Meet Dustin Arrieta
Dustin Arrieta is the author of Grayson & Scout: A Team for Grayson, a children’s picture book about foster care, belonging, and the steady love children need during uncertain beginnings.
Dustin and his wife, Laura, have always had a heart for fostering and adoption. For their family, opening their home was not something that happened by accident — it was something they had long hoped and planned for. Their desire has been to support families during difficult seasons and to make sure children receive steady love and care while their parents work toward healing, growth, and stability.
As a foster and adoptive dad, Dustin has seen that every placement is different. But one thing many children share is confusion. They are suddenly surrounded by new people, new routines, and a new home, often without a clear explanation they can fully understand.
That is why he wrote Grayson & Scout.
Why He Wrote Grayson & Scout
Grayson & Scout was written as a gentle, child-sized story for children walking through big transitions.
Dustin wanted to create something that could help children moving from their family home into a new home feel seen, safe, and supported. Through Grayson and his teddy bear, Scout, the story gives children a way to understand that the new people in their lives — foster parents, case managers, child advocates, and others — are there to help.
The book was created for children, but it was also created for the adults walking beside them. Foster parents, adoptive parents, case workers, advocates, churches, counselors, and teachers all need tools to help children process fear, change, and uncertainty. Grayson & Scout is meant to be one of those tools.
A Personal Note from Dustin
Laura and I have always believed that opening our home was about more than providing a place to stay. It was about stepping into a child’s story with patience, love, and hope during a season they may not fully understand.
Our faith has shaped that calling. It has taught us that every child has value, every family deserves compassion, and hope can still be present even in hard and uncertain places.
Through our foster and adoption journey, I have seen how much children need simple reminders: that they are safe, that they are heard, that they are valued, and that they are loved. Big changes can feel scary, especially when children do not have the words to explain what they are feeling.
That is why I wrote Grayson & Scout.
This book is my small way of reminding children that they have a team, they have hope, and they are not alone. If this story helps even one child feel a little less alone, it has done what I hoped it would do.