A Family That Fights »

Henry, Claire, and Joe hate it when their parents fight. The fighting often wakes them from a sound sleep, causing Claire and Joe to cry. The crying makes their father angrier—sometimes he even hits their mother.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-- A bibliotherapeutic tool about domestic violence that's best placed on parenting shelves. An introductory paragraph stresses the universality of family disagreements, then distinguishes between them and family violence. As Henry attempts to shield his younger siblings from their father's abuse of their mother, he worries, experiences embarrassment and fear, and succumbs to daydreaming. Final comments stress that the children are not the cause of or to be blamed for their parents' actions. Appended are lists of what children can do to help themselves and what parents can do. In soft and muted tones, Ritz's sepia and charcoal scenes enhance and elucidate the text. These double-page spreads feature frightened, bewildered, or helpless children; an innovative decorative technique gives the paper the look of having been ripped forcibly from a tablet. Paris's Mommy and Daddy Are Fighting (Seal Pr., 1986) is aimed at a somewhat younger audience, yet places more emphasis on discussion techniques with specific questions offered on feelings, family violence, and family issues. A book on a much needed topic, related in a competent and assuring manner. --Celia A. Huffman, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland