Always Mom, Forever Dad

K-Gr 2—The premise of this book is that children of divorce who must alternate between households are still surrounded by love. A variety of children from different ethnic backgrounds are depicted enjoying fun activities with one parent and then with the other. They bake together, stargaze, and hunt for tadpoles. When the children miss their other parent, the adult they are with encourages phone calls or sings songs that the other parent sang; connection with the non-present parent is never discouraged or disparaged. The simple and straightforward text would be comforting to a child faced with this situation. The illustrations are a bit stiff and have a slight greeting-card quality, and the colors sometimes cross the line from bright to garish. A serviceable addition for those in need of the subject matter.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