Living with Mum and Living with Dad: My Two Homes
Binding: Paperback
Imprint: Walker Books
Age 3+
Personal & Social Issues: Family Issues Picture Storybooks
A reassuring and simple story about separation for the very youngest children.
Mum and Dad don't live together any more, so sometimes this little girl lives with her mum and her cat, and sometimes she lives with her dad. She has two bedrooms and two sets of toys, but she takes her favourite toys with her wherever she goes. This simple, warm, lift-the-flap book with bold and colourful illustrations is a reassuring representation of separation for the youngest children. Melanie Walsh is sympathetically alive to the changes in routine that are familiar to many children who live with separate parents and are loved by both.
Creators
Melanie Walsh studied at the Harrow School of Art and the Royal College of Art, before working as a textile designer. She is now an author/illustrator of children's books which include Ten Things I Can Do to Help My World (9781406320299), My Green Day (9781406330014), Ho Ho Ho!, Trick or Treat?, Hop, Skip, Jump! and Monster, Monster. She lives in Bath.
Reviews
Walsh addresses divorce from a playful angle in this interactive story with smudgy, inviting pictures that resemble finger-painting.
Publishers Weekly
Children with divorced parents often lead bifurcated lives, and Walsh’s ingenious lift-the-flap book acknowledges this common situation in a welcoming, straightforward manner. On each spread, Walsh’s cheery, childlike paintings morph, via flaps, from yellow bedroom walls to flowered ones, from a panda nightlight to a string of glowing plastic butterflies. She also gracefully addresses post-divorce changes in birthday celebrations and afterschool routines… Of course no arrangement is perfect, and sometimes the girl misses the absent parent, but luckily the remedy is only a reassuring phone conversation—and a flap lift—away.
The Horn Book
A little girl’s parents have separated, so she lives with her mom at her house and also stays with her dad at his apartment. As she describes her life in both homes, oversize lift-the-flaps show the differences… Bold, clear acrylic art mixed with collage is simple and childlike, while the flap on each spread lovingly supports differences and provides enjoyment. Children who live in two separate homes can gain a sense of security from this attractive, reassuring book.
School Library Journal
A necessary and accessible treatment of a common family constellation. Recommended for children of divorce and for others seeking to understand diverse family structures.
Kirkus Reviews
The direct, first-person narrative conveys much in its simplicity—but mostly reassurance that even imperfect situations can work for the child with loving, involved parents.
Booklist
A picture book, with flaps and bright colors, that gently explores the experiences of a little girl whose parents are divorced.
The Los Angeles Times
Featured/recommended
The Herald
Featured/recommended
The Detroit News
Featured/recommended
Good Reads with Ronna blog
Featured/recommended
Mom's Own Words blog
Included in family book round-up
Reading Today Online
Featured/recommended
Reading Matters
