Mama and Daddy Bear's Divorce

September 1, 1998
PreS-Gr 1-This book provides reassurance that, as painful and confusing as a divorce may be, it does not mean that both parents will no longer be part of a youngster's life. In a series of short sentences, readers learn about Dinah's favorite people (her mama, her daddy, and her big sister); her favorite activities; and her favorite things (her stuffed rabbit and her red sandals). The words used to describe the divorce and what it means are carefully chosen, and the expressions on the bear characters' faces are appropriately sad. However, the message of this book is that life goes on. And so, while Dinah misses Daddy when she is with her mother, and misses Mama when she is with her father, some things, including her stuffed animal and red sandals, remain the same. The family celebrates some special occasions together, such as Dinah's birthday, and the youngster realizes that her parents and her sister love her very much. In a note to adults, Spelman outlines children's concerns about divorce. The large, appealing colored-pencil and watercolor illustrations support both the tone and the goal of the text. Brigitte Weninger's Good-Bye, Daddy! (North-South, 1995), Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown's Dinosaurs Divorce (Atlantic Monthly, 1986), Linda Walvoord Girard's At Daddy's on Saturdays (Albert Whitman, 1987), and Fred Rogers's Divorce (Putnam, 1996) are also appropriate for this audience. Add Spelman's title where needed.-Linda Greengrass, Bank Street College Library, New York City

December 1, 1998
Ages 3^-6. Spelman, a social worker, has written a book on divorce for the very youngest children, trying to reassure them that although both parents will not be living with them, both parents will always love them. As she states in her opening note to grown-ups, "As children grow they can understand more complex reasons for the divorce." Parkinson's colored-pencil-and-watercolor illustrations show Mama, Daddy, Ruth, and Dinah together in the beginning, and then after the divorce, Ruth and Dinah visiting Daddy in his own home. Dinah, the younger sibling, doesn't like the changes, but her feelings are acknowledged and respected. And eventually she comes to understand that "Ruth would always be her sister, her daddy would always be her daddy, and her mama would always be her mama. And they all loved her very much." A sensitive book that should have wide use. ((Reviewed December 1, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)

January 1, 1999
Told from the perspective of Dinah, the youngest in the Bear family, this simple story captures very young children's perceptions of divorce, along with their questions, emotions, and fears. Spelman shows how divorce disrupts the sameness children depend on in their lives and their need for reassurance as they become secure with their new situation. Parkinson's watercolors effectively convey the story's message.

(Copyright 1999 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)