Recommended Books For Families
How To Borrow a Book
All of the books listed below are available through Hertfordshire Libraries and can be requested for collection at your local library. You’ll need a Hertfordshire Libraries card to request and borrow books. Joining is free and easy, and you can sign up online or in person at your local library.
Choose a Book
Click on the “view” button next to any book to view it in the Hertfordshire Libraries catalogue.
Send a Request
Choose the Hertfordshire library that’s most convenient for you and request the book for collection.
Borrow
Pick up the book from your local library. Don’t forget your library card!
Recommended Books
You must be logged in to your Hertfordshire Libraries account to view the books. Log in here: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/
Living with mum and living with dad: my two homes
Mum and Dad don’t live together any more, so sometimes this little girl lives with her mum and her cat, and sometimes she lives with her dad. She has two bedrooms and two sets of toys, but she takes her favourite toys with her wherever she goes.
Two places to call home
Florrie has two of everything. Two lovely brothers. Two smashing parents. Two very cuddled pets. But two isn’t always a magic number, as Florrie now has to live in TWO different houses: one with her mum and one with her dad. An uplifting picture book that helps young readers discuss their feelings around divorce and embrace change.
Two families to call my own
Florrie lives in two different houses: One with her mum. One with her dad. Now that Florrie is getting used to having two homes, everything feels just right. But, what happens when Florrie’s dad makes a new girlfriend – who’s not her mum?
Mum and Dad glue
This picture book looks at divorce from a child’s eye view. A little boy tries to find a pot of parent glue to stick his mum and dad back together. His parents have come undone and he wants to mend their marriage, stick their smiles back on and make them better.
Mum and Dad glue
This is a gentle story about family separation with a happy ending. Betty and Paul are two little birds who build a nest. Betty lays an egg and out pops Baby Bird. But the nest is small, Betty and Paul squabble, and they decide that Paul should live in a different nest.
Everything Changes
Playing together as a family on the beach, it seems the happy, warm days of summer will never end. But then Mum and Dad say they can no longer live together, and everything changes. A lyrical and tender story about the difficult emotions a child can feel when their parents break up.
Rory’s room of rectangles
Rory loves his dad, but he also really likes his step-dad, Tony. He has weekends with Dad in the park and makes imaginary dens with Tony, so when Father’s Day comes, who should he make his card for at school? Spotting his frustration, Tony spends his ‘rainy-day pennies’ to take Rory somewhere new – an art gallery, full of wonders. As they pause to reflect in a huge room of rectangles, Rory sees his conflicting feelings glistening back at him in many powerful colours. Afterwards, a ‘chance’ encounter with Dad, under a red sky, helps Rory realise that he doesn’t have to feel torn at all.
Two Homes, One Heart
A heartening picture book about evolving families and enduring love. Two parents, one me. Are we still a family? Living in two homes can be a big adjustment, but it can also present opportunities for growth.
One day at a time
When Poppy and Robin’s parents separate, everything starts to change around them. They soon have two homes, different routines and big mixed up feelings. But as family life begins to take new shape, the siblings discover that even the biggest changes in life get easier, and happiness can grow again, if you take it one day at a time.
My Family’s changing – a first look at family break-up
This book takes the extremely sensitive and often painful subject of divorce and explains the facts, gently but seriously, for the very youngest of readers.
My big fantastic family
When Dad says that he’s moving out, Lily-May feels all upside-down inside. But now Dad comes on Sundays, and they ride their bikes really fast and make secret dens together. Lily-May plays more just with Mum now, too – and when Mum’s new partner Peter comes over, they play pirate ships! Sometimes, there are tricky moments – Lily-May hates it when Mum has to work late – but a birthday party with Lily-May’s big fantastic
What about Neko?
Becca’s parents are getting a divorce and she and her brother will be splitting their time between two homes, but what about Neko, the family dog? Who will explain to Neko what’s happening and why?
We need to talk about Divorce
This approachable book deals with concerns kids might have, from living in two homes to getting caught in the middle of arguments and feeling forced to choose a side. A central theme of the book is enabling kids to feel heard during the process and Kate Scharff includes lots of tips for how kids can talk to their parents – even in the trickiest circumstances.
Dealing with divorce
This guide will help children to understand more about divorce and why couples split up. Understand how to deal with arguments and stress or find out how to give advice and support to someone else whose parents might be separating.
Surviving separation and divorce: dealing with divorce day-to-day
Becca’s parents are getting a divorce and she and her brother will be splitting their time between two homes, but what about Neko, the family dog? Who will explain to Neko what’s happening and why?
How not to f*ck up your marriage : a divorce lawyer's guide to staying together
This picture book looks at divorce from a child’s eye view. A little boy tries to find a pot of parent glue to stick his mum and dad back together. His parents have come undone and he wants to mend their marriage, stick their smiles back on and make them better.
Reading Well Collections
There are also the Reading Well collections that offer recommended books to support mental health for adults, teenagers, older children and families. These books are stocked in libraries across Hertfordshire.