Two Adventures with Mom and Dad: Explaining Divorce to Young Children

Two Adventures With Mom and Dad:Explaining Divorce to Young Children is a children's book about divorce. Divorce and separation are difficult for children. This book introduces young children to these foreign concepts, and teaches them what to expect. The author, family law attorney Kelly Chang Rickert, and illustrator Tanya Campbell encourage separating parents to read the book to their child. This book helps start the dialogue at home, and provides a road map during the process.

"No family is perfect, and each one has its own unique appearance and functionality. A young girl has a mom and a dad who have decided not to live with each other anymore. While this choice can lead to feelings of sadness, the family in this particular situation is making a point to remain on good terms and support one another in an ongoing capacity. With two bedrooms and twice the opportunity for fun and connection, the girl in this book does her best to understand her parents’ decision while becoming confident that their love for her will remain steady no matter what happens. Children whose parents have chosen to separate are managing emotions that, while common, are not often depicted in picture books, which makes this one particularly noteworthy. This story attempts to present divorce in a positive light, reinforcing the message that a parent’s love for their child remains consistent even when the relationship with the other parent has changed. While this may not be the case for every family, reading this book together can help remind parents of ways to manage their separation constructively in order to mitigate its effects on their children. The story itself is presented in loosely rhyming couplets that are designed to be read as a parent speaking to their child. Straightforward phrases are paired with expressive illustrations to ensure that readers of all ages will easily grasp the message this story imparts, especially from an emotional perspective. This is a book that is particularly helpful for separated parents and their children to read together in order to help everyone involved come to terms with their new reality. Written by a prominent family law attorney, this story incorporates much of what she has witnessed first-hand, and it is a useful companion to anyone working in a similar field as well as families navigating divorce themselves." - Children's Literature reviewer Mary Lanni

"The family environment may change, but parents will always seek to give their children attention and love, no matter what transpires. When parents separate, it is because circumstances require it. Divorce is a complicated situation for all family members and there are many feelings involved. Children can suffer mixed emotions at the time of separation from their parents and in many cases, it is because of their doubts, which is why it is necessary to talk about it in the best possible manner. Two Adventures with Mom and Dad can help with this because it explains the dynamics in a friendly and positive way. Kelly Chang Rickert is a Certified Family Law Specialist, and she explains important concepts at a child-friendly level. She has a very pleasing way of expressing ideas. I liked how she explains that the separation of parents is for the good of the family. It can be difficult for parents to get started on the subject, and I appreciated this book because it can create a good conversation opener. Dialogue is necessary because that will give essential clarity, especially to little ones, so that they understand the situation is not their fault and both their father and mother will continue to show their love. Two Adventures with Mom and Dad is a very enjoyable and positive read, while the content is perfect to begin the process of resolving the doubts that children may have. With this book, children will be able to talk and compare situations to express their feelings." - Diana Lopez for Readers' Favorite

Certified Family Law Specialist (certified by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization) Kelly Chang Rickert knows family matters. For over 20 years, she has exclusively handled divorce and paternity cases involving child custody and complex property division. Kelly strongly discourages "scorched earth litigation" in Family Law, and in 2015, expanded her law practice to include mediation services. In her spare time, Kelly enjoys nagging her husband of 13+ years, embarrassing her two daughters (typical Taiwanese mother) and solitary hikes in Griffith Park.

Tanya is a concept artist working in television and film, as well as a freelance illustrator for comics and children's books. She has been in the industry for almost 10 years and has worked on such productions as My Little Pony, Polly Pocket, Peabody and Sherman, Transformers Rescue Bots, with many notable clients, including Hasbro and Marvel. Tanya draws most of her inspiration from nature, and her home Island on the coast of British Columbia. She loves creating worlds that are fun, vibrant, colorful, and bring out the kid in everyone.