Dinosaurs Divorce

by Laurene Krasny Brown, Marc Brown

For over 25 years, changing families have been using Dinosaurs Divorce to learn to talk to each other about one of life's most difficult moments, from the creators of the beloved, bestselling Dino Life Guides--over 1.5 million copies of the series sold.



A comprehensive, sensitive guide for changing families, Dinosaurs Divorce helps readers understand what divorce means, why it happens, and how to best cope with everyone's feelings.




Topics covered in the book include: Divorce Words and What They Mean * Why Parents Divorce * After the Divorce * Living with One Parent * Visiting Your Parent * Having Two Homes * Celebrating Holidays and Special Occasions * Telling Your Friends * Meeting Parents' New Friends * Living with Stepparents * Having Stepsiblings




Don't miss these other Dino Tales: Life Guides for Families:

Democracy for Dinosaurs: A Guide for Young Citizens

When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death

Genres: Divorce, Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Dinosaurs, Counselling, Nonfiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Some of this author's works are also published under the nickname "Laurie" Krasny Brown.

Reviews

[azim rahat]

very emotional

[Remi]

I loved the breakdown of common divorce terms in the beginning of the book for children of divorce to understand. The book was well illustrated and comical, the dinosaurs with hair and eating peanut butter with pickles was uplifting considering the nature of the book. I would have liked to have seen the message on the final page " one thing that never changes is your parents' love for you" either earlier or repeated throughout the book because it is the most important message for making children of divorce to know.

I noticed that the mother dinosaur at the beginning of the book was the one displaying destructive behavior that "hurt the rest of the family" with little balance from the father parent. As a child of divorce I remember not being able to process that although my mother was making difficult decisions and attempting to shield me from my fathers cheating, she was often portrayed as the "bad parent." Children are sensitive to such subliminal messaging, from what I gleaned from the pictures it appears that the mother was alcoholic and abusive and made the father leave.

I also took issue with the need to be kind to step parents and to show respect. I would have re-worded the message to be one of trust your feelings and encourage the child to give them a chance but not ever to feel obligated to show feelings that are not genuine to a step parent.

[Elaine Pelton]

I think Dinosaur's Divorce provides an authentic, simple to digest and genuinely sympathetic introduction to what children should expect when dealing with a divorce. But mostly I just love the part when Mama dinosaur starts throwing back martinis like there's no tomorrow.

[Molly]

This was...okay? I felt like it tried to include way too much information. After all, if you're at the stage where you're talking to kids about why you're divorcing and how they may feel, are you really also at the stage where you want to talk about possible fights with stepsiblings? Also, the very first spread shows Mother Dinosaur drinking dino wino and popping pills, which... seems extreme? Very real in some families, but a bit extra for other families just struggling with the idea of their parents not living together anymore.

[Jolynne Dougherty]

This is a useful book for having a discussion with a child about divorce. A lot is covered in its pages - I wouldn't just give it to a child to read straight through as it is so comprehensive. As an adult, reading this, and thinking about all of the changes that that means for a child, it gave me a little bit of anxiety. That is to say that this book could be a little overwhelming to a reader. All that being said, because so many topics are covered, it would be a great tool for starting a conversation with a child. Topics include, but not limited to; the child's myriad of feelings about the divorce, fighting violently or through silence, parents with drug or alcohol problems, lawyers, custody, visiting with a counselor, communications, moving, having two homes, dealing with holidays with two homes, change in finances, how to tell your friends, parent's moving on and dating, getting along with a parent's new friend, step-siblings and half-siblings, that it's okay to allow new people into your life.

[Madi Harbuck]

Reread from when I was first introduced to this book in the 3rd grade during my own parents divorce.

It is a well written book, that explains divorce to young children. To help them understand what happens, not only to their parents but to them as well. The glossary of terms in the front was great explaining terms that most children wouldn’t know. It is sad that books like this need to be written, but I am glad we have them as it was a comfort to me trying to navigate a very messy process.

[Rebecca]

What a great resource for kids whose parents are separating! And if I’m being honest, I think a better resource for parents who are going to read it with their children.
This book was beautifully written, laid out, and illustrated. They did a great job of staying true to the topic and the intended audience.
The only one I didn’t like was where they asked the kids to pitch in. I didn’t think they needed a little parenting memo in there.

[Dawn]

Definitely dated, but a comprehensive book for lower grade school. I appreciate all of the information included in a a very honest way. The only thing I worry about in books like this is that it can introduce new fears to kids. If your parents aren't dating right away, maybe don't talk about step siblings at the start.

Only mentions "traditional" families.

