BOOKS FOR CHILDREN 

Title	Author	Publisher/Comment	Age
The Bad Tempered Ladybird / The Very Busy Spider	Eric Carle, Hamish Hamilton	Very common in playgroups and nurseries,	age 2+
Where the Wild Things are	Maurice Sendak, Picture Puffin, age	Helps to explore fantasy, dreams and tantrums.	5+
The Silly Book / The Hairy Book / The Smelly Book	Babette Cole, Jonathan Cape, ages		3+
Peace at Last / 5 minutes peace	Jill Murphy, MacMillan Walker, ages	About Mr Bear and Mrs Large	3+
The Jolly Postman	Jill Murphy, MacMillan Walker, ages	By the authors of Peepo	3+
Dr Xargle’s book of Earthlets, Earthhands, Earthmobiles, Earth Tiggers	Jeanne Willis & Tony Ross, Andersen Press	Our world, as viewed by aliens	5+
Angry Arthur	Kitamura, Andersen	Good for dealing with anger issues	5+
Granpa	John Burningham             Picture Puffin	Introduces mortality	5+
My Mum is fantastic, My Dad is Brilliant, My Grandma is wonderful, My Grandpa is Amazing	Nick Butterworth, Walker	(Series of 4 books)	3+
The Great Big Book of Families	Mary Hoffman, Ros Asquith	Explores different types of families	3+
The Invisible String, The Invisible String Workbook, The Invisible Web	Patrice Karst		Ages 4-8
My Family’s Changing	Pat Thomas & Leslie Harker		ages 5+
Dinosaurs Divorce	Laurene Krasny Brown and Marc Brown	Collins 1987	Age 5-8
Two Homes	Claire Mazurel	Walker Books	3+
Two of Everything	Babette Cole	Red Fox	4+
Living with Mum, and Living with Dad	Melanie Walsh		ages 3-5
Rainy Day	Emma Haughton	Doubleday	4+
Its not your fault, Koko Bear	Vicki Lansky	Book Peddlars	4+
You make your parents super happy, a book about parents separating	Richie Chandler
Was it the Chocolate Pudding? A story for little kids about divorce.	Sandra Levins	Magination Press (American Psych. Association)	4+
I don’t want to talk about it	Jeanie Franz Ranson		ages 4-8
When Mom and Dad separate	Marge Heegaard		ages 8-12
The Monster Bed	Jeanne Willis & Susan Varley	Andersen Press	ages  5+
When my parents forgot how to be friends / Daddy’s Getting Married	Jennifer Moore-Mallinos		ages 5+
The Huge Bag of Worries	Virginia Ironside		age 3+
What to do when you worry too much / A child’s guide to overcoming anxiety	Dawn Heubner and Bonnie Matthews		ages 6+
Rescuing Dad	Pete Johnson	Corgi	7+
Where has Daddy Gone?	Trudy Osman and Joanna Carey	Heinemann 1990,	ages 5-8
What in the world do you do when your parents divorce? A Survival guide for kids	Kent Winchester and Roberta Beyer
Divorce Survival Guide for Kids	Samantha Smith
Dealing with my parents divorce	Jane Lacey & Venitia Dean, age 7+
Madam Doubtfire	Anne Fine	Penguin Books 1987:	9+
Step by wicked step	Anne Fine	Puffin Books 1984	8+
It’s Not the End of the World	Judy Blume	Pan Piper 1972:	10 to 13
Starring Sally J Freedman as Herself	Judy Blume	Piccolo,  9+	(+
The Divorce Express	Paula Danziger	Pan Piper 1987 Age: 10-13	10 to 13
My Wicked Stepmother	Norman Leach and Jane Brown	Julie MacRae Books 1992 Age: 5-8	5 t0 8
Let’s Talk About Stepfamilies	Angela Grunsell	Aladdin Books 1990 (Factual): 7 +	7+
It’s an Aardvark-Eat-Turtle World	Paul Danziger	Pan Piper 1988: 10-13	10 to 13
The Cybil War	Betsy Byars	Puffin  9+	9+
Goggle Eyes	Anne Fine	Puffin  9+	9+
Ginny Morris and Dad’s New Girlfriend	Mary Gallagher	Magination Press   9+	9+
Thin Ice	Marc Talbert	Hamish Hamilton  10-12+	10 to 12+
The Lying Tree	Alexa Tewkesbury & Steve Legg	Canaan Press  10-12+	10 to 12+
Clean Break	Jacqueline Wilson	Corgi  10-12+	10 to 12+
A Heart with Two Homes	Monica Epperson	Xlibris   12+	12+
Passion Flower	Jean Ure	Collins  12+	12+
You win some, you lose some	Julia Clarke	OUP Oxford   Teens
Other People’s Children	Joanna Trollope	Black Swans Teens (and parents)

