Books of Common Thread by Ashley Driggers

This book discusses the traumatic time in a child's life. The book talks about how the little dinosaur has so many questions, like why do parents divorce, will I be living in two homes, where will I go during the holidays, and what will happen to me. The parents help to address these questions. They also show reassurance and that no matter what, nothing will change the way they feel about their children

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	Don't Make Me Smile	Barbara Park	9-12 years 3rd-6th grade	2002 Random House Books for Yound Readers	Charlie's parents tell him that they are getting a divorce. He is extremely upset and his parents actually think that he should be happy for them. Instead of being happy, he becomes rebellious. He will not eat when his mother cooks, he makes rude comments about his dad's new home, and he has become a problem child at school. His parents have no idea why he is behaving this way.
	Can Anyone Fix My Broken Heart?	June Thomas Crews Abigail Garner	9-12 years 3rd-6th grade	2000 Winepress Publishing	This little boy hears of his parents divorce. He thinks that this is the end of the world. He doesn't know what to do or where to turn. His Christian faith takes over and he turns to God to heal his broken heart. Of course, God helps him. God helps him to realize that life will go on and no matter what , your parents will always love you.
	I Don't Want to Talk About It	Franz Ransom Kathryn Kunz Finney	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	2000 Magination Press	A little girl gets the bad news of her parents divorce. Her parents try to get her to explain what she is feeling but she doesn't want to talk about it. She wishes that she was a lion so that she could roar so loud that she couldn't hear her parents. She wishes that she was a bird so that she could just fly away. And she wishes that she was a fish so that she could hide her tears in the water. This book helps to show the different emotions of children and how to deal with them.
	Help!: A Girls Guide to Divorce & Step Families	Nancy Holyoke Scott Nash	9-12 years 3rd- 5th grade	1999 Pleasant Company Publications	A divorce is a hard time for all children whether it be boy or girl. I personally believe that girls take it harder (from experience). This is a great book that talks about emotion and feelings that go on in girls minds. It answers questions that girls might have for divorces. And end the end, this book helps girls to cope with these emotions and feelings.
	Divorce is Not the End of the World	Ellen Sue Storn Zoe Stern Evan Stern	7-10 years 2nd- 4th grade	1999 Ten Speed Press	Really good book. This book was written, with assistance, by two children who comes from a divorced family as well. This book is a good insight on what goes on in children's minds. Because it is coming from the eyes of experienced teenagers, this book has cold hard facts. It discusses the exact emotions that children experience. Every child or teenager whose parents are going through a divorce, need to read this book.

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	I Live With Daddy	Judith Vigna	4-8 years/ Pre-K-2nd grade	1997 Albert Whitman&Co.	A little girl, Olivia, lives with her dayddy. Her mother is a very busy, important woman. Her mother is a T.V. reporter, so she doesn't have much time with Olivia. Although, her mother comes and gets her from time to time. Her mother takes her to fun places. Her daddy is their for her daily. He does all the household chores.
	Two Homes	Claire Masurel Kady Denton	Baby Preschool	2003 Candlewick Press	The little boy tells the story of his two homes. Most of the time he lives with his mommy and sometimes he lives with is daddy. He has two of everything; two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two toothbrushes. This book illustrates to children the positive things that come out of a divorce. For example: having two of everything.
	At Daddy's on Saturdays	Linda Walvoord Girard Judith Friedman	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	1991 Albert Whitman &Co.	Katie's parents divorce and they decide that Katie should live with her mother because her father travels all the time. Katie is angry, confused, sad, even guilty. So much emotion for one little girl to handle. She fears that she will never see her daddy again, but every Saturday he is there to pick her up.
	With My Mom, With My Dad	Maribeth Boelts Cheri Bladholm	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	2004 Zonderkidz	A great book about children experiencing the stress of their parents' divorce. This book helps children to realize that with their Christian faith, they are never alone, God is always with them. This book talks about the struggles of having to go back and forth from their mom's house to their dad's house. This book reassures children that no matter what, they will always be loved.
	Dear Daddy	John Schindel Dorothy Donohue	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	1995 Albert Whitman & Co.	After Jesse's parents divorced, his dad moved to the other side of the country. Jesse is very sad and misses his dad very much. He decides to write his dad a letter one day. It took weeks for his dad to write back. Jesse became very upset because he had not received anything from his dad. One day he got a letter in the mail and the next day, his dad called him. He asked Jesse to spend the summer with him. Jesse was happy, then.

