“Eye-opening! A Shrub Not a Tree is astounding! As a blended family of six, we struggled ourselves with how to define our newly blended family, but in A Shrub Not a Tree Ashley breaks down this life-altering concept and brings freedom and hope to all families, no matter how they’ve grown to be! This book is a must-have for all family libraries!” ~ Brad and Elisha Daugherty | Blended Family of 6
“I have 24 years of experience as a Foster Care Case Manager, working with children in foster care, their families, foster parents, and adoptive parents. I found this book to be an amazing resource for any child and adult alike, whether adoptive or biological. The depiction of A Shrub Not a Tree is a heartfelt message that speaks to the uniqueness of these families but at the same time the similarities as well. It shows how working together as a team can have a positive outcome for children, helping them achieve their greatest potential. How acceptance of biological family members can aide in the healthy development of the children and provide the biological parents with a sense of worthiness. Foster/adoptive children can see themselves in the pages of this book and have a better understanding of their journey. It is an inspiring story of love, faith, trust, purpose, and acceptance that can lead to meaningful family conversations. I highly recommend it.” ~ Jacki Lund | Social Worker
“Ashley and Andrew are truly an inspiring couple. Their faith in God is unwavering and bleeds over into the lives of those around them. Ashley and I have shared our heartbreaks in dealing with infertility. Sadly, it is something so many women go through and end up feeling like they are “less than” in some way. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have watched her grieve the “what could have been” and turned the circumstances into not only a positive, but a mission in life. My family is blended, which comes with its own set of challenges. Sometimes it is difficult to explain to children why certain things happen. This book will help so many to normalize all different types of families to embrace the differences and circumstances God places on our path.” ~ Lindsay Porten | Blended Family, RN, LPC
“Transparency, letting go of the ego, focusing on what is in the best interest of the child/ren; this book has all that and more. It is a concise, easy to read, road map focusing on something much larger than any one of us. Nurturing children, while fostering relationships with biological families, strengthens child/rens sense of belonging, while building bridges to plant those roots deep, resulting in strong, healthy children who know exactly who they are and where they come from.” ~ Mary Langley | Retired Social Worker, Adopted
“A Shrub Not a Tree offers a compassionate and inspirational message on adoption, as experienced by the author, Ashley Rae Klinger. Ashley openly discusses her, and her husband's emotional journey that led them to foster parenting and eventually adoption. Drawing strength and guidance from her spiritual faith, she is able to personally experience that family is defined by love, which, in adoption, includes multiple family members. The book offers sections specifically for youth and parents, which is a tremendous support for the whole adoption family. This book is a wonderful addition for all involved in adoption.” ~ Charley Joyce | MSW, Adoptive Grandparent, Co-author of "Behavior with a Purpose" and Retired Clinical Social Worker
“As a fellow foster and adoptive mom, I know you will resonate with the way the author describes trusting God fully to build their family through their complete surrender and trust in Him. His plans are always better than ours, and if you are hesitant about taking the step toward building your family through adoption, this book is a must-read." ~ Leanna Ihry | Foster and Adoptive Mom
“I absolutely love the concept of A Shrub Not a Tree. It is an inspiring, true story that I can read with our daughter, but it also has a component for my husband and I to read, learn, and discuss together. The way in which the author describes how her family and other families are more like a shrub than a tree resonated with me, as we too added to our family through adoption. The message in this book had me nodding in agreement many times as the author talked about her faith and who each of us are to God. Yes, we are ALL a part of God’s family! Our chosen daughter is an intentional blessing from God, just as her children are. Foster care and adoption can be very difficult, and I needed the reminder that we need to pick the weeds of negativity, as the weeds can strangle the joy that God wants me to experience. Ashley, thank you for sharing your journey, for being God’s light, and for helping me to grow in my faith through your family’s experiences and your words. I pray that as many others read this book, they too will understand and accept God’s love for them.” ~ Robyn and Nancy Yon | Foster and Adoptive Parents