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by Nancy Fagan (Author), Tory Marshall (Illustrator)
Book Review Divorce isn't easy for anyone. But for children, the process of divorce can raise difficult questions and distinct fears-fears that parents may neither understand nor know to address. In Fables of Fairy Good Heart: Divorce-A Parent's Love Lasts Forever, author, therapist, mediator and renowned relationship expert Nancy Fagan takes on one child's all too common question: "If my parents can stop loving one another, can they stop loving me, too?" The result is a children's book that operates on multiple levels, offering sons and daughters of divorce a relatable story while providing parents with a context in which to address their children's concerns. As the first installment in Fagan's Children's Series, Fables of Fairy Good Heart, book one: A Parent's Love Lasts Forever is equal parts storybook, communication aid and therapy tool-and as such, an invaluable resource for families, mediators and therapists alike. When we meet the main character, Jaci, she is the quintessential happy kid: she loves her school, her friends, and spending time having fun with her parents. But when she overhears her parents fighting night after night, Jaci begins to worry about her family's future. Eventually, during a particularly heated fight, she hears the words, "I don't love you anymore!" and "I want a divorce." Jaci doesn't know what a divorce is-but she knows it must be bad, and begins to fear the loss of her parents' love. Jaci's sadness prompts the appearance of the Fairy Good Heart, a stand-in for Fagan herself who counsels Jaci to trust in her parent's love-"a love that lasts forever and ever." The Fairy explains that, even when parents cease to love one another, they never stop loving their children. Then she leaves a stuffed toy Fairy Good Heart by Jaci's side to remind her how much she is loved. As the story progresses, Jaci learns to identify and express her sadness, fear, and anger with the help of The Fairy Good Heart, a benevolent presence who also gives voice to the innovative "Parent Prompts" located at the end of each chapter. Designed to facilitate conversation between parents and their children, the "Parent Prompts" include chapter summaries and simple questions that draw on Jaci's experience to help young readers express their own feelings. Written with palpable empathy for parents and children alike, this first title from the Fables of Fairy Good Heart(TM) series reveals an impressive depth of understanding and compassion on the part of the author. A Parent's Love Lasts Forever is simple enough. But beneath the basic plotline runs a thread of sophisticated consideration for child psychology, and the trauma that can influence children of divorce.
