great chance to read the books of important authors. I know that. I'm looking forward to your new books.
I am writing the importance of reading a book here for friends who want to read this book. I hope it will benefit sellers and customers...
Are the top 10 benefits of reading for all ages:
1. Reading Exercises the Brain
While reading, we have to remember different characters and settings that belong to a given story. Even if you enjoy reading a book in one sitting, you have to remember the details throughout the time you take to read the book. Therefore, reading is a workout for your brain that improves memory function.
2. Reading is a Form of (free) Entertainment
Did you know that most of the popular TV shows and movies are based on books? So why not indulge in the original form of entertainment by immersing yourself in reading. Most importantly, it’s free with your Markham Public Library card.
3. Reading Improves Concentration and the Ability to Focus
We can all agree that reading cannot happen without focus and in order to fully understand the story, we have to concentrate on each page that we read. In a world where gadgets are only getting faster and shortening our attention span, we need to constantly practice concentration and focus. Reading is one of the few activities that requires your undivided attention, therefore, improving your ability to concentrate.
4. Reading Improves Literacy
Have you ever read a book where you came across an unfamiliar word? Books have the power to improve your vocabulary by introducing you to new words. The more you read, the more your vocabulary grows, along with your ability to effectively communicate. Additionally, reading improves writing skills by helping the reader understand and learn different writing styles.
5. Reading Improves Sleep
By creating a bedtime routine that includes reading, you can signal to your body that it is time to sleep. Now, more than ever, we rely on increased screen time to get through the day. Therefore, by setting your phone aside and picking up a book, you are telling your brain that it is time to quiet down. Moreover, since reading helps you de-stress, doing so right before bed helps calm your mind and anxiety and improve the quality of sleep.
6. Reading Increases General Knowledge
Books are always filled with fun and interesting facts. Whether you read fiction or non-fictions, books have the ability to provide us with information we would’ve otherwise not known. Reading a variety of topics can make you a more knowledgeable person, in turn improving your conversation skills.
7. Reading is Motivational
By reading books about protagonists who have overcome challenges, we are oftentimes encouraged to do the same. The right book can motivate you to never give up and stay positive, regardless of whether it’s a romance novel or a self-help book.
February 28, 2020
2,5 stars rounded up.
I think if i had read this book 14 years ago when it came out, i would have rated it higher. unfortunately, time has not been great to this book. The realities of foster care are brutal, but to an extent, this author gives the impression that if you can open your heart and love kids enough, they'll be ok. while at times she states otherwise, the overall feel of the book is that anyone can do it is they try hard enough. the reality is that for some kids, love and therapy can't "fix" them. Some kids will never be "normal." The author says this, but then talks about her experiences in a way that implies that, indeed, her love and care for them has healed them. And i'm sure it has helped. but she isn't magic.
i don't know. i think her heart is in the right place and she is/was an excellent foster parent that any CPS agency would be lucky to have. But i think this book has a big pair of rose-colored glasses on.
I think if i had read this book 14 years ago when it came out, i would have rated it higher. unfortunately, time has not been great to this book. The realities of foster care are brutal, but to an extent, this author gives the impression that if you can open your heart and love kids enough, they'll be ok. while at times she states otherwise, the overall feel of the book is that anyone can do it is they try hard enough. the reality is that for some kids, love and therapy can't "fix" them. Some kids will never be "normal." The author says this, but then talks about her experiences in a way that implies that, indeed, her love and care for them has healed them. And i'm sure it has helped. but she isn't magic.
i don't know. i think her heart is in the right place and she is/was an excellent foster parent that any CPS agency would be lucky to have. But i think this book has a big pair of rose-colored glasses on.
August 16, 2021
Ok this has been my favorite book I have ever read. Kathy Harrison shares her heavy, heart-wrenching, yet beautiful story of one of her sweet foster children. This book made me fall in love with foster care and helped me understand why I care so much. Kathy has so much love to give to children, and you feel that love in every page you read. This book covers a sweet girl's traumatic childhood and how she overcame so many obstacles by the power of love and someone caring and not giving up. A MUST READ for anyone interested in adoption/foster care!!!!
