Part of the Ordinary Terrible Things series, Divorce Is the Worst is a funny but frank picture book for kids whose parents are going through a divorce. In her iconic straightforward-but-sensitive way, author Anastasia Higginbotham sheds light on how hard it is for children to stay whole when their whole world, and the people in it, split apart.
As a child of divorce, I can tell you that the worst part is feeling alone, and feeling like no one could ever understand how awful it is. This book counters those terrible feelings in a beautiful, heartfelt, funny, and digestible way. So incredibly important.
—PETER PAIGE, executive producer and co-creator of ABC Family's "The Fosters"
Anastasia Higginbotham...doesn't sugarcoat the words or the charmingly rumpled illustrations in her new book about parents spitting up...With real humor and no pretension, Ms. Higginbotham offers kids empathy necessary to gain hope and perspective on any traumatic event.
—JULIE BOWEN, actress, "Modern Family"
Kids are told, "it's for the best"-and one day, it may be. But right now, divorce is the worst. Frank but funny, Anastasia Higginbotham conveys the challenge of staying whole when your entire world, and the people in it, split apart. Exceptional in its child-centered portrayal, Divorce Is the Worst is an invaluable tool for families, therapeutic professionals, and divorce mediators struggling to address this common and complex experience.
As a child of divorce, I can tell you that the worst part is feeling alone, and feeling like no one could ever understand how awful it is. This book counters those terrible feelings in a beautiful, heartfelt, funny, and digestible way. So incredibly important.
—PETER PAIGE, executive producer and co-creator of ABC Family's "The Fosters"
Anastasia Higginbotham...doesn't sugarcoat the words or the charmingly rumpled illustrations in her new book about parents spitting up...With real humor and no pretension, Ms. Higginbotham offers kids empathy necessary to gain hope and perspective on any traumatic event.
—JULIE BOWEN, actress, "Modern Family"
Honest, frank, and oh so authentic...with a touch of humor, this story helps kids feel less alone and more understood at a time when they feel their whole word is falling apart.
—HAPPILY EVER ELEPHANTS
This book provides, through honest language and evocative imagery, a uniquely realistic view of how children experience divorce. While neither softening or whitewashing this difficult topic, Higginbotham offers an ultimately comforting message to parents and children experiencing separation and divorce.
—LISA SPIEGEL, LMHC, Soho Parenting, NYC
As families reconfigure through divorce, the best interest of a child should be front and center. Sharing Divorce Is the Worst can help parents focus on their child's needs as distinct from their own, encourage supportive communication, and nourish resilience for future well being.
—ABBY ROSMARIN, Esq., LMHC Mediation Counsel, McCarthy Fingar, LLP and Executive Director of the New York Association of Collaborative Professionals
Higginbotham...manages to have compassion for the adults in this story without letting them off the hook. The 3-D collage, paper-bag art is absolutely beautiful...I wish this book had been around for my nephews when they were going through their parent's divorce.
—AMY RAY, musician, the Indigo Girls
I wish so much that this book had existed during my divorce, to help my daughter through. I also wish it had existed during my parents' divorce, to help me through. Thank God someone is finally talking to kids about every day, terrible things. That alone makes them feel less terrible.
—KRISTA VERNOFF, screenwriter, "Grey's Anatomy," "Shameless"
"Talking about ordinary terrible things is an essential part of healing from them. Sometimes you need other people's words when you can't seem to find the right ones yourself. This is a cool book full of medicine for the heartsick child."-ANI DIFRANCO, musician