Claire Masurel

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 show more 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)

-Kirkus Review show less

In my opinion this is an excellent book about a family that has gone through a divorce. The message of this story is that even though parents may stop loving each other that their love for the child doesn't change. This book also speaks to the fact that children of divorced parents can still lead regular lives. I liked the book because I could relate to the characters. Having gone through a divorce I know first hand what the Alex was feeling because it was the same circumstance that my son show more had lived through and as parents we try to make things as normal as possible. Such as the child having a room to sleep in or their own personal chair. I also like this book because it pushes the reader to tough issues such as divorce. The story portrayed Alex as a child who saw the positives of living in two homes. Though mom lived at one house dad lived in another house he still he was loved which you can hear in the way he talked about what he had at each house such as "at Mummy's I have and at Dad's I have . show less

TWO HOMES by Claire Masurel, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton, is a sweet book that grapples with a difficult issue. Little Alex's parents each have their own home, so Alex has two homes. How this situation came to be is never discussed. Maybe Alex's parents are divorced (a word that never makes an appearance in the text). Maybe they never married. This book isn't about what happened -- it's about how Alex lives day-to-day. A mini tour of both homes is beautifully illustrated - two show more bedrooms, two favorite chairs, two kitchens. Alex is loved and happy in both homes.

Ahh, if only shared child custody could always be like this! But I'm not going to criticize this book for what it doesn't do and doesn't address. I believe the author's intention is to reassure children in this situation, and TWO HOMES does that beautifully. The recommended age range is 3-6 years. It may best be suited for children whose parents "came to live separately" before the child had an awareness that there is any other way for families to live but is now old enough to make comparisons with the homes of other children.

What I liked best about TWO HOMES is that the author keeps things very simple, the focus is on the child and assuring that the child feels secure and loved. Also, Alex's name and appearance are androgenous, so both girls and boys will be able to relate the character. And, of course, the illustrations are just beautiful. I'll be checking out other titles by both this author and illustrator on the strength of the appeal of TWO HOMES. show less

This is a very sweet, very cute story about a little girl trying to put all her stuffed animals and dolls (her "children", I suppose) to bed so she can sleep too.

It has that nice, repetitive structure children adore - she finds a toy, tells it that it's not time to whatever, it's time to go to bed!, and ends nicely with everybody tucked in and "Good Night".

The illustrations are very well done, in a style that looks more classic than it is.

The one concern you might have (I don't, but you show more might) is that it's one of those books that doesn't show parents. If you're creeped out by Max and Ruby, you might find this book a little odd too - the girl single-handedly takes on the parental role for herself and her toys.

Of course, if you don't overthink it too much, it's just a sweet, short little book. show less