Product Description

This unusual picture book for younger children explores the issue of divorce. The fears, worries, and questions that boys and girls face when their family goes through this difficult period of breaking up are explained in terms children will readily understand. Full-color illustrations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #237728 in Books
• Published on: 1999-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780764109959
• Condition: USED - GOOD
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4This plainspoken text by a psychotherapist and counselor deals with the basic problems and feelings accompanying a divorce and is directed to children and those adults who are helping them confront this traumatic experience. The signs of an impending marital separation; experiences that may occur with divided custody; and common emotions of sorrow, anger, and loneliness are addressed. Questions designed to help youngsters discuss various aspects of their situations are interspersed throughout the narrative. The language is simple and impersonal. Guidelines for adults and names of useful organizations are appended. Pleasant, brightly colored, cartoon-style pictures of varied sizes and shapes show a boy and girl and their parents in various stages of the family breakup and the reconfiguration of their lives. Although psychologically correct, the book lacks the appeal of Laurene Browns Dinosaurs Divorce (Little, Brown, 1986), which is accurate but also gently witty.Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
This attractive book, written by a psychotherapist, introduces the idea and process of a divorce, as well as discussing how it often affects the members of the family. While encouraging children to talk about their feelings and reassuring them that their parents will continue to love them, the text does not minimize the changes, difficulties, and pain that come with the territory. Bordered boxes labeled "What about you?" carry questions for parents to ask their children, so kids can relate their own feelings and experiences to those mentioned in the text. On every page, appealing ink-and-watercolor-wash illustrations show one family coping with a divorce. Informative and reassuring, this book will be a good starting place for many families discussing divorce. Carolyn Phelan

About the Author
Pat Thomas: Pat Thomas is a psychotherapist, journalist and mother. After working as a journalist and broadcaster in the USA, she now works in the field of women's health and child development and writes for publications such as The Guardian Company Magazine and Practical Parenting. Her book 'MY Bees: My Family's Changing' was the winner of The English 4-11 Awards.

Customer Reviews

Explain divorce to young children
This book provides a wonderful explanation of how a family changes through divorce, especially for a very young child. It is one of the few books that does not discuss step families, which was not an issue at the time of our split, and supports the idea of a child spending significant time with both parents. Best of all, it's a pleasant read. More than a year after our move, my child still pulls this book off the shelf occassionally.

Sensitive and powerful
I bought this book for my 4 yr old nephew in the midst of his parents' divorce, and found it exceptionally helpful. It is sensitively written, yet direct and powerful. The illustrations are rich and expressive, and evoked a very strong response in my nephew, enabling him to express himself in ways he might otherwise not have. Due to his age, I read the book ahead of time and chose which sentences to focus on in order to account for his attention span. But as he grows and develops, we'll be able to read the entire book together. I agree with the other reviewer and also like that this book focuses entirely on the immediate changes, without focusing on step-families. I hope to find a book as good as this one about step families when that becomes a need. I highly recommend this book! Note: the cover shows a boy, and the boy is the primary character, however, many illustrations also include a girl/sister.

Great book for children going through a divorce
I am an elementary school counselor and use this book with children that I meet with in small groups. It is very hands on. We will read several pages and then answer the question proposed by the author at the bottom of the page. Discussions are created by the questions that relate back to the reader. Can't anything but good stuff about this book!