August 5, 2018
FOUR AND A HALF STARS. I was previously a social worker in child welfare for 10 years and usually enjoy books about foster care. I particularly liked this book because the good foster parents out there, and there are many, are not the ones whose stories usually make it out there. Harrison is obviously one of the good ones and the stories about how she cares for the kids she takes in are really inspiring. I can't wait to read her other book.
August 10, 2022
Stories of a foster family. Kathy shares many experiences of the children that have spent time in her home because of neglect, abuse, and other behavioral problems from dysfunctional families. Karen, Maggie, Jazzy....so many others have passed through their home, but the focus is on Daisy. Daisy was unwilling to eat, had a severe speech impediment and drew pictures of disturbing sexual abuse. Kathy works tirelessly heal her. I loved this book!
April 25, 2023
I amazingly read this in one day. It wasn't a long or difficult read. It was heartbreaking for sure. This one really pulls at the heartstrings. This a true story of a foster family and the foster mom's experiences. We normally hear the horror stories. This tells a different perspective. I'd recommend this book, but not to anyone who has or shows little to no emotions. This story is not for the weak. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
December 26, 2017
Den bortlämnade flickan, 2006:
En lättläst och engagerande berättelse om hur det är att vara fostermor. Men hur är det möjligt att vara en bra förälder för tio barn samtidigt , barn som dessutom har svåra psykiska problem? Och hinna skriva två böcker i ämnet! Och hinna med att gå i kyrkan varje söndag! Hm, men boken rekommenderas.
En lättläst och engagerande berättelse om hur det är att vara fostermor. Men hur är det möjligt att vara en bra förälder för tio barn samtidigt , barn som dessutom har svåra psykiska problem? Och hinna skriva två böcker i ämnet! Och hinna med att gå i kyrkan varje söndag! Hm, men boken rekommenderas.
February 8, 2020
Harrison is a foster parent and records experiences she has had with children in her home. She writes about the trauma many of these children have endured and how her family has tried to provide support to the children. She describes emotional bonds she has formed with the children and how it's sometimes difficult to see the children leave.
August 11, 2020
This was heartbreaking, but very sweet. As I'm trying to wrap my head around the idea of fostering, this was a really great book for showing the good and bad that can come from it. I liked Harrison's honesty about herself-- her own shortcomings and the times when she just doesn't click with a kid. And seeing Daisy's journey was incredible.
January 24, 2021
Kathy Harrison does an outstanding job telling the stories of the many children who have come into her home through the foster care system. This book shares the stories of many but focuses mostly of sweet Daisy.
"This fostering life. It isn't usually about the big hurrahs. It's about moments for kids when they can remember clean sheets and hot chocolate and that somebody was nice to them."
"This fostering life. It isn't usually about the big hurrahs. It's about moments for kids when they can remember clean sheets and hot chocolate and that somebody was nice to them."
February 9, 2018
I could not put this book down. Read it in one day. It was such a personal and poignant view from a foster mother. You could truly feel connected to the author. Can't wait to read more of her writing!
April 2, 2018
This book was really good and really made you understand life as a foster parent. I related to this book as I grew up around many foster kids and understand kind of what she is going through as caretaker. This book was amazing to read and was very well written.
October 29, 2023
This was a great book to read. There are so many children out there that need love and care and having someone like this to be available at any moment to help fill in is beyond understanding. I received this book from my sister-in-law.
September 11, 2017
Interesting glimpse into a foster home.
May 1, 2018
Sad tears, happy tears and an overwhelming gratitude for those good souls like this author and her husband giving their lives to lovingly care of foster children.
August 13, 2018
A good look into foster parenting
September 9, 2018
God Bless Kathy Harrison and all her good works with these children. This is an interesting story of what carrying the cross of love, kindness and goodness really entails.
April 26, 2021
Loved this book. It was wonderful to read about how wonderful foster parents can be! This couple are extremely remarkable people.
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