The Kangaroo Pouch introduces young children to the concept of surrogacy. Narrated by a young kangaroo character, whose mother has decided to help another family in their efforts to have a child, the story gently guides the reader through the surrogate’s decision-making process, the pregnancy, and... more

The Kangaroo Pouch introduces young children to the concept of surrogacy. Narrated by a young kangaroo character, whose mother has decided to help another family in their efforts to have a child, the story gently guides the reader through the surrogate’s decision-making process, the pregnancy, and the resulting baby that is then given back to the biological parents. The book is designed to act not only as a conversation starter for surrogates with their own families; but also as a “how-to” manual for their children to refer to throughout the process. The author, Sarah Phillips Pellet, who herself was a surrogate on behalf of a close family member, wrote The Kangaroo Pouch for this purpose with her own children in mind. When asked, “how are you going to tell the kids?” she thought, “I’ll write a book, do some stick-figures to illustrate it, and read it to them.” She did and discovered that her children would re-read the book throughout the duration of the pregnancy and afterwards. After the encouragement of many friends, relatives, and professionals to produce the book for other surrogates, she decided to have the book professionally illustrated by artist Laurie A. Faust. The Kangaroo Pouch has been reviewed by both a child psychologist and a behavioral specialist to ensure that the story answers questions that a typical child would have and that it is communicated effectively.