Excellent illustrations, great intent, over-simplified story.

Mabel is the child of divorced parents. (The blurb says ‘divorced’. The book doesn’t explain anything.) As such, her life is divided between two houses. Thus her bedroom, her bathroom, her breakfast, her play time, all are different and she feels frustrated. However, when it is her turn to have the class pet iguana over, she realises how much fun the iguana has with a different house each week. She soon sees the positive side of her situation.

I read this book thrice. Thrice! A picture book! Once each for three consecutive days. The first two times, I felt like there was something missing but I couldn’t put a finger on it. Third time’s the charm, as they say. The story is much too simplified! Let me elaborate...

Mabel’s mom seems to live alone in her home, and so does Mabel’s dad in his home. There’s no other step-family in the picture. Furthermore, the book makes it a point to contrast the living habits of the parents in a bid to get Mabel to appreciate the variety in her life. For example, home-cooked meals in one house and takeaways in the other; bubble baths in one house and showers in the other; bedtime is story-time in one house and tickle-time in the other. But what if a child’s parents have similar habits and there’s not much difference in the lifestyle? What if the parents are bitter towards each other? What if the parents are busy at work and the staying plans are changed? There are many grey areas in this situation but the book only covers a picture-perfect ideal.

Yes, I love the intention of the book. Its heart is in the right place. I loved that positive spin it put on a frustrating situation. But divorce is never easy on the kids, and this book might go two ways. It will either help the children look at things in a more optimistic manner, or it will break their little hearts for not having a similarly smooth life even after their parents’ separation.

For what it’s worth, the illustrations are adorable. The contrasts of Mabel’s two lifestyles comes out very clearly, and the bright colours add to the charm.

I guess when you have to explain difficult ideas to children, simplification is the best way out. But I still feel this book is a bit too idealistic.

3.75 stars from me.

My thanks to Beaming Books and Edelweiss for the DRC of “Mabel's Topsy-Turvy Homes”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.


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