'That Missing Feeling' by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater very well captures the feelings and emotions of a child from a broken family. Mia is a young girl whose parents are divorced. She has this constant feeling of missing wither her mom or her dad or the way they used to be - together at one place/home. Her missing feeling makes her sad and think about the happier times together with her parents. The story is how she has conquered that missing feeling with the help from her grandfather. She starts a journal writing her feelings. This helps her immensely to deal with her situation.

It will be a great book for children who are dealing with their parents going through a separation or divorce when everything changes and their normal is no longer what it once was.

Deep emotions and sensitive feelings are captured very well.

Fine book about a kid dealing with her parents' divorce and having to live/go between two homes. This one is a bit different from others on this topic by talking about how journaling is a good way to creatively and constructively examine and explore feelings and emotions.

I found this book to be similar to “Here and There” by Tamera Ellis Smith, in that it focused on a child’s adjustment to having two separate homes. “That Missing Feeling” follows a little girl who is insightful enough to realize that no matter which parent she is with, she is left yearning for the other. She feels unsettled and untethered. Her Grandfather notices that she is struggling and shares that journaling has helped him with difficult feelings he experienced after the little girl’s grandmother passed away. As the child begins to journal, she finds that her words and pictures become her anchor and home.

I appreciated the author’s recognition that journaling can include doodling or writing fleeting thoughts. Many times people resist beginning a journaling practice because they assume that journaling is done in long form, which can be intimidating. I also found the authors inclusion of information about the value of journaling at the end of the book to be helpful and affirming of the practice.

Mia is a precious young girl who has parents who are separating. Mia loves her parents and lives with both parents; however, she finds herself missing the family unit when her family all lives together. Mia’s grandfather gives her a notebook and introduces her to journaling so that she has a safe place to write and draw about her feelings. This is perfect to use to help discuss separation, divorce, and child custody arrangements with children.

A helpful story about dealing with emotions through journaling. Mia is the child of divorce and doesn't know how to handle "that missing feeling". But her grandpa gives her a notebook in which to process her feelings. I think this book is a great tool to teach children about dealing with their emotions.

This one really got to me. I felt the pain little Mia feels when her parents divorce. Even her dog and cat are split between households, so they can no longer play together. The loss pervades Mia’s life while she thinks back to happier times with her parents. Thankfully, her grandfather understands grief as he still misses his late wife. He teaches Mia how to write out her feelings in a journal and this helps immensely. Also helpful is the end section with tips on journaling to manage feelings. Highly recommended!

5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 12 Jan 2021
#ThatMissingFeeling #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, illustrator, American Psychological Association’s Magination Press, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

That Missing Feeling by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater is a book about Mia, a young girl, who was having a difficult time with due to her parent’s separation/divorce. This book can be a resource for children that are experiencing a similar situation. I liked the suggestions at the end of the book for keeping a journal. #ThatMissingFeeling #NetGalley

Really lovely story that follows the story of Mia after her parents split up which means she has 2 homes.
It follows her fears and sadness about how much she misses the other parent whilst with one of them.
But her grandpa teaches her how to write down her feelings and keep a journal which massively help her.
Really lovely book

Usually, society thinks a couple who get divorced were suffering before the divorce, so the separation happened for good. But is that so? For me, the person(s) who affect the most is/are kids (s). In the majority of cases, kids who were happy usually with both parents suddenly could see only one of them at a time.

The book "That Missing Feeling" by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater covers one such story. Mia, a small girl, the main character of our story faces the same issue. She was going through depression due to the separation of her parents. It was her grandfather who understood the problem and gave her a creative solution. Another message that the book delivers is the habit of keeping a journal/diary.

A good read for kids.

Mia had that missing feeling a lot.
Sometimes that missing feeling made her angry, and she yelled
Sometimes that missing feeling made her sad, and she cried.
Sometimes Mia kept that missing feeling all to herself because she did not want to make her parents sad.

A helpful resource for children that their parents are divorced. The feelings that you have and the simple ways you can process those feelings. Mia is not alone in her feelings. She has two of everything and she misses her family the way they use to be. Her grandfather helps her with journaling and how her notebook is a home for her heart.

I was impressed with a sensitive subject and how it simplified a complex situation. At the end of the book, there are suggestions on how to keep a journal and what to use it for. I think children will find connection with Mia thus help with those feelings.

A special thank you to Magination Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

When Mia is at her dad's house, she misses her mom. When she's at her mom's house, she misses her dad. Sometimes she just misses when her parents used to be together. This book addresses this real issue without discounting or minimizing Mia's feelings. Each page is full of vivid color to keep readers engaged and the final pages have useful advice about keeping one's own journal. It's a great addition to collections!

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved this! As a person that had divorced parents as a child I can really relate to what it depicted in this, and I felt like it dealt with that sense of loss of a "whole family" in a good way. I also really liked how the whole book has spreads that are divided into two, but when things start to go better for her it suddenly becomes one big picture towards the end. It's great that it encourages reflection and using a diary to do so, since this is a key tool when it comes to dealing with feelings.

Overall a really good picture book that I would recommend to anyone!

I thought that this book was excellent.

It was well written and easy to follow and really got the point over.

It will be a great book for children who are dealing with their parents going through a separation or divorce when everything changes and their normal is no longer what it once was.

The book will help them start to come to terms with it and it gives them an idea for a different way to cope. The book covers a sensitive topic very well and it is perfectly pitched at the age group.

It is 5 stars from me for this one - very highly recommended!

I adore this book. Even though it's a children's picture storybook, it tries to tell how children get affected when their parents separate.

Mia gets sad and misses her parents being together. It's been affecting her moods and she doesn't know how to deal with everything.

Her grandfather comes up with something to make her cope better.

And I do feel it's a very effective way to express our feelings. It will not solve everything but yes, it will give us a chance to explore our emotions and express it abd understand.

This is a sad story to say but it's some reality we cannot avoid and this book provides a good option to channel our thoughts into something manageable for us so that we can teach the kids how to cope under such conditions.

Thank you authors and the publisher for the ARC.

A deeply emotional story about the feelings children deal with when their world is turned upside down after their parents separate. How it’s so hard to express their feelings and emotions.

This story had some really great information for young readers on how to cope with overwhelming feelings and finding a productive outlet for them. The support that the main character received from her family was also an important message.

I was a child of divorce at a young age, and I was also an only child. I was really able to connect with story! I loved the way it talked about expressing your emotions and that it is okay to feel sad or lonely. I enjoyed the artwork in this book and the tips for starting your own journal at the end of the book!

A great book for kids who are dealing with parents being separated or going through a divorce. It helps them come to terms with it and find a way in order to cope. It’s a great read and a touching topic to look at.

*Thanks Netgalley and Magination Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*