Two Homes by Claire Masurel

Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton. 28 p., Candlewick Press, 2001. When your parents live apart, you have two homes. Such is the case for Alex, a small child who is sometimes with Daddy and sometimes with Mommy. Alex tells us about having two homes, two rooms, two favorite chairs, two kitchens, even two toothbrushes. Alex talks to each parent on the phone while at the other parent's, and friends come to play with Alex at both homes. Most important, Alex loves both parents, and both parents love Alex, no matter where they are and no matter Alex is. Illustrated with gentle watercolors, this story offers reassurance and a positive perspective to children of parents who are not together as a couple. Ages 3-6

Mom and Dad Don't Live Together Any More by Kathy Stinson

Illustrated by Nancy Lou Reynolds.29 p., Annick Press, 1984.

Feelings about divorce can be complicated. In this story, a girl lives with her brother and Mommy in the city, and spends weekends with Daddy in the country. Although she knows it won't happen, she can't help wishing that her parents would get back together again. She likes her life with each parent, and values what's special about her relationship with each one, although there's a sense of disruption in going back and forth, expressed in her wondering whether Santa Claus will know where to find her on Christmas. She struggles to understand why Mommy and Daddy can't make each other happy. But she finds comfort in knowing that she loves both parents and they both love her, "just not together." This sensitive portrayal of a child's complex feelings about divorce, and her work toward resolving what feel like inconsistencies, will resonate with children in similar situations.

Ages 4-8

Always, Always by Crescent Dragonwagon

Illustrated by Arieh Zeldich. 32 p., Macmillan, 1984.

A girl describes the transition between her mother's urban apartment, where she lives during the school year, and her father's cabin in the woods, where she lives during the summer. Her sadness about being away from each parent is acknowledged, as well as her joy in the special parts of her relationship with each parent and in the life she has with each of them. Although they're different in many ways, both parents will always love their daughter. Kids may ask why the girl travels alone on an airplane or is allowed to ride in a pickup truck bed. But her feelings of loving and missing each parent, and her sense of resolution in their shared love for her, offer empathy and hope to children whose parents have divorced.

Ages 7-10
Main character's cultural background: European American
Cultural context: European American

Oliver At the Window by Elizabeth Shreeve

Illustrated by Candice Hartsough McDonald. 32 p., Front Street, 2009.

When your parents are separated, not knowing which home you're going to can be a source of insecurity. We can feel Oliver's uncertainty as he stands by the window at preschool while the other children play, holding his stuffed lion and wondering who is going to pick him up. As time goes on, he's able to spend less time at the window and play with his classmates. He uses art to work through his struggle, painting pictures of both homes, each with his lion in it. When a sad new girl enters the class, Oliver compassionately joins her at the window, showing her how his lion is a comfort to him. He has moved through his pain and made a new friend. With its gentle, empathic depiction of Oliver's experiences, this sensitive story validates children's sadness and gives hope for resolving it.

Ages: 3-6
Cultural Context: multicultural

Dear Daddy by John Schindel

Illustrated by Dorothy Donahue. 24 p., Whitman, 1995.

Jesse lives with his mother, far away from his father. He feels sad and frustrated when his phone conversations with his father seem too short, so he writes his father a letter. At first his father doesn't respond, and he writes another. The reader senses that Jesse is worried that his father doesn't love him. Finally, his father writes him a poster-sized letter, explaining that he'd been away when Jesse's letters had arrived and inviting him to spend the summer. Jesse's joy and relief are clear. Jesse's mother is supportive of his relationship with his father and understanding of his feelings. This story offers empathy to children in similar situations, and reassurance that a parent who doesn't live with them still loves them.

Ages: 3-7
Cultural Context: European American

A New Room for William by Sally Grindley

Illustrated by Carol Thompson. 26 pages. Candlewick, 2000.

As this story begins, William is moving into his new house, and he doesn't like it. He misses his old house, and the view from his old room of the garden he and Dad had there. What is unsaid, and not even hinted at until the very last lines of the book, is that he has moved because his parents have divorced. His mom helps him decorate his new room, and he allows himself to choose new wallpaper instead trying to replicate what he had at his old house. At the same time, he's also allowing himself to make a new friend. Having taken these steps into his new life, he finds himself happy and comfortable. Children will understand that although the changes of divorce are difficult in many ways, positive changes are possible too.

Ages: 4-7
Cultural Context: multicultural