The Un-Wedding byBabette Cole was a lighthearted book that took a unique approach when discussing divorce. I thought it was creative and witty. While some parts were funny, there were some more serious undertones to the book that focused on divorce not being the children's fault. I can see why this would be controversial to some (a light hearted divorce book), but I thought it was great. Although I am not a child of divorce, I enjoyed reading this book. I think children who have/had parents who aruge a lot often wonder if it is because of something they had done, and this book makes it clear that it is not related to the children.Babette Cole's unique approach to this book was spread throughout the book. In the beginning, she discussed the actions of the parents towards each other. Basically, they were pulling rude pranks on the other. She also conveyed the very different personalities, likes, and dislikes of the adults. It showed that they were not very compatible, and that had nothing to do with their children. The process of getting unmarried was different than divorce. It resembled the process of getting married. There was planning (notifying family/friends), a ceremony (to announce they did not want to be married), and a honeymoon (which each parent went on alone). After this was done, the author showed how life had improved for all involved. There was no fighting, the children were happier, and things were going well for the family.
The illustrations in this book were also done in a semi-unique way. The text would be on each page, but sometimes there would be blurbs from the characters or little side notes that would grab my attention that gave the book a little something extra.
I would recommend this book. Although some may see it as controversial, I see it as a unconventional approach to divorce. It sends the message that divorce is not a child's fault (like most divoce books do), but this one adds humor. It was great! Some may see it as a little unsensitive, but I think that for some children, this would be a nice way for them to relate to the book.
Wow this sounds like a really great book! Your post was written really well, and because of that I want to go read this book. It sounds like the approach taken to describing divorce puts it in a positive light. I think its important that kids know that their parents' divorce isn't their fault, and that the two people involved would be happier if they were separate.
ReplyDelete