Dealing with D-I-V-O-R-C-E

Family Changes: Explaining Divorce to Children
by Dr. Azmaira H. Maker

Dr. Azmaira H. Maker, a clinical psychologist with twenty years of experience in child development, presents a fantasized tale of young Zoey Bunny who must deal with the divorce of her parents.

A "Note to Adults" starts the book providing information to parents, or other care givers (teachers, therapists, grandparents,etc.) about sharing this book with young children (ages 4-8 is the recommendation). The book ends with a list of questions to discuss with the child / children following the reader. Although the questions are presented as follow ups to the reading, they would be best used as a discussion starting point. I would recommend reading through the questions prior to sitting down with the child to read the book so you are familiar with them. Don't go through the questions immediately after reading. Use them as a springboard for conversation and not a quiz to see how well the child listened to the story.

Although a variety of emotions (sadness, anxiety, loss, confusion, and anger) are mentioned in the initial note, I didn't clearly see all of these emotions represented in the story. This is not a criticism, just an observation. It is very important to realize children of divorce have no control of their situation. They need to understand their feelings and emotions are valid and should be acknowledged accordingly.

When Zoey questions Mama Bunny about the words separation and divorce, she is presented with a very open and honest age appropriate definition of the two words. I am a bit concerned the words are used interchangeably. It might have been best, since this book seems to focus on the initial stages of the separation, to simply use the word separated. As the story progresses divorce could have been brought into the conversation as a means of explaining the permanence of the situation.

I reviewed the electronic version of the book. The illustrations I saw in the electronic version were bright, colorful, and would be very appealing to young children. They seemed sporadic in the format I read.  I feel full page illustrations across from the text on each two page spread would make the book more appealing to young children, especially because of the difficult topic.

*To comply with new guidelines introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, Aspiring Families Press has provided a complimentary electronic copy of Families Change: Explaining Divorce to Children for review purposes. My review is in no way influenced by the author or publishing company and is strictly my opinion.

Luna's Red Hat: An Illustrated Storybook to Help Children Cope with Loss and Suicide

Last week had a the wonderful fortune of being a part of the Nerdy Book Club's post - Books That Make Us Cry (Part Two) Collect by Donalyn Miler. When tasked with locating a sad book, or book that makes us cry, I immediately came up with a number of titles that have made me cry while reading them and long after - interestingly the first two that came to mind were dog related - Where the Red Fern Grows (Wilson Rawls), Old Yeller (Fred Gipson), Where the Lilies Bloom (Bill & Vera Cleaver), The Fault in Our Stars (John Green), and 13 Reasons Why (Jay Asher), just to name a few. Although these are all great books, and I highly recommend all of them, along with a box of tissues, I wanted spotlight a new book. One that make me cry for an entirely different reason - the need for such a title.

Luna's Red Hat: An Illustrated Storybook to Help
Children Cope with Loss and Suicide
by Emmi Smid

Cover Not Final - Release Date: April 21, 2015

I could not think of a sadder book to share than Luna’s Red Hat. The extended title – An Illustrated Storybook to Help Children Cope with Loss and Suicide, immediately caught my attention. The story is beautifully told from the viewpoint of young Luna on the one-year anniversary of her mother’s death. Luna’s father allows her to express her feelings while explaining her mother’s death was not her fault, nor was it her mother’s fault. Only one phrase alludes to the possibility of Luna’s mother taking her own life, “Normally Mums don’t stop living when they want to and you have every right to be angry” (page 18 of the eBook provided by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, February 26, 2015). I believe if the title did not have the word suicide in it, the sentence would simply be a child’s view of loss through death.

Emmi Smid accurately portrays the child’s mood throughout with a mixture of bold and muted colors. The roll and flow of the text across the page helps to demonstrate the ups and downs of Luna’s emotion. A guide for parents follows the story with information from bereavement specialist Dr. Riet Feiddleaers-Jaspers. It includes how children understand death, how to inform children of a person’s death, and possible questions to expect in the days following a parent’s death. What could be sadder than to know there is a niche this book fills? Thankfully this book will soon be available to those who need to share it with children who have to face such a difficult time in their young lives.

*To comply with the guidelines set up by the Federal Trade Commission, Jessica Kingsley Publishers has provided a complimentary electronic copy of this book for review purposes. My review is in no way influenced by the author or publishing company and is solely my opinion.