Was It the Chocolate Pudding?: A Story For Little Kids About Divorce

by Sandra Levins, Bryan Langdo

Readers learn about divorce, and receive age-appropriate explanations of what is happening regarding such issues as single-parent homes and joint custody as well as how divorce is a grown-up problem, not the child's fault. Simultaneous.

Genres: Divorce, Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Parenting

40 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

When Sandra Levins began writing children's books she fell in love with the message behind the stories and the notion that they can make a positive difference in the lives of children and families.

Sandra is the author of a graphic novel for young adults, four children’s picture books, and a Young Adult novel in eBook format. Her works have received the National Indie Excellence Award for LGBTQ Fiction for Children and Young Adults and twice received Mom's Choice Award for Children's Picture Books. She is a Gelett Burgess Children's Book and National Parenting Publications Awards Honors Winner. Her picture books have been translated into Chinese, Korean, and Arabic. A natural-born storyteller, Sandra writes about real-life issues like divorce, remarriage, honesty, LGBT questioning, and teen pregnancy.

Sandra lives with her husband, Jim, in Burlington, Iowa, a short hike from the Mighty Mississippi.

Reviews

[Heba]

قصة قصيرة للصغار عن الانفصال بين الوالدين ، لم يعد الوضع مثالياً ولكن يمكن التأقلم مع الوضع الحالي ، أن يتنقل الطفل بين والده ووالدته ، وسيقضي وقتاً مُمتعاً ومُسلياً وكل ما هنالك أنها مشكلة تخص الكبار وليس خطأ قد ارتكبه الأبناء....
أمعنت النظر في الرسومات ، بسيطة وعفوية ومُعبرة ...
توقف قلبي لوهلة أمام تلك الصور القديمة التي تجمع العائلة ، أدركت بأنها لم تعد كذلك....
وتوقف قلبي للمرة الثانية أمام نظرة الطفل الخائفة القلقة بينما كان الأب والأم يتشاجران...
لو التفت أحدهم في تلك اللحظة لربما توقفا عن الصياح ولكن من يبالي ؟...
عن الإحساس بالذنب الذي يقضم روح الصغير بأنه من تسبب في انفصال والديه عندما لطخ وجه أخيه وملابسه بالشيكولاتة يرى إنه من تسبب بالفوضي التي أدت إلى الانفصال....فيقول الكبار لا لست أنت يا صغيري ...نحن آسفون....وعليكم يا صغاري أن تتقبلوا الصورة الجديدة لنا...
هكذا إذن...
اعلم بأن ثمة لحظة فارقة عندها تستحيل الحياة بين الطرفين ولكن ألم تدركا ذلك قبل أن يصبح لديكما صغار تتمزق أرواحهم بينكما في معادلة خاسرة ؟؟....
لم أستطع تقييمها...كانت مؤلمة جداا 💔

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the best one. It's kid-friendly, has text for adults, and, in a pleasant change, the kids live the majority of the time with their dad and see their mom on weekends. It's still clear that both parents love their kids, and it deals with a very realistic fear a lot of kids have that divorce is somehow their fault.

[Lara Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This piece of realistic fiction was expressive and thorough. The story starts with a young boy who feels like he finally figured out why his parents divorced; he covered his younger brother in chocolate pudding. Throughout the story, he talks about all the aspects of divorce in kid-friendly language and through age-appropriate explanations. At the end, his mom reveals that he is not the cause of his parents divorce. She explains that sometimes things just happen, and that's OK. For children who have gone through, are going through, or are about to go through a divorce, this book is a fantastic choice. The explanations of common divorce terminology would definitely spark discussion, which is something you most likely would want to be doing when faced with this circumstance. There was a wide variety of emotions shown, which all children can relate to. I feel that the life portrayed in the book is one many readers would know well, where they stay at one parents house one weekend and the other parents house the next. The book even highlights a caretaker who watches them while their dad is working. The mom, who didn't have primary custody of the children, is portrayed in a loving, positive light, and I believe this is crucial when writing a story of this nature. You could even use this book to explain why a child's friend, cousin, neighbor, etc. has parents who live in different homes. I strongly feel that an elementary-aged child could benefit from hearing this story. This book is also very beneficial to parents because it includes a note at the end with tips for helping children cope with their emotions and how to promote recovery after a divorce!

