Learn to help your kids cope with the realities of divorce.

by Laura Broadwell-Parent’s Magazine

Books for Kids

Sometimes reading a story about divorce can help a child make sense of his feelings and understand that he is not alone. A good book can also be a springboard for discussion between parents and kids. Here is a sampling of 10 books that may help you on your journey.

Dinosaurs Divorce
By Laurene Krasny Brown and Marc Brown

Dinosaur characters introduce aspects of divorce, such as its causes and effects, living with a single parent, and spending holidays in two separate households.

I Don’t Want to Talk About It
By Jeanie Franz Ransom

A young girl deals with the new, difficult, and conflicting emotions that arise when her parents divorce.

It’s Not Your Fault, Koko Bear
By Vicki Lansky

A preschool-age bear talks about the pain of divorce; advice for divorcing parents is included at the bottom of each page.

Mama and Daddy Bear’s Divorce
By Cornelia Maude Spelman

This simple story, told from the perspective of Dinah — the youngest in the Bear family — captures very young children’s perceptions of divorce, along with their questions, emotions, and fears.

My Parents Are Divorced, Too: A Book for Kids by Kids
By Melanie, Annie, and Steven Ford as told to Jan Blackstone-Ford

Aimed at the preteen set, this book offers a kid-to-kid, heart-to-heart look at the realities of divorce.

Books for Parents

Dear Mom and Dad: What Kids of Divorce Really Want to Say to Their Parents
By Gillian Rothchild

A practical, concise guide that helps children and their parents get on with their lives — happily.

Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way
By M. Gary Neuman

The exercises in this book help kids open up and deal with their feelings through drawings, games, poetry, role playing, and other activities.

Mom’s House, Dad’s House
By Isolina Ricci, PhD

This groundbreaking classic (now revised and updated) explores the legal, emotional, and practical realities of creating two happy and stable homes for kids.

Vicki Lansky’s Divorce Book for Parents
By Vicki Lansky

Offers advice on just about every aspect of divorce, from telling the kids to working out custody arrangements.

What to Tell the Kids About Your Divorce
By Darlene Weyburne

A family therapist tells divorcing parents how to break the news to their children and reassure them that the split is not their fault.