Thursday by Ann Bonwill, illustrated by Kayla Harren

 Thursday was her favorite day of the week, until her parents told her that there would be big changes. With simple, gentle text and glowing pictures, a child's experience of divorce is presented with a hopeful and positive outlook.

The unnamed girl's fears and emotions are not brushed over - she knows everything will change and she feels sad and angry. However, her stuffed unicorn toy grows big and stays with her as she deals with moving, a new school, and new experiences. The word "divorce" isn't specifically mentioned, but the illustrations, shifting from a cheerful white background and full-color to blue and purple-tinged illustrations, and then back to the brighter colors, show the progression of her family changes and emotions. Although she's shown in new and different places with her parents, and the divorce is implied through the jagged breaking of their family, this could just as well be applied to a child moving to a new place or experiencing other family changes.

The illustrations are warm and lovely, showing the support and love of both the girls family and her stuffed unicorn, her challenges and grief and eventual acceptance and return to enjoying the new things she is experiencing. Her initial classroom is small and diverse and her new school shows glimpses of girls in uniforms. The girl's father is white and the mother Black, the girl herself appears to be of Asian descent.

This isn't a story I'd pick for a storytime or classroom reading, but it's a gentle introduction to family changes. Although it does lean heavily towards an amicable divorce with both parents being involved and caring and no obvious financial difficulties, it will be a reassuring story to read with little ones dealing with the emotional challenges that accompany divorce or a move.

Verdict: A strong addition to your parenting or social-emotional collections, with the added fillip of a magical unicorn which will attract many young readers.

ISBN: 9781542032896; Published June 2022 by Two Lions/Amazon; Borrowed via Kindle Unlimited; Added to the library's order list