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Divorce, no matter how amicable, is never an easy process — especially when there are kids involved. Even if your kids are older and easier to explain things to, they’re still likely grappling with the changes in some way. And if you’ve got younger children, they may not understand, or worry that it’s their fault. Luckily, we’ve got kids’ books about divorce in our parenting tool boxes. Books are a fantastic way to put into words what we sometimes can’t, and for little kids that are read to, allow for one-on-one time where they can discuss themes from the stories and ask questions. When you don’t know exactly how to approach a sensitive subject, there’s no better way than through a book.
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Finding the best kids’ books about divorce is not just a matter of picking any old book on the topic, though. In an article for the School Library Journal, author Gail Cornwall points out that there are some kids’ books about divorce that simply miss the mark. “Most books about divorce feature a white child (or an animal) whose heterosexual parents were once married. They either romanticize an affection-filled life before the split or describe a nuclear family marked by heated conflict and misery,” she says. Though this is the case for some families — and even the most calmly-handled divorce is still bound to cause stress — it isn’t the one-size-fits-all experience that many kids’ books about divorce can present.
In the same article, Dr. David Hill, a pediatrician and coauthor of Co-parenting Through Separation and Divorce, reminds us that how you frame the process, especially to little kids, is important; messaging matters! A good children’s book about divorce will acknowledge the child’s tumultuous feelings, but at the same time, make them aware “of all the good things that are happening in their lives, and how they can make things as good as possible,” Dr. Hill says. If you read them a book that’s all heaviness and sadness, doom and gloom, they will be primed to feel that way.
The titles we’ve curated for this roundup are thoughtful stories arranged in order of age, from toddlers to tweens and teens, so that you can choose the most age-appropriate options. They’re stories that don’t sugar-coat divorce, but do send kids the message that it isn’t their fault, it isn’t the end of the world, and they are loved just as much as ever — no matter what.
Living with Mom and Living with Dad by Melanie Walsh
This engaging lift-the-flap book with bright colors shows that even though the little girl has one bedroom at Dad’s and one bedroom at Mom’s — and they’re a little different — she can always take her favorite toys along and feel right at home in both places.
Ages 2-5
Living with Mom and Living with Dad$13.19on Amazon.com
Buy nowTwo Homes by Claire Masurel
In Claire Masurel’s Two Homes, we meet Alex: a kid who has two unique and very different homes, one with Mom and one with Dad. But despite those differences, one thing is always consistent — Alex is loved.
Ages 2-5
Two Homes$7.99on Amazon.com
Buy nowWhy Do Families Change? by Dr. Jillian Roberts
This book uses colorful illustrations and straightforward yet reassuring language to help kids through the confusion of divorce. It takes difficult, scary topics and concepts and makes them feel accessible.
Ages 3-5
Why Do Families Change?$14.95on Amazon.com
Buy nowThe Invisible String by Patrice Karst
This bestselling book reassures kids that even when they’re not with a loved one, they’re still connected — via an “invisible string” made of love that keeps them tied to one another. The Invisible String is great for not only divorce, but death or any other kind of separation as well.
Ages 3-7
The Invisible String$7.99on Amazon.com
Buy nowA Brand New Day: A Banana Split Story by A.S. Chung
This book, with soft, muted illustrations, helps kids look at divorce through a positive lens. In the story, which never mentions the word “divorce,” the little girl details the fun experiences she has at both houses: helping in the garden and playing with her stepbrother at Mom’s, cooking and painting at Dad’s. She doesn’t see it as something terrible, but has made the best of the situation.
Ages 3-6
A Brand New Day: A Banana Split Story$14.95on Amazon.com
Buy nowWhen My Parents Forgot How to Be Friends by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos
In this book, a little girl experiences her parents’ arguing, and it upsets her. When she opens up about it to both Mom and Dad, she learns that she is always loved no matter what — and that none of this is her fault.
Ages 4-7
When My Parents Forgot How to Be Friends$7.99
Buy nowMy Family’s Changing by Pat Thomas
This picture book written by a psychotherapist is helpful for kids whose families are undergoing a split, providing easy-to-understand answers to the big questions they may have — and even tips on dealing with it at school.
Ages 4-7
My Family’s Changing$8.99on Amazon.com
Buy nowWhat Makes a Family by Hannah Bruner
What Makes a Family lets kids know that no matter what their family looks like — whether they’re on their own with a single parent or part of a newly blended bunch — the choice to love one another is the most important part in forming a family unit.
What Makes a Family$11.13on Amazon.com
Buy nowLou Caribou: Weekdays with Mom, Weekends with Dad by Marie-Sabine Roger
Image Credit: Little Gestalten Lou Caribou spends weekdays living one on end of the forest with his mom — but every weekend, Lou packs his things, Mom takes him to the bus, and he travels to Dad’s. This sweet book highlights the fact that parents who live apart still love and care for their child just as much as ever.
