Dinosaurs Divorce

A little bit like a comic book, sort of a reference bookit's hard to classify this latest work from the Browns, but that's all right. Both children and parents will use this as they wish, for it faces head-on the emotional (sadness, anger) and physical (separation from loved ones, what to call your new father's ex-wife's children) problems of divorce. It's comprehensive, reminding kids to take care of themselves and to think of how others are feeling. If children spend time in two households, this book shows them the way to get along with the people and the rules in both. Dinosaur characters distance the readers if a situation in the book too closely mirrors their own. The pictures lighten up serious text, which in turn keeps the picturesand a child's worryfrom seeming silly and insignificant. Divided into sections like ""Why Parents Divorce,'' ``Living with Stepparents'' and ``Celebrating Holidays,'' parents can use this book to help their children understand sudden or impending changes. Divorce, for the picture-book age group or any child, is a difficult subject. Here readers will be reassured that just as the little dinosaurs survive divorce, so will they. (4-8)