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I imagine this book is more appealing to fathers than mothers, because it's about a divorce where the kids live with a super-dad who plays with the young one all day then goes to work in the evenings, reads to them, plays with them, cooks for them, and is just cheerful and loving and the greatest guy ever, and then the kids see the mom every other Saturday.

The worst thing the dad apparently ever did was blame the mom for being outside while he was asleep, resulting in the mess he blithely laughed off but she was upset about (presumably because she knows she's the one who will have to clean it up).

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a little different from the typical divorce books, in that it addressed divorce causes (perceived or otherwise) and the kids stay mainly with their dad. It felt a little overly long, but was written in a very easily readable voice, so kids may enjoy that. May be good for the 5-7 age set? The notes in the back for parents are very good.

[Hali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that expresses that divorce is not the fault of the children, rather about differences between adults. Also, includes kid friendly definitions of words commonly used by divorcing/divorced parents. My kids love it!

[معصومه توکلی · Rating 3 out of 5]

عنوان ترجمه فارسی:
به خاطر دسر شکلاتی

[Heather Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how this story is told from the young boy's point of view. It's relatable and explains things in a way that many children can understand.

[PottWab Regional Library]

O

[Faith Barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was It The Chocolate Pudding, is a story about a parents divorce and why the boys think it's their fault. The two brothers try to have a snack of chocoalte pudding early one morning with no supervision. When the older brother tries to open the pudding, the pudding goes all over his little brother. Once this happens everything escalades into eating some of the pudding, smearing some and then they painted the walls. When the dad comes into the room he thinks it is funny, but the mom doesn't think that at all. The mom and dad start to fight and thats why the boys think the divorce is their fault. One day the older brother tells him mom, "Mommy I am sorry about the chocolate pudding mess and that I was sorry I made her leave home and make a divorce in our family." The moms responds with, "OH NO!", "Sweetie, it's not your fault that your dad and I divorced. It had nothing to do with chocolate pudding. Daddy and I tried to work out our differences, but we couldn't. This is a grown-up problem. It is absolutely not your fault!"
I think this is a great read for children whose parents are going through a divorce because when children are at a young age they do not really understand what is going on. Children will sometimes think that the reason their parents aren't together anymore is because of something that they did. The author, Sandra Levin was inspired to write her stories because of her two stepsons and has experience with divorce firsthand. The illustrator, Bryan Langdo is an illustrator at heart and wants to begin drawing first thing in the mornings and is happily married to his wife.

[Leslie Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about two little boys stuck in the middle of their parent's divorce. The older brother wakes up early one day and heads down to kitchen to get something to eat. He finds chocolate pudding and brings it into his little bothers room. When he pulls the top off the pudding, it goes everywhere and the boys make a mess with it. Dad comes in and laughs with the boys but Mom comes in and gets very angry. The parents start fighting and the boys are sure that it's their fault. The book progresses and the parents end up getting a divorce. The older brother blames himself and feels responsible but the parents tell him that it's not his fault at all. "OH NO! This is a grown up problem and in no way your fault". They assure him that it's not his fault and that sometimes people fall out of love but that they would never stop loving the boys. The book is a great book to use with students going through a divorce because too often children blame themselves. "They didn't tell my brother and me why, but I figured it out. It was because I smeared chocolate pudding all over my brother". Children have a hard time understanding divorce but the book uses situations and language that they can understand. "Divorce is the grown-up word for when mommies and daddies decide not to live together anymore". The author, Sandra Levins, wrote the book for her two stepsons and is familiar with divorce herself. The Illustrator, Bryan Langdo, is happily married and has been doing illustration for children's books for a long time.

