Divorce, Picture Book Style: Michael Datcher Discusses A Song for Two Homes

I don’t teach children’s literature or the writing of picture books in any capacity, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like to make up writing exercises for fun. For example, imagine you had to write a picture book about divorce. Now imagine you had to write a picture book about divorce and it had to be a GOOD book. Which is to say, interesting and beautifully written with cool art. Do you have any concept of how incredibly difficult that is to accomplish? I count on one hand the number of picture books about divorce that I’ve seen that are in any way worthy of notice.

Turns out, in 2025 we’ve one such book. And it’s a doozy.

A Song for Two Homes by Dr. Michael Datcher and Charly Palmer isn’t out until October 7th but it’s already raking in the praise. Publishers Weekly called it, “a resonant portrait of unexpected change that focuses on emotional upheaval and quiet resilience.” And School Library Journal said, “this is an exceptional must-have for the shelves for helping children deal with divorce and other challenges.”

But here’s the thing. I don’t usually do this, but when I read the book I reached out to its publicist to see if Michael would be up for a Q&A. Why? Because this book is accomplishing great and difficult things.

Betsy Bird: Michael! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today. A SONG FOR TWO HOMES is, at its core, a book about a child of divorce but there’s a beauty and literary quality to it that allows it to be so much more than a mere “message” picture book. Could you give us a little backstory on why you came up with the idea to write a book, specifically a picture book, on this topic?

Hello Betsy, so many individuals are children of divorce, and they carry that childhood pain throughout their adulthood which has a way of also impacting their adult relationships, so I wanted to both address that issue but also offer a book a picture book for young kids going through that very issue.

BB: You’re a scholar and a writer of everything from literary theory to historical fiction. I’ll confess to you that when I see writers for adults attempt picture books, much of the time the stories talk down their audiences in unappealing ways. Your book, in sharp contrast, is written with not just a respect of the child reader’s mental intelligence, but their emotional intelligence as well. How did you prepare to write this book, and what is your specific take on writing for young people?

Michael: I prepared to write this book by talking to children of divorce but also observing the relationships in my own past in the past of folks who I have known. I wanted to create a book that was accessible for children but also would have resonance with adults who went through a similar situation.

BB: Let’s get into some of the choices you made with your storytelling. Our heroine Auset confesses at one point in the book that she always pretends to be okay with her mom, which is tiring, but with her dad she’s able to be honest, “But / Keeping it real / Is tiring too.” The book has this rising and falling motion of things being okay, not okay, okay again, and not okay again that fits well with this honesty. When constructing this narrative, was it clear to you from the start that this would be the format of the text, or do you discover it in subsequent drafts?

Michael: The rising and falling action is a result of the way that children’s lives often times take dramatic swings. They rise and they fall. Sometimes from day-to-day, sometimes from hour to hour, so I wanted that to be reflective in the text.

BB: You were paired with the incredible Charly Palmer as your illustrator for this story. Were you at all familiar with Charly’s part going into this? And how do you feel about the final product?

Michael: Yes, I was really impressed with Mr. Palmer’s painterly style, and I thought that he would be able to convey the emotion with which the main character articulates herself, in the story that the protagonist finds herself in.

BB: Finally, considering just how well you’ve adopted the picture book form, can we hope for more children’s books from you in the future?

There are currently no picture books in the pipeline, but I like to take a wait and see approach. Thank you so much for your interest in this important book. Peace and blessings, Michael. 

A thank you to Michael for answering my questions today and to Cynthia Lliguichuzhca and the team at Random House Children’s Books for helping to put this together. A Song for Two Homes is out October 7th so be sure to look for it then.

Filed under: Interviews