10 Best Children’s Books that Deal with Divorce

This great short book helps children understand the reasons behind divorce, all the feels, and how to cope with the situation. Otis blames himself when his “perfect family” falls apart. He then learns the Three C’s of Divorce that help him deal with this challenging time. This short read offers both kids and parents useful tools for coping with divorce.

As complex as divorce can be, many kids’ needs surrounding it are relatively simple, like reassurances that it’s not their fault, and that they’ll always be loved. This picture book, from the author of the acclaimed Divorce Book for Parents, lays out the evidence plainly and lovingly. It also serves as an excellent guide for parents, with related tips and advice on each page for how to help kids through the transition. Be sure to read this one both with your kids and on your own.

Know an 8- to 12-year-old girl who could use some help understanding her parents’ divorce? From the American Girl publishers, this 120-page guidebook answers just about every question she might have. There are quizzes, tips, advice from real-life kids, and even a “Girl’s Bill of Rights” to cut out and hang on the wall. It’s a complete, compassionate guide that can hold her hand through the whole transition.

Sometimes bad news is easier to take if cute, squiggly dinosaurs are going through the same thing. This handbook for preschoolers through first graders is pretty comprehensive, with a glossary and sections about why parents divorce and what life will be like now (including chapters on holidays, stepparents, and stepsiblings). Best of all, it speaks clearly and pulls no punches. At a time when that might be a hard thing for adults to do.

This book can soothe the smallest children of divorce by focusing on an upside of the new arrangement: a whole new place to feel loved in. Alex has two homes—his dad’s suburban house and his mom’s city apartment—which means two beds, two toothbrushes, and two sets of friends. And no matter which one he’s at, he always knows he’s at home. It’s the perfect positive sentiment for little ones.

As parents talk their children through a divorce, they often say that it’s “for the best.” But it’s hard for some kids to see it as anything other than the absolute worst. For kids having a tough time, this book reflects their emotions and helps to understand them better. Told through funky mixed-media collages, it’s funny and at times brutally honest, and it might be exactly what some kids need.

Written by a psychotherapist, this picture book can help kids ages 4 and up understand the basics of their parents’ divorce: why it happens, what it means for them, and how they can expect to feel through all of it. Along the way, you’ll find “What about you?” boxes with discussion questions for your family. They can serve as a launching pad for the conversations you want to have but are unsure how to begin.

The main character in this book lives partly with her mom and cat, and then partly with her dad. She has two houses, two bedrooms, and two sets of toys. But most importantly, what this clever lift-the-flap book will show kids, is that they are loved in both homes, and that’s what matters most.

Divorce can be messy, and parents may fight in front of the kids which can be confusing and hard for them. This is a great and informative book about this kind of difficult situation, perfect for reading out loud together. It’s a perfect springboard for a conversation that helps children explore all of these confusing and hard feelings.

This empowering and positive book is about a boy named Adison whose parents are divorced. “Just like I have two feet, I have two homes,” he declares. He knows that even though his family now lives in different homes, it’s not because of him—a message that will reassure many kids struggling with that guilt themselves. And even though Adison would rather his parents still live together, their love is still there, and that is what makes him strong.