Reflections of a Changing World

A list of books about children in one-parent families.

OPFS have compiled a list of children's books that reflect the changing world of family structures.

This is not to say that these are special books that should only be read by children in one parent families. We want all parents and children to read these books, so that everybody can explore the issues of bereavement, separation, divorce, single parenthood and teenage pregnancy. We also hope that the list will be useful for teachers, librarians, booksellers, children's organisations and advice agencies.

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How to use the Guide

The eleven subject areas can be accessed from the menu below.

Books are indexed by author, with the main listings arranged alphabetically by author within each subject area.

The database isn't searchable (yet). If you are looking for a particular title, the best way is to choose the correct subject area.

The subject areas are:

Death of a Parent/Sibling
Divorce
Remarriage
Separation
Single Father
Single Mother
Single Parent Family
Step Families
Step Father
Gay & Lesbian Families
General Advice

Each entry contains the following information:

Title
Author
Publication Date
Price
Suggested Age Range
ISBN Number
Publisher
In/Out of Print
OPFS Borrowing

The list is not by any means exhaustive, and we welcome suggestions of further titles. We have tried to include books by Scottish authors, which tend to be under-represented in other lists.

Not all the books listed are still in print, but they may be available from libraries.
Some titles can be borrowed from One Parent Families Scotland.

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Acknowledgements

We have drawn upon previous lists in compiling our selection, and give grateful acknowledgement to guide produced by the National Council for One Parent Families (We don't all live with Mum and Dad), booklists produced by Letterbox Library and the National Stepfamily Association, Waterstones Children's Book guide, and information from Book Trust Scotland and publishers.

Many thanks to Jayne Hale, who compiled and produced this information and to the publishers who supplied us with books.