[Xinxin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was It the Chocolate Pudding is a children’s book talking about a tough topic — divorce.
In the book, a young boy shares his perspective on his parents’ divorce. He thinks that his parents divorced because he and his brother made a huge mess with chocolate pudding. One day the boy apologizes to his mom about the chocolate pudding, and the mom explains to him that divorce is a grown-up problem, which was not his fault, and both Daddy and Mom still love him and his brother even though they got divorced.
It is a picture book written for kids at age 2-6, so it is telling story from the point of view of engaged kid as its narrator, which could bring a special reading experience to children. This book also has a special design to provide additional helpful information to adults--- the informative note to parents in the back by psychologist and writer Jane Annunziata, about how adults can help children cope with the many emotions experienced with divorce. These traits make this book a qualified bibliotherapy books.
I recommend this book to the children both who are not experiencing this situation and those who are under the circumstance of parents’ divorce, for it would enrich their life knowledge and teach them how people cope with the tough subject in lives, and bring comfort to their little spirits.

[Cindy Sa · Rating 5 out of 5]

In all families, father and mother will yell with each other, because there are too many differences between two persons, whatever they are too close or too know well with each other. But I want to say to all parents, "When you decide to argue with your wife or husband, please think more about your child. Maybe you can go to the bedroom and close the door to yell with each other, but please take a low voice and clam down first."
There are more and more children have the same feeling like the old brother in this book, they are worried all the time when their parents argue with each other. The children need some explanations for everything for only divorce. In the book, the older brother just said he want the parents can explain the big stuff, but I want to say the hearts of the young children are fragile all the time. Their heart will be broken easily by the small mistake or the small word.
In the book, the two brothers were never took the chocolate puddings after their parents divorce. In their eyes, their parents divorce because of the chocolate puddings. Is it good? Of course, its not. Please explain more stuff with your little kid and try to let them to understand you and will never be worried about their mistakes.

[Megan McKenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal reaction: This book was a great example of what a child may be feeling with divorcing parents. It is told by a child who's parents are divorcing and he thinks that it is his fault for making his parents fight. The story itself is cute but is very relatable for even very young children. The back of the book includes a note to parents which is a nice addition of ways to talk to children about the story.

Purpose(s): Independent reading--for/with a child experiencing divorce of parents. This book can be used for children as young as preschool age if they are having trouble understanding changes their family is going through because of divorce. The book is very good at explaining words and that are associated with divorce in ways that children will be able to understand at a young age (i.e. "New arrangement is the grown-up word for changing lots of things you used to do.").

*This story could also be a good example for parents who are getting divorced. Reading this book may help them anticipate questions that their children may have about divorce and avoid the children feeling at fault.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy shares his experience with divorce in his family. He thinks that his parents divorced because him and his brother made a huge mess with chocolate pudding. As a result of the divorce, many new adjustments and changes take place. His mom moves out, his dad walks him to school, a nice lady watches the boy and his brother after school while his dad works at night, and every other Saturday he and his brother visit their mom. One day, the boy apologizes to his mom about the chocolate pudding and the mom explains that divorce is a grown-up problem and that it was not his fault. The text and illustrations are kid-friendly and help to convey the many emotions that young children experience when their parents have a divorce.

I appreciate the informative note to parents in the back that address more specifically how adults can help children cope with the many emotions experienced with divorce.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This narrative is told by a young boy who feels that he is to blame for his parents’ divorce (ex. “I made her leave home and make a divorce in our family”). The incident that “caused” the divorce was the night the young boy and his even younger brother made a huge mess with chocolate pudding. Dad thought it was funny, but Mommy was very mad. The author, Sandra Levins, delivers an important message in this cute story that grown-up problems are not the kids’ fault. Because Bryan Langdo’s precious illustrations so accurately match the words, I would use this text during read-aloud to have students make story predictions from the images. This is also a great text for introducing new vocabulary words (ex. “arrangement,” “ideal,” “relief”). I admire that Levins, a step-mom herself, shows the father as the main care taker of the children after the divorce (ex. “Mommy doesn't live with us anymore”). This shows another perspective that is not often seen in books on this topic.

