Fred Stays With Me!

Divorce is difficult for children of any age but this book does a great job of showing how the main character handles the situation. Despite having to split her life between her parents, her faithful dog companion stays by her side, showing how stability can still exist in such a rocky experience.

Ok, maybe my title is a little too dramatic, but I found this book to be profound. A young girl stays with her mom sometimes and with her Dad sometimes. In both homes, her dog, Fred, stays with her. Fred's behavior has some issues that concern the parents, who both eventually take the attitude that Fred can't stay with them anymore. Upon the little girl's proclamation that Fred stays with her, the parents find solutions to Fred's behavior rather than kicking him out. Hmmmm, is there a larger message here? Obviously divorce is a reality of our times and this book is the best I've seen for children about the subject. There seems to be a bigger moral lesson here to the parents, as well - that maybe divorce isn't always the best answer when challenges arise. It's not a preachy, hit-you-over-the-head, sermon. It's a quiet message of commitment and love.

In simple and concise language, this book shows how an only child lives, views, and copes with divorced parents; her faithful canine companion Fred provides support and comfort as she travels between her parents' houses. The text is appropriate for ages three and up and provides a successful opening for divorce issue conversations.

I have searched for books to help my 4 year old daughter better understand life after divorce. I have not found a book yet that shed a positive family dynamic until Fred Stays with Me! Our family experience was fortunately far more positive than many of the books on the market that deal with divorce suggest. We tried a few others and the father always seems disinterested or abusive. While I recognize these subjects are important for some families, I applaud the author and illustrator for making divorce the background. My daughter adores the book. It has sparked wonderful conversations about our family situation.

For the last 14 years I have taught Positive Divorce Resolution, a 4 hour course for divorcing parents in Florida and this book is my all time favorite. It is simple, clear, a real pleasure to read. Fred Stays With Me is the first and only book that has you pulling for the child every step of the way. Very well written, well illustrated and complete in its message: kids need to be considered, kids need consistency, kids need support. I would like for every judge in family law and every attorney who practices family law to have a copy in their waiting rooms. I will keep Fred Stays with me on my list of recommended reading for parents. Thank you Nancy Coffelt, for writing this book!

Maybe it's a little too soon to start cooing loudly over a 2007 title. And not just any 2007 title but a JUNE 2007 title. Maybe. And maybe it's too soon to start mentioning it to my patrons when they ask for picture books that concern a topic all too common in American today; divorce. Maybe. And maybe it's too soon to start whispering words like "fabulous pictures" and "sensible touching plot" and "must-own title" around Nancy Coffelt's, "Fred Stays With Me". Maybe. Or maybe a blogger like myself should start as early as possible to help rustle up some support for what I strongly believe to be a must-have 2007 pick. Picture books come and picture books go but I think there's gonna be one thing we can all agree on in the upcoming 2007 season... "Fred Stays With Me!" Says the young girl hero of this book, life can be inconsistent but not when it comes to her dog Fred's living status. Whether she's living with her mom one day or her dad the next, "Fred stays with me!". Of course, it's not as if Fred is a perfect pet at all times. When they're at her mom's he likes to bark at the next door neighbor's poodle. When they're at her dad's, Fred eats every sock you can find. Still, the pup is a constant in the little girl's life. So much so that when each of her parents make the point that Fred can't stay with them, our heroine declares long and loud that there is no question of Fred staying with one parent or another. After all, "Fred stays with ME!" Realizing this, her mom and dad find ways to work around or change Fred's less than desirable habits and all is well in the end. Now you would think with the sheer number of children of divorce living in America today that there would be a plethora of excellent picture book titles out there reflecting those kids' living situations. Now I'm going to sit you down and ask you a question. Have a seat. You ready? Okay. Look me in the eye and name five books written for young children that are really excellent, talk about divorce, and are instantly relatable. Can't come up with five? I'll make it easy on you then. Come up with three. No, wait, two. Come up with just two titles. Remember, they have to be "good". Not the usual Mommy-And-Daddy-Don't-Live-Here-Anymore Mr. Rodgers knock-offs clogging bookstore shelves nationwide. Honest-to-goodness smart books of divorce are as uncommon as sweet summer rains in December. They can happen, but they're rare. "Fred Stays With Me!" is the very definition of rare too. Few books really capture the heart of a character's story like this book manages to do. The little girl in this book accepts her situation. It's not perfect but she has something constant in her life that she can always count on. Her Fred. And Fred's no saint himself, but with a little pushing on the girl's part, her parents can learn to adapt to the dog's messy ways. He doesn't fit perfectly into their lives but he fits perfectly into their daughter's, and they simpl