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Mabel's Topsy-Turvy Homes
This is Mabel's house . . . and this is also Mabel's house. New routines, rules, and after her parents' divorce, Mabel's new living situation has her feeling topsy-turvy. As she learns to adjust to having two different houses, she struggles to understand her anxiety and frustration. But a weekend caring for the class pet helps Mabel realize that having more than one home isn't such a bad thing after all. Mabel and Izzy the Iguana make a colorful duo in this lighthearted picture book, helping kids adapt to their own new, topsy-turvy adventures.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published October 25, 2022
47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
June 5, 2022
Excellent illustrations, great intent, over-simplified story.
Mabel is the child of divorced parents. (The blurb says ‘divorced’. The book doesn’t explain anything.) As such, her life is divided between two houses. Thus her bedroom, her bathroom, her breakfast, her play time, all are different and she feels frustrated. However, when it is her turn to have the class pet iguana over, she realises how much fun the iguana has with a different house each week. She soon sees the positive side of her situation.
I read this book thrice. Thrice! A picture book! Once each for three consecutive days. The first two times, I felt like there was something missing but I couldn’t put a finger on it. Third time’s the charm, as they say. The story is much too simplified! Let me elaborate...
Mabel’s mom seems to live alone in her home, and so does Mabel’s dad in his home. There’s no other step-family in the picture. Furthermore, the book makes it a point to contrast the living habits of the parents in a bid to get Mabel to appreciate the variety in her life. For example, home-cooked meals in one house and takeaways in the other; bubble baths in one house and showers in the other; bedtime is story-time in one house and tickle-time in the other. But what if a child’s parents have similar habits and there’s not much difference in the lifestyle? What if the parents are bitter towards each other? What if the parents are busy at work and the staying plans are changed? There are many grey areas in this situation but the book only covers a picture-perfect ideal.
Yes, I love the intention of the book. Its heart is in the right place. I loved that positive spin it put on a frustrating situation. But divorce is never easy on the kids, and this book might go two ways. It will either help the children look at things in a more optimistic manner, or it will break their little hearts for not having a similarly smooth life even after their parents’ separation.
For what it’s worth, the illustrations are adorable. The contrasts of Mabel’s two lifestyles comes out very clearly, and the bright colours add to the charm.
I guess when you have to explain difficult ideas to children, simplification is the best way out. But I still feel this book is a bit too idealistic.
3.75 stars from me.
My thanks to Beaming Books and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “Mabel's Topsy-Turvy Homes”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
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Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Mabel is the child of divorced parents. (The blurb says ‘divorced’. The book doesn’t explain anything.) As such, her life is divided between two houses. Thus her bedroom, her bathroom, her breakfast, her play time, all are different and she feels frustrated. However, when it is her turn to have the class pet iguana over, she realises how much fun the iguana has with a different house each week. She soon sees the positive side of her situation.
I read this book thrice. Thrice! A picture book! Once each for three consecutive days. The first two times, I felt like there was something missing but I couldn’t put a finger on it. Third time’s the charm, as they say. The story is much too simplified! Let me elaborate...
Mabel’s mom seems to live alone in her home, and so does Mabel’s dad in his home. There’s no other step-family in the picture. Furthermore, the book makes it a point to contrast the living habits of the parents in a bid to get Mabel to appreciate the variety in her life. For example, home-cooked meals in one house and takeaways in the other; bubble baths in one house and showers in the other; bedtime is story-time in one house and tickle-time in the other. But what if a child’s parents have similar habits and there’s not much difference in the lifestyle? What if the parents are bitter towards each other? What if the parents are busy at work and the staying plans are changed? There are many grey areas in this situation but the book only covers a picture-perfect ideal.
Yes, I love the intention of the book. Its heart is in the right place. I loved that positive spin it put on a frustrating situation. But divorce is never easy on the kids, and this book might go two ways. It will either help the children look at things in a more optimistic manner, or it will break their little hearts for not having a similarly smooth life even after their parents’ separation.
For what it’s worth, the illustrations are adorable. The contrasts of Mabel’s two lifestyles comes out very clearly, and the bright colours add to the charm.
I guess when you have to explain difficult ideas to children, simplification is the best way out. But I still feel this book is a bit too idealistic.
3.75 stars from me.