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	Room for Rabbit	Ron Schotter Cyd Moore	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	2003 Clarion Books	A little girl, Kara, carries her rabbit everywhere she goes. Rabbit goes with her to mama's house and to daddy's house. One day her daddy comes to pick her up from her mama's house. When they got back to her daddy's house everything was a mess. Her new step-mother was a costume designer. Kara and Rabbit had no where to sit. Kara begins to wonder if there is enough room at her daddy's house for her and her rabbit.
	The Not So Wicked Stepmother	Leslie Allgood Venable Julie M. Harrison	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	1999 L.A. Venable Publishing Co.	There are two sisters, Maria and Olivia, whose parents are divorced. Their dad begins dating and the girls want to make sure that he chooses a good woman to be their stepmother. The girls are happy with their dad's decision. Later, their dad asks the woman to marry him. The girls think that she will be a good stepmother.
	Changes: My Family and Me	Beverly H. Hopkins Sarah K. Hoctor	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	1999 Child and Family Press	This book starts out with a child whose parents go through a divorce, remarry, and eventually have children with their new spouses. The book discusses the changes that take place and the adjustments that need to be made when the time comes. The book ends by the little boy, in the beginning, graduating. He is starting his new life.
	Louie's Search	Ezra Jack Keats Joy Peskin	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	2001 Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers	Louie and his mother move to a new neighborgood. Louie goes out on a search for a dad. While walking around the neighborhood, he finds a music box. Come to find out, it fell off the back of a truck. The owner of the truck accuses Louie of stealing the music box. The man follows Louie home to talk to his mother. Come to find out, it turns into a love story and Louie's wish comes true.
	Changing Families	David G. Fassler Sara B. Ives Michele Lash	8-10 years 2nd grade- 4th grade	1988 Waterfront Books	Usually, when parents remarry, there are kids on both sides involved. Therefore; they have stepbrothers or stepsisters. This book helps children see what happens when parents remarry.

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	My Family's Changing: 1st Look at Family Break-Up	Pat Thomas Lesley Harker	4-8 years Pre-K-2nd grade	1999 Barron's Educational Series	This is an excellent book for helping not only children but also parents to cope with divorce. This book discusses questions that might come up when talking about the divorce. The book also talks about many different feelings and emotions that a child might have and how to handle them.
	Dear Mr. Henshaw	Beverly Cleary Paul Zelinsky	9-12 years 3rd- 6th grade	2000 Harper Trophy	A little boy, Leigh, begins writing Mr. Henshaw when he was in the second grade. He wrote to Mr. Henshaw because he was troubled over his parents divorce. In the sixth grade he moves to a new place and he continues to write Mr. Henshaw. He wrote over and over how he wished his dad would come get him, really just spend time with him. His dad forgets to send child support some months. Leigh copes with his parents divorce through writing to Mr. Henshaw.
	Dinosaurs Divorce	Marc Brown Laurie Kransy Brown	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	1988 Little, Brown	This book discusses the traumatic time in a child's life. The book talks about how the little dinosaur has so many questions, like why do parents divorce, will I be living in two homes, where will I go during the holidays, and what will happen to me. The parents help to address these questions. They also show reassurance and that no matter what, nothing will change the way they feel about their children
	Missing Rabbit	Roni Schotter Cyd Moore	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	2002 Clarion Books	This book helps to comfort children who are torn between two homes. This book aslo helps them to cope with situations dealing with a divorce. Kara goes back and forth to her mother's and her father's house. One day she decides to leave her rabbit at her daddy's house. When she got back to her mommy's house she began to miss her rabbit, so her dad went back and got Kara's rabbit.
	My Mom and Dad Don't Live Together Anymore	Judith, Aaron Rubin Bonnie Matthews	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	2002 Magination Press	This is an excellent book. Not all kids like to read. Some kids learn and deal with situations better by drawing or coloring pictures. This book is exactly that. This book help children cope with a divorce through pictures. This is a great way to really see what children are feeling inside.

Book Cover	Title	Author/ Illustrator	Age/ Grade	Copyright/ Publisher	Abstract
	It's Not Your Fault, Koko Bear	Vicki Lansky Jane Prince	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	1998 Books Peddlers	Koko's parents are getting a divorce. At first, he doesn't understand what a divorce is. Mama and Daddy Bear explain it to him. They explain that Koko will have two homes. Koko is not happy. His parents reassured him that they still love him just as much and the divorce is not his fault.
	Mama and Daddy Bear's Divorce	Cornelia Spelman Kathy Parkinson	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	1998 Albert Whitman & Co.	A wonderful book for young children. This book helps young children to realize that no matter how hard this divorce may be that no one loves them any less. This book helps to reassure young children that although the living arrangements change, that's it. Everything else stays the same.
	Good-Bye Daddy	Brigette Weninger Alan Marks	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	1995 Michael Neugebauer Book	This is an excellent book to help reassure children whose parents are going through a divorce. Tom's parents are getting a divorce and he is very upset. He lies in his bed and cries at night. One night while holding his bear, his teddy bear whispers something in Tom's ear. He tells Tom that he has been in the same situation and that being a good boy was the best thing for him.
	On The Day His Daddy Left	Eric J. Adams Kathleen Adams Layne Johnson	4-8 years Pre-K- 2nd grade	2003 Albert Whitman & Co.	Danny's parents are getting a divorce. On the day that his daddy leaves the house, Danny writes on a piece of paper, "Is it my fault?" He was worried that his parents were getting a divorce because he did something wrong. His teacher, his mom, and his dad reassured him that his mom and dad's divorce had nothing to do with him. His mother wrote, "NO" on the back of the paper for reassurance.
	Divorced But Still My Parents	Shirley Thomas Dorothy Rankin Holliday Thompson	6-10 years 1st- 4th grade	1997 Springboard Publications	Another good book that talks about anger, denial, acceptance, mourning, and depression. This book is a guide to get children over the slump. This book explains what is going on and then help to reassure the child that what they are feeling is natural and that everything will get back to somewhat normal soon.