9 Best Picture Books About Divorce and Separation

Divorce is difficult for all members of a family but there is no denying it is especially challenging for children. One of the best methods for helping children understand and process the overwhelming feelings and emotions caused by separation and divorce is by reading books together. To help with this task we’ve collected together our pick of the best books about divorce for kids.

These are the books that will help children to understand what is happening in an age-appropriate way, they can help children process hurt feelings, anger and confusion, and books about divorce can be a way to open discussion with your child at a time when they might be reluctant to talk.

9 Best Books About Divorce and Separation

As with each of the book collections in our Best Books for Kids library, each title below is linked to both Amazon and The Book Depository (these are affiliate links) where you can find further reviews for any you might not be personally familiar with.

Two Homes by Claire Masurel It is natural for children, especially younger children, to need time and reassurance to adjust transitioning between homes. This will generally improve over time as both parents and children adjust to the new routine. In Two Homes Alex is a little boy whose parents are divorced. He keeps special items at each home, such as a rocking chair at Daddy’s house and a soft chair at Mommy’s. While the items are slightly different, as are the homes, Alex’s parents love him no matter what. Available: Amazon

Living with Mom and Living with Dad by Melanie Walsh A young girl shares what it is like to live in two different homes, using interactive flaps on each of the pages to show the difference between similar experiences at both her mother’s and father’s homes, these include differences in her bedroom, being picked up from school, activities with parents and her birthday. Available: Amazon

Mom and Dad Glue by Kes Gray “My mom and dad are broken, I don’t know what to do. My mom and dad have come undone, I need to find some glue.” A sweet story to help children understand that their parents’ separation is in no way their fault and help them to understand that they are loved even when their parents are not together. Available: Amazon

Fred Stays With Me by Nancy Coffelt A beautiful story of the incredible bond between a girl and her dog, Fred, who travels with her between her two homes. Available: Amazon

Emily’s Blue Period by Cathleen Daly Emily is an artist who loves the work of Picasso. Like Picasso, Emily enters her own artistic blue period as she process the confusion of emotions she feels at her parent’s separation, moving though first grief, and later acceptance of the changes to her family. A longer picture book best suited for middle grades. Available: Amazon

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Dinosaurs Divorce by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown Children have many questions about their parents separation and divorce but may be too nervous or overwhelmed to ask them, and this book can act as a helpful starting point. It also explains some of the terminology children may hear and talks about the process of a divorce. A great starting point to helping children understand what divorce means for the family. Available: Amazon

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst The Invisible String does not directly mention divorce; instead it is a beautiful story about how an invisible string connects us to our loved ones, even if we cannot see them all the time. This is the perfect book to help children adjust to living in separate homes or seeing a parent less often. Available: Amazon

Luna Loves Library Day by Joseph Coelho Library day is a favorite of most school-age children, and Luna is no different. In fact, it’s her favorite day! It’s her favorite day because she gets to browse all of the books and pick her newest treasures. It’s also her her favorite day because she gets to spend the day with her dad. Luna Loves Library Day is a beautiful story showing us how children and families can process, accept, and move forward after divorce. Available: Amazon

You Weren’t With Me by Chandra Ghosh Ippen Big Rabbit and Little Rabbit are finally back together after a long separation. Little Rabbit explains to Big Rabbit all of the big emotions he feels due to Big Rabbit having been away for so long. Big Rabbit is patient and understanding and explains to Little Rabbit that being away from him had a great effect on her also. A wonderful story for sharing whenever a parent and child have had to be apart. Available: Amazon

RELATED: Help children process big emotions with this collection of the best books about emotions and 15 best toddler books about feelings and emotions.

Going through a divorce is overwhelming for everyone involved, and I hope that this list is helpful in identifying a book (or books) to help the child in your life process the experience and move forward feeling safe, secure and loved.