My thanks to Beaming Books and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “Mabel's Topsy-Turvy Homes”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
January 18, 2023
This is by far my favorite book of the week. The story follows Mabel and her dual households, and her class iguana Izzy. Mabel has difficulty grappling with the fact that she lives in two separate homes, and that her routine differs between each home. She then begins to compare her life to Izzy who is passed among the student's homes, and learns that she is on an adventure much like Izzy's. I loved how this book reassures children who have separate households and helps them find the best in the situation. Comparing it to an adventure provides an element of fun and lightheartedness, at a time a child may need it most. It perfectly addresses the circumstance, without confusing or upsetting children. I also very much enjoyed the illustrations. Mabel is depicted as a biracial young girl, in a diverse classroom where no children look exactly the same. The author and illustrator also depict a diverse range of holidays. For me, this book checked every single box.
September 7, 2022
This sweet book explores what it's like to live in more than one home — one with Mom, and one with Dad. Mabel is frustrated with the fact that things are different in each of her two homes, but when she brings home the class pet for the weekend and looks over her adventures, she realizes that having two homes can be an adventure rather than a chore. The adorable illustrations beautifully express everything from confusion to frustration to joy.
January 2, 2023
A sweet story about a little girl, Mabel, who lives in more than one home—one w/ a mom, and one with a dad. Mabel is frustrated in the beginning having to navigate two different worlds. But when she reads the travel journal of her class pet, she realizes that having two homes can be an adventure too. The illustrations are colorful, expressive, and fun, and hit all the right notes with the text. Highly recommend Mabel’s Topsy-Turvy Homes!
February 15, 2023
Ugh! This book was so cute! I’m a Children’s Librarian, and I will DEFINITELY be recommending this book to people! As someone who grew up in topsy-turvy homes of my own growing up, this was like a warm hug to my inner child. I loved it so much!
November 7, 2023
Mabel has not one but two homes: one is with her mother and one is with her father. Her bedroom is upstairs in one house and downstairs in the other. Both houses are fun but different. Sometimes she has pancakes for breakfast, sometimes she doesn't.
It's Mabel's turn to take the Izzy, the class pet iguana home for the weekend. The other kids have taken Izzy fun places, but Mabel takes Izzy to her two houses which turns out to be two very fun places. Although Mabel spends time in each house, she likes that they're different. Two homes means two bedrooms to decorate!
Two homes equals "double the fun." Mabel finds happiness in knowing her place in two places and accepting that it's her new life. For any child who switches houses for visitation/custody, Mabel's Topsy Turvy Homes celebrates having two homes and two people who love and care for their child.
Highly recommended ages 3 and up.
It's Mabel's turn to take the Izzy, the class pet iguana home for the weekend. The other kids have taken Izzy fun places, but Mabel takes Izzy to her two houses which turns out to be two very fun places. Although Mabel spends time in each house, she likes that they're different. Two homes means two bedrooms to decorate!
Two homes equals "double the fun." Mabel finds happiness in knowing her place in two places and accepting that it's her new life. For any child who switches houses for visitation/custody, Mabel's Topsy Turvy Homes celebrates having two homes and two people who love and care for their child.
Highly recommended ages 3 and up.
October 12, 2022
This book does a wonderful job conveying the confusion that a child feels when her parents divorce, and it does so with a touch of humor and a definite sense of hope. Mabel relates to the class pet Izzy, an iguana, who travels between different students’ homes on the weekends. As Mabel reads the travel journal her classmates have been writing for Izzy, she begins to realize that having two homes has advantages - two bedrooms to decorate, more holidays to celebrate, and double the adventures. The illustrations are bright and energetic, and readers will enjoy comparing Mabel’s two homes in the side-by-side illustrations. Children of divorce in particular will relate to this book’s perspective, but all readers can benefit from this creative take on the ways that change – while difficult – can also be positive.
August 7, 2022
For every child who has experienced the unsettling feelings of navigating back and forth from two homes. The text is kid-friendly and spot on. It doesn’t downplay the main character’s confusion or try to deny her feelings but gives kids the space they need to sit with their own emotions. It also offers up lots of fun and real examples of the many positives that can come from living through a divorce, separation, or upheaval in two houses. The main character is authentic and real and I like the many sides we see of Mabel. And she’s got a side kick, too! She takes her turn of taking care of the class pet. Kids will enjoy the bright and playful illustrations. It hits all the right notes in the heartfelt ending!
February 1, 2023
I love this book! As a child of divorce, I know what it’s like to have to live in two houses and follow two sets of rules. I know how scary it can be and how hard it is to find your balance. This book would have helped me when I was younger to identify the positive side of having two homes and new adventures. As an elementary teacher, I have students who go through this every year. And this book is a part of my permanent classroom library, whenever I have a child that needs to know they aren’t going through this alone.
