by Danielle Lowry (ages 8-12) (affiliate link) Rosie tries everything she can think of to fix the divorce, from being happy (to cheer them up), to cleaning the house, to making better grades – but nothing works. Rosie blames herself and feels sad, confused, and angry, but she gets help from her school counselor and…
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Mama and Daddy Bear’s Divorce
by Cornelia Maude Spelman (ages 4-8) (affiliate link) Little Dinah Bear’s parents are going through a divorce. In this very simple story, Dinah is reminded and reassured over and over again of all the things that do NOT change – Mama is her mama, Daddy is her daddy, and they can still do a lot…
Loon Summer
by Barbara Santucci (ages 5-9) (affiliate link) Very sweet, beautifully illustrated story about Rainie, an elementary-school-age girl who is spending her first summer with her dad at the lake following her parents’ divorce. She misses her mom and wishes things could go back to the way they used to be, and seeing the loons at…
I Don’t Want to Talk About It
by Jeanie Franz Ransom (ages 5-8) (affiliate link) Short, beautifully illustrated book about possibly the worst moment in a kid’s life – when the parents break the news. Told in the first person from the child’s perspective, the child moves through the emotions so many children experience, processing with mom and dad’s help. Also a…
The Divorce Helpbook for Teens
by Cynthia MacGregor (ages 13-17) (affiliate link) This is an excellent, densely-packed, but easy-to-read resource for any teenager going through a divorce, with information presented in a gentle but direct way. There are a few slightly dated references, but virtually any situation or issue a teenager might face when his/her parents are divorcing is addressed…
It’s Not the End of the World
by Judy Blume (ages 8-12) (affiliate link) An elementary-school-age middle child deals with her parents’ divorce, and all the emotions, uncertainty, and questions that come with it. The material is a little dated, based on somewhat old-fashioned notions prevalent in the early 1970’s, when the book was written (e.g., the presumption that mom gets the…
The Invisible String
by Patrice Karst (ages 3-7) (affiliate link) This isn’t a book about divorce per se, but rather is about coping with separation anxiety. The author uses the metaphor of the “invisible string” connecting everyone by love, no matter how far apart they are, and even in death. The illustrations in the book are diverse and…
My Family’s Changing
by Pat Thomas (ages 4-8) (affiliate link) This book explains divorce in a very matter-of-fact way. It was written by a psychotherapist and is intended to be read with the child several times. The book repeatedly encourages kids to talk openly about their feelings and to ask questions about things they don’t understand.
It’s Not Your Fault, Koko Bear
by Vicky Lansky (ages 3-7) (affiliate link) This book is essentially a companion to the Divorce Book for Parents (affiliate link) by the same author for little kids to read with their parents as they process their feelings about the divorce. Every page also has several practical tips for parents, delivered bullet-point-style at the bottom…
Two Homes
by Claire Masurel (ages 3-7) (affiliate link) Very short and straightforward book that focuses on the post-divorce life, accentuating the positive aspects of kids having two homes instead of just one. The language is very plain, but the illustrations create contrast between mom’s house and dad’s house in several different ways. Without coming right out…
Let’s Talk About It: Divorce
by Fred Rogers (ages 4-8) (affiliate link) Mr. Rogers’s great gift to the world was being able to talk in a plain-spoken and forthright manner to children about difficult topics, and he shines here. His biggest contribution here might be empowering kids by telling them they have the right to feel things and to express…
The Family Book
by Todd Parr (ages 2-5) (affiliate link) Very short and simple book about all different kinds of families – not just divorced. Straightforward and uplifting message that all families are special no matter how they’re made up. “There are lots of different ways to be a family.”
Dinosaurs Divorce
by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown (ages 3-7) (affiliate link) This isn’t a story book, so much as it is a collection of short, plain-spoken vignettes about how children can handle various situations and feelings that arise in connection with a divorce, especially in the aftermath of the divorce. There is a consistent emphasis…