Ages 4-6
Lou Caribou: Weekdays with Mom, Weekends with Dad$10.75on Amazon.com
Buy nowTuesday is Daddy’s Day by Elliot Kreloff
Image Credit: Holiday House Releasing on July 11, 2023, this book beautifully acknowledges that not all divorced families look the same. In it, we meet a little girl who loves splitting her time between Mommy’s house and Daddy’s, where he lives with his partner Harry. When Mommy unexpectedly picks her up on a Tuesday – which is Daddy’s day – she is not happy about the change in routine. But what she doesn’t know is that her parents have conspired to give her a surprise: a new puppy!
Ages 3-7
Tuesday is Daddy’s Day$8.99
Buy nowThe Enormous Suitcase by Robert Munsch
Image Credit: Scholastic In this story, we meet Kelsey: a girl who decides that if she’s going to split her time between Mom’s house and Dad’s, she going to carry all her favorite things with her. (The sweetest part? Author Robert Munsch penned the book in response to a young fan who wrote to him and asked him for a story like hers!)
Ages 4-8
The Enormous Suitcase$7.99
Buy nowAlways Mom, Forever Dad by Joanna Rowland
This book is written with a wonderfully reassuring tone that lets kids of divorce know that no matter what happens, Mom is always Mom, and Dad will always be Dad — and, most importantly, that they will always be loved by both.
Ages 4-8
Always Mom, Forever Dad$9.95on Amazon.com
Buy nowFred Stays with Me! by Nancy Coffelt
This award-winning picture book explores a beautiful friendship between a little girl and her dog, Fred — who goes with her whether she’s at Mom’s house or Dad’s house. Its light and cheerful tone and positive conflict resolution make it a reassuring read.
Ages 4-8
Fred Stays with Me!$8.99on Amazon.com
Buy nowBig & Little Questions (According to Wren Jo Byrd) by Julie Bowe
Nine-year-old Wren Jo Byrd doesn’t want anyone to know that her parents have separated — so at the start of a new school year, she decides not to tell a soul. Nothing is the same in her life, though, and it gets harder and harder to keep her big secret … especially when a new girl named Marianna sets her eyes on Wren’s best friend.
Ages 7-9
Big & Little Questions (According to Wren Jo Byrd)$16.60on Amazon.com
Buy nowThe Dancing Pancake by Eileen Spinelli
Bindi’s life is undergoing a ton of changes — her parents’ separation, her father’s move, and the new restaurant that her mom and aunt have just jointly purchased: The Dancing Pancake. Can Bindi navigate this new life and find joy even in the face of so much change?
Ages 8-12
The Dancing Pancake$7.99on Amazon.com
Buy nowBlended by Sharon M. Draper
From New York Times bestselling author Sharon Draper comes the story of an 11-year-old who, thanks to her parents’ divorce, finds herself switching identities every week. One week she’s Isabella, living with her dad in a fancy neighborhood where they’re one of the only Black families; the next week she’s Izzy, living with her mom in a not-so-fancy house. And having parents of two different races, it’s even harder for Isabella to feel like she truly fits in anywhere.
Ages 10-12
Blended by Sharon M. Draper$7.53on Amazon.com
Buy nowBigger than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder
In this book, 12-year-old Rebecca is struggling to handle her parents’ separation and the newness of moving in with her Gran in a whole different state. But then she discovers a magic bread box in the attic that promises to change everything.
Ages 9-12
Bigger than a Bread Box$7.99on Amazon.com
Buy nowViolet and the Pie of Life by Debra Green
Image Credit: Holiday House Violet is a math-loving 12-year-old who believes that the proper calculations can solve anything. So when her mom and dad are having marital issues, Violet reasons that simple math is the answer: adjust nagging, multiply Dad’s funny stories, add in romantic stuff. But when Dad moves out, Violet realizes that math can’t solve everything — and the odds of her parents staying together aren’t looking favorable.
Ages 8-12
Violet and the Pie of Life$9.99on Amazon.com
Buy nowThe Divorce Express by Paula Danziger
Laced with humor, author Paula Danziger really gets into a teen’s headspace in this book about a girl named Phoebe whose life felt uprooted after her parents’ divorce. Just as she thinks she’s getting a handle on things, her mom announces she’s getting remarried — and Phoebe braces herself for another big change.
Ages 10-13
The Divorce Express$8.99on Amazon.com
Buy nowThe Secret Life of Lincoln Jones by Wendelin Van Draanen
Both hilarious and poignant, this book centers around 11-year-old Lincoln Jones. While divorce itself isn’t the book’s main theme, his parents’ divorce certainly plays a big role in the circumstances and hardships he finds himself in — including abuse from a boyfriend of his mother’s and the financial hardships that often come with single parenthood. Lincoln escapes the pressures of his life by writing stories in a notebook, preferring a fictional world to the one he currently lives in.
Ages 8-13
The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones$9.99on Amazon.com
Buy nowAges 8-12
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