With the help of Izzy (the classroom iguana), Mabel is able to discover that having two homes isn’t all that bad. And with the help of Mabel, I hope my students going through a divorce can learn the same thing.
With the help of Izzy (the classroom iguana), Mabel is able to discover that having two homes isn’t all that bad. And with the help of Mabel, I hope my students going through a divorce can learn the same thing.
May 7, 2023
Mabel's Topsy-Turvy Homes would be a great addition to any bibliotherapy book list. Mabel divides her time between her dad's home and her mom's home. Initially, Mabel doesn't like having two houses and finds it confusing. However, a weekend with Izzy the iguana, a class pet who students take turns caring for, helps her appreciate the benefits of two different homes and two different routines.
This would be a great book for children coping with parental separation or divorce. I also appreciate that the book doesn't rely on stereotypical gender roles--- Dad has the home while Mom's is seemingly an apartment, and Dad is shown reading and cuddling with Mabel, while Mom and Mabel are shown being more playful, roughhousing and tickling each other.
This would be a great book for children coping with parental separation or divorce. I also appreciate that the book doesn't rely on stereotypical gender roles--- Dad has the home while Mom's is seemingly an apartment, and Dad is shown reading and cuddling with Mabel, while Mom and Mabel are shown being more playful, roughhousing and tickling each other.
June 26, 2023
I really appreciated that this story stays very kid-centered throughout. It shows from a kid's perspective--a little girl named Mabel-- how a divorce has changed her living situation and daily routine. The story focuses on things that kids relate to, like how she now has two homes, two bedrooms, two sets of bedtime routines, etc. And the resolution of the story gently reassures children that even though things are different, and that can be confusing or upsetting at first, there are good things that come from new circumstances as well. I love that the message comes through at the end in a heartwarming way. A great read for kids, whether or not their family has experienced divorce, to gain perspective.
October 17, 2023
Mabel is darling. She is brightly and boldy illustrated and shows us what it's like to live in two homes, the child of separated/divorced/unmarried parents. She does a wonderful job showing how complicated it can be, but that there are also upsides to having two of everything. It's a positive look at a complicated situation that is a reality for whole heaps of children. The view is real, but also fun and optimistic. The colors of the book and so inviting and the side-by-side panels of her two homes work so well. I especially love the soft feel of the beautiful hard-back cover.
Read as a nomination in the Fiction Picture Book book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards).
Read as a nomination in the Fiction Picture Book book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards).
April 22, 2023
A very good book for young children to absorb one aspect of what happens when a nuclear family is broken up. Mabel is forever flitting from one bedroom and one lifestyle to another, now her separated parents have shared rights. The houses are different, the catering is different, the behaviour in each is different. But the class iguana, which she has to house in whatever home is housing her for the weekend, gets a new place and a new routine each week. Surely Mabel can cope with all the switcheroos she has to go through? With warming illustrations and a very useful subject shown with a welcome outcome, this has little to fault it.
May 10, 2023
Mabel divides her time between the different homes of her divorced parents, with their different routines and customs, and she does NOT like it. But she gains a little perspective when she spends a weekend caring for the class iguana, who has visited many homes and had many different adventures. I like that this book does not paint the reality of navigating two homes as easy, but also realistically depicts the start of some more positive feelings for Mabel about her situation. Straightforward text and bright, cheerful illustrations by Jess Rose help keep this potentially heavy subject matter light and approachable.
October 4, 2023
This is a child-friendly, accessible take on being a child of divorce and having parents who maintain separate households. At first, Mabel finds her two houses with different layouts, different routines, different rules, different kinds of meals and even different holidays confusing, but when she takes care of the class pet and reads through his many and varied travel adventures, she gains a new perspective. She realizes that living in two homes mean she also is having many and varied adventures. The illustrations are adorable and the story is uplifting. Highly recommended to any child who is getting used to or lives in two different homes.
January 31, 2023
In Mabel's Topsy-Turvy Homes, a young girl named Mabel describes how confusing it can be to have two different homes. She has to deal with different rules, different bedrooms and different kinds of meals. But when Mabel looks at the journal sent home with Izzy, the class iguana, she realizes how special it is to have so many different experiences with various people. Without shying away from the challenges of having caregivers in different homes, Mabel's Topsy Turvy Homes is an uplifting and joyful read!
April 18, 2023
This is such a sweet and smart book, with charming illustrations! The main character Mabel, is a young child of divorced parents. I love that the story doesn't mention divorce but instead focuses on changes in Mabel's life. This book acknowledges just how confusing and frustrating it can be for a young child to have two different homes with two different sets of rules and routines. It also shows the fun and benefits of having multiple homes! A great and lighthearted book for really challenging situations.
