We Need to Talk about Divorce: An Important Book about Separation, Stepfamilies, and Feeling Heard

*A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2025*

*A School Library Journal Best Book of 2025*

*A Children's Book Review Editors Pick 2025*

*A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year 2026*

A kid-centric guide for the children of parents going through a separation or divorce, written by internationally renowned divorce therapist Kate Scharff, MSW.

Children of separating or divorcing parents often feel alone and alienated, as though no one understands what they're going through. They need reassurance that their feelings are normal, and age-appropriate answers to their many questions. But divorce is confusing and overwhelming—thinking and talking about it are hard, for kids and grown-ups alike.

Kate Scharff (a child of divorce herself) addresses many of kids' common concerns, such as navigating life in two homes, feeling pressured to choose sides, and adjusting when parents date or remarry. Her central theme is the importance of parent-child communication, and she offers lots of tips for how kids can speak up constructively—even in the trickiest situations.

This book, with illustrations by Annika Le Large, is suitable for kids to read by themselves or with a parent. It's frank, honest, and open. But while the author doesn't shy away from the painful aspects of the experience, she also reassures her reader that while divorce will always be a sad memory, it doesn't have to be a bad turning point. In fact, divorce can make lots of things easier over time.

We Need to Talk About Divorce is the next book in Neon Squid's critically acclaimed series tackling subjects that are hard to talk about for kids aged 10 and above.

Kate Scharff, MSW is a psychotherapist with over 35 years’ experience helping individuals, couples, and families to navigate a wide range of issues, including separation and divorce. A child of divorce herself, Kate dedicates a large part of her practice to supporting parents and their children to move through this life transition in ways that minimize conflict, protect relationships, and set everyone up for a happy, healthy recovery. Kate writes and teaches internationally, and has co-authored two books for family lawyers, therapists, and financial experts who work with divorcing couples. She lives with her family in a suburb of Washington, DC.

Neon Squid creates beautiful nonfiction books for inquisitive kids (and kids at heart). We believe the most amazing stories are real ones, so our books are for children who want to decipher ancient scrolls, orbit distant stars, and dive into the deepest oceans. Our books are a labor of love―written by experts, illustrated by the best artists around, and produced using the finest materials, including sustainably sourced paper. We hope that by reading them kids are encouraged to further explore the world around them.

Annika Le Large is an illustrator based in Leipzig, Germany. Her artworks are often related to social issues or concepts of self-love.