In 31 pages, children who may be just facing the bombshell news of their parents' divorce are galloped willy-nilly through the times ahead, including the possible remarriage of their parents and the advent of stepchildren. It's true this is among the range of things that may have to be faced, but other unpleasant things that sometimes have to be faced during divorce are glossed over and left out (public scenes, calls to the police, institutionalization, alcoholism...). So why drag that in at such a delicate moment?

I wonder if this book perhaps offers more comfort to the parents of the children it's intended for than to the children themselves.


My Review of Dinosaurs Divorce   May 1, 2001
 19 out of 20 found this review helpful

This book plays as a comic strip filled with vital information for a child whom is experiencing the tragedy of divorce. The pages light up with the vibrant depictions of the dinosaur families. The characters are depicted with great detail to facial expressions. The cartoon drawings will help the reader understand and relate to the different emotions expressed. This great learning tool includes the topics: divorce words and what they mean; why parents divorce; what about you; after the divorce; living with one parent; visiting your parent; having two home.... It lets the child know that it is not their fault for the parents' divorce. It reassures the child that parents divorce when they are no longer able to get along no matter how hard they try. Feelings that a child may not be use to experiencing such as sadness, shame, anger, guilt, and/or worried about who will take care of you. The book instructs the child to talk about how they feel so they may feel better. Often a child may be afraid to cry but Dinosaurs Divorce lets them know that it is okay to let their feelings out through tears. What I really love is that the book is realistic and never lies to the child. A child is told the truth that although they may hope that their parents will marry each other, it is very unlikely because divorce is final and most parents do not get back together. While reading the book, the reader gains useful tips about what to do after the divorce. An example is to not listen when parents say bad things about each other. The book offers the advice to tell them that you love both of them and hearing such bad things upsets you. Every area of divorce and the repercussions that may follow are covered in this book. Being a child of divorce myself, I wish I would have a had a book like this to help me get through the bad times and to let me know that how I was feeling was normal. I bought this bought for myself and brought it how to show my mother. She too agreed on how a book like this would have been useful to her in explaining our new altered life to my brothers and I. This is an excellent book for anyone, regardless of age, to add to their bibliotherapy collection. I highly recommend this book of mental medicine!


It helped me   September 8, 1999
 14 out of 15 found this review helpful

the book dinosaurs divorce was a good book for me to read i think. i am 13 now but read it when I was about 8. I found (?) that by hearing it from a makebelieve character or talking animal, i would understand and listen more. If you are around that age or actually any young age up to about, say 13, its a good book to read. And don't be embaressed to read it either. It will help you!


Good but not great   January 8, 2003
 13 out of 13 found this review helpful

This book may be geared toward slightly older children, contrary to the indication on the site. While the humourous and familiar illustrations help to relieve a very tense situation, parts of the book fall flat.

The image of the mother throwing back a martini with a bottle of pills at her side seems a bit gratuitous and inappropriate for smaller children. Other serious issues(spousal abuse, infidelity, child abuse)are (wisely) not addressed, and it seems that the authors are trivializing substance abuse by including it in this way.

It is difficult to use this book in the early stages of informing a small child about divorce, as it quickly introduces issues that are likely quite a ways down the road; for example "Will I love my stepmom"?

For smaller children, 4 to 6 years old, I prefer Vicki Lansky's It's Not Your Fault Koko Bear.