[Karley]

Was it the Chocolate Pudding is a picture book about a child's confusion when facing divorce. The older brother thought that his mom left because him and his little brother made a huge mess with chocolate pudding. The story explores single parenting, and the situations that follow; such as the children having to stay with a baby sitter because their parents work late. Sandra Lewis allows the child to tell the story, and has him explain some of the difficult words in a way that children will understand. The illustrations by Bryan Langdo are interactive, and add to the story. As a teacher I will be able to use this text when exploring the many family styles. The children could learn a lot from this text, and gain more understanding from this story about the situations of divorce. Levins' husband grew up in a divorce, and is her inspiration when writing children's books about divorce.

[Marissa Twitchell]

Was It the Chocolate Pudding? by Sandra Levins is a realistic fiction story about kids in a family who's parents have decided to get a divorce. The book follows the kids in the family through what they believe caused the divorce, the chocolate pudding mess that their parents got into an argument about. I believe this book relates to my topic because it involves a family going through a divorce, which is a situation and family structure many kids will be able to find connections to. It also includes exposure to decisions and events that many families with divorced parents have in common, for example, the book describes how one parent moved out of the house and the kids move from one parent to the other to spend time with.

[jenee tuggle]

c) Text-to-World Connection: How does a theme or content presented in the book connect to something happening in the


this book is a good book to read to a child that is experiencing divorce in there household. A lot of kids have trouble accepting their parents getting a divorce. Children often act out in a negative way in school ,do to their parents getting a divorce because they do not want their family broken up. children often blame themselves on their parents getting a divorce. They think it is something they did and try to fix the problem to keep their family together. There are a lot of seminars, internet resources and books for parents to use to explain to their children about divorce and how to handle it.

[Miley Smiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Subgroup: Family; divorce/single parent families

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Synopsis: This book is based on the common idea that a child in a family going through a divorce thinks that it is their fault. The children in the story make a mess with chocolate pudding, and the mess causes the parents to fight and shortly after get a divorce. As a little time passes, the mother explains that it wasn't their fault, that some parents fight and the best thing for them is to live separately.

3.) Levins, S. (2006). Was it the Chocolate Pudding? A Story for Little Kids About Divorce. Washington, D.C.: Magination Press

[Molly Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really rang true for me because it deals with a child's parents getting divorced from the child's point of view. It takes the reader into the mind of a young child going through divorce, with them thinking it was their fault. They think that they did something wrong to cause their parents to split apart. I think it is a good idea to expose your class to this because they may have friends or classmates whose parents are going through a divorce. It helps them to learn that people may come from different backgrounds or have different lifestyles that they do.

[Ashley Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a litte boy that thinks that he caused his parents to get divorced because he smeared chocolate pudding al over his brothers room. This book would be a great introduction to talking about how families are different and some of the events that take place that make them different. It would also help put those students at ease tat fee they have a family that is considered different from the norm.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Divorce is a tricky topic to tackle when it comes to kids. I felt that this book was aimed toward very young kids, even pre-K, and is simple to read. This book does a good job of explaining some very adult lingo when it comes to the topic of divorce and makes meaning of the words the kids would hear their parents saying in such a scenario. I think this would be a good book to read to a small child trying to understand a difficult situation.

[Leslie Zinsmeister · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would be a great one to have on a classroom shelf. Many children are or have gone through divorce and at the age we will be teaching, will most likely think that it is their fault. It is a perfect book to allow students to realize that adults have problems that have nothing to do with children.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a great story for a parent to read to there child if they are going throguh a divorce. This could also be an individual read for a student in the second or third grade. Many students can relate to this topice and it is appropriate to have in a classroom library.

[Nmyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story to help parents explain divorce to younger kids!

[zomgliyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for a sad topic for children. Puts divorce on a level that children will understand.

[Amber]

1 copy

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a confused child it might help guide the way. For a new partner coming into a separated family it gives some perspective on what the children could be learning to understand.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads well for KG and older.