"Parents looking for a book about separation or divorce will find few offerings as positive, matter-of-fact, or child-centered as this one. . . . Simple, yet profoundly satisfying." — Booklist (starred review)At Mommy’s house, Alex has a soft chair. At Daddy’s house, Alex has a rocking chair. In each home, Alex also has a special bedroom and lots of friends to play with. But whether Alex is with Mommy or with Daddy, one thing always stays the same — Alex is loved. The gently reassuring text focuses on what is gained rather than what is lost when parents divorce, while the sensitive illustrations, depicting two unique homes in all their small details, firmly establish Alex’s place in both of them.
Two Homes will help children — and parents — embrace even the most difficult of changes with an open and optimistic heart.
On sale: July 14, 2003
Age: 3-7 years
Grade: Preschool - 2
Page count: 40 Pages
ISBN: 9780763619848
Reading level: Fountas/Pinnell: G
Claire Masurel is the author of numerous books for children, including TOO BIG, illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama. TWO HOMES is her first book for Candlewick Press. She wrote the story after talking to a child who was sad about her parents’ recent divorce. She says, "To comfort her, I talked about her two homes, and all the many things
she could do in them. It was a positive way of helping her accept the changes in her life, focusing not on what was missed, but on the abundance of good times — and love — that she would continue to share with her mom and dad."
Kady MacDonald Denton is the illustrator of A CHILD'S TREASURY OF NURSERY RHYMES and two books by Margaret Park Bridges - IF I WERE YOUR FATHER and IF I WERE YOUR MOTHER. TWO HOMES is her first book for Candlewick Press. She says, "Alex talks about simple things like toothbrushes, bedrooms, and friends — and they are all special because they are part of the love Alex feels in both homes. I tried to show that love in the illustrations."
Enhanced by Denton's sensitively drawn portrayals of the characters within well-imagined scenes of domestic life, this picture book will validate the experience of other two-household children, while intriguing those single-home families. Simple, yet profoundly satisfying.
—Booklist
The ink, watercolor, and gouache illustrations are comforting and warm....This book is clearly intended to help parents tell their children that they are still loved despite their living arrangements.
—School Library Journal
On page after page, Alex and his parents engage in the pleasant common activities of early childhood, from playing dress-up with an assortment of friends, taking a bath, and shucking peas at Dad's, to baking gingerbread men at Mom's. An extremely positive take on an often painful subject.
—Kirkus Reviews
In this sweet, simple tale, Alex discovers all the positive things that come from living in different places with his mom and dad.
—Parents
