Standing on My Own Two Feet: A Child's Affirmation of Love in the Midst of Divorce
Standing on My Own Two Feet: A Child's Affirmation of Love in the Midst of Divorce book cover

Standing on My Own Two Feet: A Child's Affirmation of Love in the Midst of Divorce

Hardcover – Picture Book, June 12, 2008

by
Price
$13.69
Format
Hardcover
Pages
32
Publisher
Price Stern Sloan
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0843132212
Dimensions
9.44 x 0.34 x 9.31 inches
Weight
12.2 ounces

Description

From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 1—When Addison's parents get divorced, he ends up with two homes, and he feels safe in both of them. He knows that his mom and dad will always love him. The text uses simple straightforward statements; for example, "Mom and Dad do not always get along. But it's not because of me" and "Even though I wish we could all live together again, that probably won't happen. It's not up to me." Schmitz uses repetition in the best possible way to drive home her main points of unconditional love and that Addison is not to blame for the divorce. The brightly colored illustrations have exactly the right images to support the story. Due to its positive feel, easy-to-understand message, and topical nature, this book is an excellent choice for most libraries.— Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Due to its positive feel, easy-to-understand message, and topical nature, this book is an excellent choice for most libraries. -- School Library Journal Meeting a real need, this is an excellent choice for the preschool set. -- Kirkus Tamara Schmitz lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • Addison is a regular kid whose parents are going through a divorce, but he knows that no matter what happens, his parents will always love him. The text in this beautifully illustrated picture book is inspiring, gentle, and uplifting, and teaches kids that having two homes to live in can be just as great as having two strong feet to stand on.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(223)
★★★★
25%
(93)
★★★
15%
(56)
★★
7%
(26)
★
-7%
(-26)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

Great for little ones dealing with big situations

This is a fantastic book. My husband and I are currently separated, and it is hard to know what to say to my 2 1/2 year old son. He is sad, and does not understand what is happening. This book explains divorce in a way that is appropriate for toddlers or young children. The basic message is that their life is changing, that they have two homes (neither better than the other), that none of this is their fault, but most importantly, that both of their parents love them. It shows the child having fun with both Mommy and Daddy, it shows both Mommy and Daddy supporting their son as he plays soccer and goes to tae kwon do. It doesn't take sides, it doesn't make value judgements about parents or the situation, it just emphasizes love.

I may not want to live with my husband anymore, but that doesn't change the fact that my son needs to know that BOTH of his parents love and cherish him, and that they will continue to do so no matter how they feel about each other. This book helps get that message across, and I think this is why my son asks me to read the book at least once a day.
26 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Great for ages 3-6

I especially like this book because of its main theme is that divorce is not the child's fault. There is one page that says "sometimes my mom and dad don't get along, but it's not my fault". This is the only reference to parental disagreement, which I appreciated. (Other books I bought spent far to much time devoted to fighting parents). Also recommended: Two Homes by Claire Masurel
7 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Standing on my own Two Feet: A Child's Affirmation of Love in the Midst of Divorce

I sent this book to my sister's granddaughter whose Mom is going through a rough divorce. My sister read it to her and raved to me about the book. She felt it was an excellent read for her granddaughter.
4 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Good book for young children whose parents are divorced

I was looking for a book for my daughter to help explain the divorce process. Very simple explanation and appropriate for my almost 5 year old. It includes that even though mom and dad don't always get along, which unfortunately is true in our situation, it's not her fault. It does show that mom and dad have their own homes, which maybe isn't true in every situation.
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Helped me talk to my four year old about everything ...

Helped me talk to my four year old about everything going on. He was telling my friends about his "two homes" in an excited way and how he even had a book with a boy with toy homes. Thank you for this book.
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

This is my three year old daughters favorite book about divorce

This is my three year old daughters favorite book about divorce. I think we read it almost once a week but it was more frequent when her dad and I first separated. It has a good sentiment and the story talks about how the main character has two houses now and how even though he wishes things hadn't changed he knows he is still super loved still by both mom and dad and that it wasn't his fault. I say 'he' but my daughter is convinced that 'Addison' is a girl. Go figure.

For our situation my ex and I are still best friends and get along great and co parent very naturally. But it was still really hard for my daughter to figure out why daddy doesn't live at home anymore and navigating getting used to his new apartment and everything that goes along with that. This book really focused on having two different living situations, and missing the parent you're not with, and still having both parents around for activities and parenting etc. So it fit will with what we needed. It's been a year and she's really adjusted well and this book really did help.
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Well done

This was a very good book about children of divorce coping with the fallout and it was done in a lighthearted manner while still addressing some of the difficult issues that children face. I got it for my grandson who is 7 and thought it was well suited to his age and something he will be able to identify with and reassure him that he is loved and that he is not alone.
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

My son loves it

My 7 year old son loves this book and as a child of divorce can relate well to the character. I like how simple and sweet it is.
1 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Five Stars

Awesome book! My kids love it
1 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Lovee how this book was nonbias. It did not ...

Lovee how this book was nonbias. It did not put blame on any parent but sinply focused on the two homes the child has.
1 people found this helpful

Related Books