[Natalie]

This is a well done comprehensive guide book that addresses the myriad of emotions and situations a child of divorced parents may face. It is done in a graphic novel style that would be approachable for younger grades, and the content is relevant enough to be a quick read for any elementary student.

[Laura Eager]

I facilitate a workshop for kids whose parents are going through divorce. I read this book to my kids today and it really spoke to them about the changes that they face or will face. I like that it touches both on feelings and specific changes.

[Sean Benson]

A picture book to introduce children to divorce and how to deal with the changes.

I really like it.
It has definitely aged and the "dinosaurs" look like frogs drawn by the person who draws the TV show Arthur but all the information is still relevant.

[Sarah]

A picture book that guides young children through divorce. Told in a graphic novel style, it actually covers a surprising number of topics and gives great advice about how to behave when difficult situations arise. Use for counseling kids through divorce.

[Purviben K. Trivedi-Ziemba]

In world filled with parents co-parenting after divorce, parents using kids as pawn after divorce, and everything in between, this book reminds children that though many things have changed, the love for their parents for the kids will remain the same.

[Jason Scott]

This is book is awesome and I recommend it. It covers a lot of the major points, keep things positive. It's a good introduction.

[Melissa Namba]

Oh boy do I have nieces and nephews who need this book. what a great resource for kids whose patents have gotten divorced. it is pretty up front about facts and let's kids know what to expect and even where to draw boundaries. very good!

[Samantha]

I really liked that this one discussed stepparents. That didn't happen in the other books I've read.

[Gracewellworn]

Models dysfunctional behavior with some healthy or helpful information scattered in. Definitely preview this before reading it to your child.

[Mary Wicks]

covers everything in a divorce and does it so a child will be able to understand it easy

[Molly]

This book goes through various events and emotions surrounding a divorce.

[Rick Christiansen]

Very helpful book for kids who parent split up

[Ryan M. Hanna]

A good introduction/primer for a child whose family is going through a divorce.

[KaitandMaddie]

We got this in a random lot of free books and read it simply because Maddie saw they were dinosaurs. It seemed like a good book on the subject, though I have no personal experience with if.

[Lee]

I found this book strange and quite dense. Definitely for older readers.

[Katie Johnson]

This is a fantastic book I love having in my therapist library. I love this series and they are so helpful for people of all ages and abilities.

[C.]

This was the way they told me lmao. Great book tho

[Carolye]

Good feelings page spread but not inclusive. Would recommend only for families of cis-gender, heterosexual parents divorcing.

[Cole]

Twenty Five years Later

[Maeve]

A very comprehensive introduction to divorce for young children.

A lot is covered, so it might be better to take this one slow if you are sharing with a child who will be affected by divorce. The illustrations are a little outdated.

[Hannah]

Dinosaur Divorce is a picture book originally published in 1986. The book acts as a child’s guide to divorce by showing many different dinosaur families going through different aspects of the process. The book starts with a page that defines terms related to divorce, and then goes into sections like “Why Parents Divorce?”, “Having Two Homes”, and “Living With Stepparents”. I think this book is really effective and fair. It shows many different reactions that children and parents may have when going through a divorce and offers effective solutions for them. I really appreciate that this book acknowledges that parents may make some mistakes, but that it is not the child’s fault or responsibility to fix. I think this aspect of the book is really important because it comforts and empowers children going through a divorce. The book ultimately emphasizes that while many things may change because of divorce a parents’ love for their child will not. Additionally, the book is filled with many silly illustrations, this helps balance the heaviness of the topic and makes the reading experience more enjoyable and engaging for children. Because of this, I would recommend this book to young readers, especially if they’re experiencing divorce.

[Stephanie Delvecchio]

Summary: Children familiar with the Browns' Dinosaurs Beware (Atlantic, 1983) and Marc Brown's "Arthur" books (Atlantic) will delight in this new foray into an area of deep concern for the youngest readers. Sympathetic to the full range of feelings that divorce produces, the authors use evocative cartoon dinosaur characters to convey their message. Chapters address such concerns as why parents divorce, what will happen to "me," where will holidays be celebrated, living in two homes, etc. Expressively illustrated with accompanying succinct text, this upbeat, straightforward treatment of a potentially confusing, traumatic childhood experience is comprehensive. Prediction: this will become a real "security blanket" for those young readers in need. Thank you Amazon!

Themes: divorce, family, step-parents, step-siblings, love, hard times

Use: could be used to recommend to a parent, going through a divorce, for his or her child.

Curricular use: independent reading

Controversy: "Sometimes parents who are upset with each other behave in ways that hurt themselves and the rest of the family." Accompanied with a picture of a dinosaur drinking alcohol.