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|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | EASY MAS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | EASY MAS | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A comforting story and intimate paintings reassure children that, in the face of divorce, there can be warmth and love. At Mommy's house, Alex has a soft chair. At Daddy's house, Alex has a rocking chair. In each home, Alex also has a special bedroom and lots of friends to play with. But whether Alex is with Mommy or with Daddy, one thing always stays the same -- Alex is loved. Claire Masurel's gently reassuring text focuses on what is gained instead of what is lost when parents divorce. Kady MacDonald Denton has sensitively created all the small details of two distinctly different homes, while firmly establishing Alex's place in both of them. TWO HOMES will help children -- and parents -- embrace even the most difficult of changes with an open and optimistic heart.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Young Alex's parents are divorced, and he spends time with each of them. He has two rooms, two favorite chairs, two sets of friends, two of everything. He loves both of them no matter where he is, and they love him, no matter where they are. The ink, watercolor, and gouache illustrations are comforting and warm. There is no sign of the child missing one parent when he is with the other or questioning his situation, and he seems quite well adjusted. This book is clearly intended to help parents tell their children that they are still loved despite their living arrangements. For a different view of how children may feel about sharing two homes, look to Judith Caseley's Priscilla Twice (Greenwillow, 1995).-Holly Belli, Bergen County Cooperative Library System, West Caldwell, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Alex offers an intimate tour of his two homes, leaving the reader to assume, though it's never stated, that his parents are divorced. The simple first-person narrative keenly highlights those details important to children of Alex's age, while Denton's warm watercolor illustrations, familiar and rich in detail, extend the reassuring tone. From HORN BOOK Fall 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Rising above the standard fare in this genre, with their deadly prose and workaday illustrations, this offering is not afraid to state the obvious: Alex's mommy and daddy don't live together. Alex matter-of-factly explains it: "Daddy lives here. Sometimes I live with Daddy. Mommy lives there. Sometimes I'm with Mommy." Writing about a now-common experience for many young children, Masurel (Good Night!, 1997) has successfully created a reassuring addition to the separated-parents bibliotherapy booklist. Alternating between Dad's and Mom's, Denton's watercolor, gouache, and ink illustrations display an intimate knowledge of the complete lives of the city-dwelling Mom and the country-living Dad. At Mommy's there's a big, comfy chair to cuddle up in and read; at Daddy's a child-sized rocking chair. There are separate but equal accommodations, too, including a dog at Dad's and an aquarium full of fish at Mom's. Alex is nearly gender-neutral, dressed in a kid uniform of cotton pants and shirt (red at Dad's and blue at Mom's) with straight hair bobbed at ear length. This portrayal allows all children the opportunity to identify with the young narrator. On page after page, Alex and his parents engage in the pleasant common activities of early childhood, from playing dress-up with an assortment of friends, taking a bath, and shucking peas at Dad's, to baking gingerbread men at Mom's. An extremely positive take on an often-painful subject. (Picture book. 3-5)
Booklist Review
Ages 2-5. Young Alex introduces himself and his parents, then announces that he has two homes: sometimes he lives with Daddy (in a suburban house) and sometimes with Mommy (in a city apartment). The discussion of his two homes sets up the book's comfortable dual structure: "I have two rooms. My room at Daddy's. My room at Mommy's . . . I have two bathrooms. I have a toothbrush at Daddy's. I have a toothbrush at Mommy's." Each spread includes complementary pictures that show the boy engaged in similar activities at both locales. The ending affirms that his parents love Alex, no matter where he is and no matter where they are. Within the ink, watercolor, and gouache illustrations are delightful reproductions of Alex's own paintings. Other scenes, warm with luminous washes against white backgrounds, celebrate the everyday details of Alex's life. Parents looking for a book about separation or divorce will find few offerings as positive, matter-of-fact, or child-centered as this one. With a sure sense of audience, Masurel concentrates on the physical and emotional fundamentals that matter to children while deftly sidestepping the adult-oriented swamp of explanation and supposition. Enhanced by Denton's sensitively drawn portrayals of the characters within well-imagined scenes of domestic life, this picture book will validate the experience of other two-household children while intriguing those in single-home families. Simple, yet profoundly satisfying. --Carolyn Phelan
