Customer Reviews

Dinosaurs Divorce

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

I think this book can make parents more comfortable about beginning a dialogue with the children about their feelings. The book shines a light on a situation that would allow a parent to ask what the child thinks about what is going on in the story. The artwork may even encourage the child to release his or her feelings by drawing. I would have liked to see more options for children for dealing with the challenges they face. All in all I say 'Buy this book'.

I bought this book for my 5 year old stepson. His parents divorced before he was 2, so he had a poor understanding of marriage and divorce. It really helped him understand what was going on in his life and cleared up a lot of confusion for him. I highly recommend the book for anyone going through a divorce involving young children. The only negative in the book was the sterotype of the father leaving and the children living with the mother.

I was having a very difficult time explaining to my 6 yr old. what divorce was and what was going to happen to her. This book was perfect. Just what I needed to help get through this tough time. It was difficult at times for me to read.. (got emotional) but it was just what we needed..

My divorce lawyer recommended this book to me after I expressed concern about how my kids might be handling my divorce. To be honest, it struck me as somewhat childish, but both of my sons took to it and claimed that it made them understand what was happening... and that it made them feel better to know they were not the only ones who've experienced this. And that was good enough for me!

Although possible sources of strife are briefly mentioned (your parents may criticize each other, or may not know how to relate to you), others are glossed over. The book assures the child reader that both parents continue to love the child, which is warm and fuzzy but not (in my experience as an elementary teacher) always true. Unfortunately.

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.

This is a wonderful book for children over the age of 8 years old. The terminology, reading level, and comprehension level is too high for a younger child. However, it is presented in a straight forward manner and is a great resource for parents and counselors of children going through a divorce.

My boyfriend's 4 1/2 son really latched onto this book. Although his parents answered all the questions he asked, he was still a bit confused. We bought his book several months before actually reading it to him. We decided he was ready for it after he was confused about some things ("when mommy gets married, he will be my daddy and daddy will be my step-dad.") We read 1/2 one evening and he asked for it to be read the next day and the following day and then asked to take it back to mommy's house (which we permitted.) He said "the dinosaur book" is still being read quite often. Perfect for this age.

I bought this book just before I seperated and began reading it with my young children as soon as I told them what was happening with our family. They realized right away that it was a Marc and Laurie Brown book and were excited about reading it. It's been almost two years since we first opened the book and we still read it often. It helps me talk about our changed family in terms that they can understand. It also helps me to understand what my children are feeling, it's much easier for them to tell me when they can look at a picture and relate to what the character is feeling. I highly recommend this book to any family that is facing divorce or that has been through it. It also deals with the changes that may take place long after the divorce. GREAT BOOK!!!!!

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!