OUT OF PRINT BOOKS (possibly available in libraries)

Title	Author	Publisher/Comment	Age
Dad’s Back	Jan Ormerod	Walker, Picture Book
I have two homes	Althea	Dinosaur   3+	3+
The Amazing Hide & Seek Alphabet/Number	Robert Crowther	Viking  3+	3+
The Visit	Dee Shulman	Bodley Head  3+	3+
Are we nearly there	Louise Baum	Bodley Head  3+	3+
The Not So Wicked Stepmother	Litzi Boyd	Puffin  5+	5+
My Dad	Philippe Dupasquier	Mammoth  5+	5+
The Twig Family	Jan Mark	Viking/Puffin  5-6+	5-6+
Breadcrumbs and Clay	Don Taylor	Hamish Hamilton,  6+	6+
Feelings	Aliki	Picture Piper  7+	7+
Mum, will Dad ever come back?	Paula Hogan	Backwell Raintree  7+	7+
The Visitors who came to Stay	Annalena McAfee & Anthony Browne	Hamish Hamilton   7+	7+
But you promised	Bel Mooney	Mammoth   7+	7+
Family Saturday	Marjorie Newman	Hamish Hamilton 7+	7+
The Animal, the Vegetable and John D Jones	Betsy Byars	Press  10+	10+
Jellybean	Tessa Duder	Puffin  10+	10+
Come back soon	Judy Gardiner	Puffin  10+	10+
Rob’s Place	John R Townsend	Puffin  10+	10+
Marmalade, Jet & the Finnies	Edel Wignell	Hamish Hamilton u12’s	u12s
Who is Frances Rain?	Margaret Buffie	Viking/Puffin  12+	12+
Tina into two won’t go	Elfie Donnelly	Andersen  12+	12+
Its my Life	Robert Leeson	Collins  12+	12+
When Parents’ split up	Ann Mitchell	Chambers Teen  12+	12+

FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS

Parent problems! Children’s views on life when parents split up by Bren Neal and Amanda Wade published by Young Voice 2000. 

Available online from Amazon and Blackwells stores although some only offering second hand copies.  Cost £7 – £10 The second volume Parent Problems 2 seems to be unavailable currently.  Recommended as direct quotations from children who have experienced separation about what does and doesn’t work and how they feel about how their parents behave.

FOR ADULTS

Title	Author	Publisher/Comment
What most children say – This is a pocket guide for separating parents, summarizing the research on childrens views.  Very cheap 50p approx and thoroughly recommended if it’s the only thing you read.  Many solicitors keep a stock.		Kent Family Mediation 6 Park Rd Sittingbourne Kent contact@kentfms.co.uk or tel 01795 429689.
The Silent Guide / The Chimp Paradox	Prof Steve Peters
The Book you wish your parents had read	Phillipa Perry
Don’t alienate the kids, a guide to raising resilient kids and avoiding high conflict divorce	Bill Eddy
Untying the Knot – how to consciously uncouple in the real world	Kate Gunn
The Truth about Children and Divorce: Dealing with the Emotions so you and your children can thrive	Robert P Emery Ph.D
Mom’s House, Dad’s House: Making Two Homes for your child	Isolina Ricci Ph.D
101 Questions Answered about Separating with Children	Rebecca Garland and Bob Grieg
Parenting Apart: How Separated and Divorced Parents can Raise Happy and Secure Kids	Christina McGee
The Which? Guide to Divorce	Helen Garlick	Consumer Association/Hodder 1992
How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk	Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlis	Piccadilly Press
CAMHS anxiety management workbook		Available from their website www.hampshireCAMHS.nhs.uk
Overcoming Your Childs Fears and Worries	Cathy Cresswell
Putting Children First: a Handbook for separated parents	Karen and Nick Woodall	Piatkus Books
Helping Children Cope with Divorce	Edward Teyber, Jossey Brass 2001
Coping with Separation and Divorce	Ann Mitchell	Chambers 1986
Helping Children Cope with Separation and Loss	Claudia Jewett	Batsford 1982
When children grieve, for parents to help children cope with loss and divorce	John W James & Russell Freedman
BIFF for coparenting communication  Your guide to difficult emails and texts and social media posts	Bill Eddy
Its all your fault, 12 tips for managing people who blame others for everything	Bill Eddy
To and Fro Children: A Guide to Successful Parenting after Divorce	Jill Burrett	Thomsons 1993