by Megan Madison & Jessica Ralli
Illustrated by Isabel Roxas
5 stars
A wonderful introduction to talking about death, dying, and grief with young ones. Told in kid-friendly language, this book provides talking points for caregivers to introduce concepts of death and grief. The book is broken down into different common questions such as what grief is, what it can look like, and what it can feel like.
The information is presented in a way that acts as a baseline for caregivers to add to and expand on depending on the child. Good flow. Includes various check-in points to address children’s questions and allow them to reflect of their own experiences.
Allows room for caregivers to work in their own ideas such as what happens to a person when they die. It shows different ways of grieving, remembering, and saying goodbye, treating all as valid.
The illustrations are wonderful. They follow various families through the process of saying goodbye from illness to funerals to remembering those who have died. They do not shy away from some of the hard feelings associated with death including anger, confusion, frustration, and sadness.
At the back is further information for caregivers on how to approach conversations with tips such as pointing out fantasy versus reality in movies and stories, using straightforward language, and confronting children’s fear or worry of death.
An encouraging, empathetic, informational guide to help navigate difficult conversations. A wonderful resource.