19 Children's Books About Divorce

A list of children's books about divorce to help kids cope.

• 3 min read
• child development
• divorce

It’s certainly not the fairy tale any parent expects to read to his or her child before bed, but sometimes the story of divorce must be told. Books and stories about a child’s experience with a divorce or separation can be a helpful tool to assist other kids going through the same thing.

These tales can help children understand what is happening within their own family, how the process of divorce works, and how to talk about their feelings.

There are countless books recommended for children going through divorce. Here we’ve put together a list of stories often cited for kids and teens coping with this situation.

1. Two Homes  by Claire Masurel (3-7 years old)
2. Dinosaurs Divorce by Laurene Krasny Brown and Marc Brown (4-8 years old)
3. My Family’s Changing by Pat Thomas (4-7 years old)
4. The Invisible String by Patrice Karst (4-8 years old)
5. It’s Not Your Fault, Koko Bear by Vicki Lansky (3-7 years old)
6. I Don’t Want to Talk About It by Jeanie Franz Ransom (5 years old and up)
7. What Can I Do? A Book for Children of Divorce by Danielle Lowry (8-12 years old)
8. It’s Not the End of the World  by Judy Blume (8-12 years old)
9. Divorce Is Not the End of the World  by Zoe and Evan Stern (8 to 12 years old)
10. Now What Do I Do?:A Guide to Help Teenagers with Their Parents' Separation or Divorce  by Lynn Cassella-Kapusinski(10 to 17 years old)
    
11. A Kids Book About Divorce by Ashley Simpo (5 to 9 years old)
12. A Brand New Day: Banana Split Story  by A.S. Chung and Paula Bossio (3 to 6 years old)
13. Was It the Chocolate Pudding? A Story for Little Kids About Divorce by Sandra Levins (5 to 6 years old)
14. Fred Stays with Me  by Nancy Coffeit and Tricia Tusa (4 to 8 years old)
15. My Mom and Dad Don’t Live Together Anymore  by Judith Aron Rubin, Ph.D. (4 to 12 years old)
16. How It Feels When Parents Divorce  by Alfred A. Knopf (8 years and up)
17. When My Parents Forgot to Be Friends by Jennifer Moore-Mailinois (4 to 7 years old)
18. What in the World Do You Do When Your Parents Divorce? A Survival Guide for Kids  by Kent Winchester and Roberta Beyer (7 to 12 years old)

Another great idea from Brightly, a resource to help moms, dads, and educators grow into lifelong readers, is to look for any good stories about children who are in some sort of stressful situation or whose parents are not together. They may not have “divorce” or “family” in their titles, but they can be beneficial regarding being relatable to the situation your child is currently experiencing.

If your child is struggling with feelings of loss, anger, confusion, abandonment, anxiety, and others, TalkingParents recommends that you contact a child psychologist of family counselor for additional resources.

For a list of widely-cited books about co-parenting, see our blog 9 Books About Co-Parenting.