Age range: Preschool through Kindergarten

Recommended for: This story is simple and soothing and provides a positive yet realistic example of what it might be like for a child to have two homes. This book would be best read with a child after a separation or divorce has already been explained and a move to two homes is imminent. This book could also help to normalize having two homes for a child whose parents have already separated or who have never lived together.

Age range: Preschool through 2nd grade.

Recommended for: This book is an emotionally resonant story about a little boy whose two moms are getting divorced. One of his moms seems to have full custody (he sleeps at her house), and Frankie visits his other mom on Saturdays a.k.a. Pattydays. The story normalizes parental separation, validates feelings, and provides hope that children will stay close with both parents after a divorce, even if the custody arrangement is not 50/50.

Age range: Kindergarten through 3rd grade.

Recommended for: In child-friendly language, this book provides an explanation of anxiety and how it is often a false alarm, and it teaches children five mindfulness strategies to reconnect with their sense of safety and calm. This is a good fit for children who are often nervous and who have some insight into their thoughts and feelings. The strategies articulated in this book are applicable to older children and adults as well. Grown-ups with anxiety, you might like this book as much as your child (or perhaps more!).

Age range: Preschool through 1st grade.

Recommended for: This book showcases a family in which a little girl’s mom and dad get divorced, and both the mom and dad start dating women. It celebrates this family constellation and provides upbeat reassurance that mommies can date mommies and daddies can date daddies. This book is best for parents who have an amicable co-parenting relationship and would feel comfortable referring to their ex-spouse as a friend.

Age range: Preschool through 1st grade.

Recommended for: This book is really lovely for a parent to read to their child when their ex-partner starts dating someone new. Parents who are about to introduce their children to a new partner or who have recently introduced someone new may also find this book helpful. It reassures children that it is okay for them to like the new partner and have fun with them and that this isn’t a betrayal to their other parent (a concern many children have). It also normalizes complicated feelings that children often have when their parents start dating new partners, and it provides hope that the relationship will become a positive one for them too.

Age range: 2nd grade through 6th grade.

Recommended for: Children who have lost a loved one to suicide and are ready to talk about it. Best for kids who are verbally-oriented and craving some real talk about what they and their family have gone through. This book is the most applicable in this category to children who have lost someone they care about other than a caregiver (e.g., extended family members, teachers, etc.) to suicide.

Age range: Best for young children–preschool through 1st grade.

Recommended for: Exclusively for young children who have lost a parent or other loved one to suicide. Best read after the family has had a bit of time to stabilize and reestablish safety and the child has had some time to process what has happened (i.e., not immediately after a suicide, but perhaps several weeks or months later).

Age range: Kindergarten through 3rd grade.

Recommended for: Exclusively for children who have lost a loved one to suicide, or who are aware of a loved one’s attempted suicide. It reassures children that suicide is not their fault or their loved one’s but rather the result of an illness, and it models and validates the complex range of feelings that a child may be having. Best read with a child after the family has had some time to restabilize to some extent and a child is starting to have questions and express complex feelings about their loved one’s suicide (i.e., not immediately after the loss).