Living with Mom and Living with Dad - Hardcover

Melanie Walsh is the author-illustrator of Trick or Treat?, 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World, and many other books for children. She lives in England.

Walsh addresses divorce from a playful angle in this interactive story with smudgy, inviting pictures that resemble finger-painting.
—Publishers Weekly

Children with divorced parents often lead bifurcated lives, and Walsh’s ingenious lift-the-flap book acknowledges this common situation in a welcoming, straightforward manner. On each spread, Walsh’s cheery, childlike paintings morph, via flaps, from yellow bedroom walls to flowered ones, from a panda nightlight to a string of glowing plastic butterflies. She also gracefully addresses post-divorce changes in birthday celebrations and afterschool routines... Of course no arrangement is perfect, and sometimes the girl misses the absent parent, but luckily the remedy is only a reassuring phone conversation—and a flap lift—away.
—The Horn Book

A little girl’s parents have separated, so she lives with her mom at her house and also stays with her dad at his apartment. As she describes her life in both homes, oversize lift-the-flaps show the differences... Bold, clear acrylic art mixed with collage is simple and childlike, while the flap on each spread lovingly supports differences and provides enjoyment. Children who live in two separate homes can gain a sense of security from this attractive, reassuring book.
—School Library Journal

A necessary and accessible treatment of a common family constellation. Recommended for children of divorce and for others seeking to understand diverse family structures.
—Kirkus Reviews

The direct, first-person narrative conveys much in its simplicity—but mostly reassurance that even imperfect situations can work for the child with loving, involved parents.
—Booklist

A picture book, with flaps and bright colors, that gently explores the experiences of a little girl whose parents are divorced.
—The Los Angeles Times