Introduction
There are a ton of books out there for children who are experiencing their parents’ divorce. Many of them try to put a happy spin on divorce or can be summed up simply as telling kids that they “are not alone.” Both types of books do children of divorce a disservice either by trying to convince them that they shouldn’t feel like their world has been shattered or by sending the message that they should just “get over it” because there are plenty of people just like them who have gone through the same thing. Both minimize the experiences and feelings of children of divorce.
That is why I was excited to find Where Am I Sleeping Tonight: A Story of Divorce written by Carol Gordon Ekster, illustrated by Sue Ramá and published by Boulden Publishing in 2008. This book does a marvelous job of presenting the issues of living in two different homes following a divorce. It paints a realistic picture and still leaves room for hope. It balances the idea that kids can overcome the consequences of divorce without implying that the process is easy or that kids should just “move on.”
Make sure to check out the end of this article for an interview with the author.