January 5, 2023
This is such a smart and important book about a girl named Mabel, who lives in two different homes with different rules and layouts and routines. I loved how the story showed the challenges but also the benefits and the joy of living in two different households. Kids will relate to the familiar childhood experiences that Mabel enjoys, including a classroom pet who travels from household to household, just like Mabel.
February 7, 2023
Life bouncing between houses can feel topsy-turvey, and Mabel's life is no exception. But when Mabel takes home the class iguana and reads its journal of adventures, she realizes that two houses just might mean double the fun. This is such a wonderful book for helping young readers navigate divorce and different routines. Wellins's bright text and Jess Rose's upbeat illustrations keep a tough topic from feeling too heavy.
February 6, 2025
MABEL'S TOPSY-TURVY HOMES is sure to feel relatable to any child experiencing divorce. Mabel expresses frustration at the upheaval she feels with two different routines at two homes, but with perspective she gains by caring for the class iguana, she realizes that her situation means double the adventures and double the love. Readers will enjoy hunting through the illustrations to identify where Mabel is in each one—at Mom's or Dad's house. Overall, this is sweet story delivers hope and joy.
December 8, 2025
Life bouncing between houses can feel topsy-turvey, and Mabel's life is no exception. But when Mabel takes home the class iguana and reads its journal of adventures, she realizes that two houses just might mean double the fun. This is such a wonderful book for helping young readers navigate divorce and different routines. Wellins's bright text and Jess Rose's upbeat illustrations keep a tough topic from feeling too heavy.
March 2, 2026
Sometimes it can feel unsettling to live in two different homes at the same time. Mabel finds it to be disconcerting until she takes the class pet home and realizes that variety can also be a good thing. This is a great picture book to think about the glass being half full and the importance of having a positive attitude. It isn't always easy to go back and forth between two homes but it also has its upsides.
August 16, 2022
Change comes to many families and dealing with the aftermath is gently approached in this sweet picture book. Mabel is frustrated having to adjust between two separate houses of her separated parents, but having the class pet to care for allows her to see there are positives too. The cute illustrations and cheerful palette help ground young readers in Mabel's topsy-turvy world.
November 10, 2022
A great book to help kids with the confusion and topsy-turviness of having multiple homes. Mabel has two houses. The book never says her parents are divorced or that one house is mom and one house is dad, so this could work with a wide range of kids. I liked how the story talks about how confusing and upside down it can be, but also points out the joy and fun Mabel finds in her homes.
December 2, 2022
After my experience the last few months with my own topsy-turvy homes, I can better understand
the discombobulated feeling of children who go from home to home when parents split. Great illustrations and examples; highly recommended purchase for schools. (I mean, honestly, which way do I go to reach the bathroom? Which switch turns on the light? Where are the measuring spoons!)
the discombobulated feeling of children who go from home to home when parents split. Great illustrations and examples; highly recommended purchase for schools. (I mean, honestly, which way do I go to reach the bathroom? Which switch turns on the light? Where are the measuring spoons!)
February 23, 2023
Mabel's parents are divorced (though this is never directly stated in the book) and she comes to terms with living in two homes. Though it was confusing and scary at first, she reflects on how her class pet gets to spend weekends with so many different families. Mabel comes to accept and have a positive outlook on her own circumstance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2023
Mabel’s Topsy-Turvy Home is a story about a girl who lives in two separate homes. The comparisons between each house are unique and fun. But when Mabel gets a little twisted about having two homes, she turns to a unique friend for inspiration. The illustrations are bright and vivid, and bring joy to this sweet story!
October 18, 2023
I love this book! It’s a heartwarming account of how #childrenofdivorce might feel when having different places to call home. Candy Wellins tackles this delicate issue with sensibility and humor. A must read for anyone, but especially for little ones navigating life after a parents’ divorce. Jess Rose’s art is full of color and joy and perfectly complements this sweet story.
November 2, 2023
A perfect picture book for helping young readers navigate divorce. Mabel goes from the comfort and familiarity of one home, to two. She is confused and dismayed at her now wildly different routines. But then she brings home Izzy, the classroom iguana, whose documented adventures help Mabel realize that two homes might just mean double the love.
November 8, 2023
Mabel has two houses, two routines and two sets of rules, all of which are confusing to her, then when she gets inspired by the different homes and adventures enjoyed by Izzy, her class pet, she realizes she can enjoy her life as is, having exciting double fun adventures. A sweet and light-hearted story from the perspective of a child from a divorced family.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews