The Horn Book Guide

PRESCHOOL

Spelman, Cornelia Maude

Mama and Daddy Bear's Divorce

24 pp. | Whitman | September, 1998 | Trade ISBN 0-8075-5221-6 $$13.95

(3) PS Illustrated by Kathy Parkinson. 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.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli