This Book Is for All Kids, but Especially My Sister Libby. Libby Died.

by Jack Simon

Jack Simon was five years old when his sister, Libby, died. She'd been born with a rare disorder and wasn't expected to survive six months. But she lived three and a half years, giving Jack plenty of time to get to know her. When she died, Jack struggled to understand how God could take away his little sister.Everyone experiences grief, but children express it differently. Afraid to ask questions that might make someone sadder, children often keep their sorrow locked inside. Jack's mom, Annette, encouraged her son to talk about his pain, and she insightfully began a diary. Jack's questions eventually became the picture book This Book Is for All Kids, but Especially My Sister Libby. Libby Died. His words were illustrated with his input by his mom, a graphic designer.A grieving Jack thought no one in the world could possibly know how he felt. In truth, his questions are universal. Communication is especially important at a time of loss. Ironically, that's exactly when no one quite knows what to say. Not even grown-ups.Which is why This Book Is for All Kids is the perfect way to help children and adults begin to deal with loss. Already used nationally in Ronald McDonald Houses and praised by authors, educators, parents, and professionals-including the American Hospice Foundation and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation-This Book Is for All Kids is a starting point for loving conversations about death, grief, and hope. Designed for children, this book is becoming a source of comfort for people of all ages and faiths.Ultimately, This Book Is for All Kids is for anyone who's lost a loved one.

Genres: Nonfiction, Grief, Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[pati · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected more from this book sight unseen, however, once it was in my hands I could see the innocence of a child trying to understand the afterlife for his younger sister. He was asking questions that we all have and will not ever really have the answers for. Now that I have read the book, I see that Jack's mom was helping work through their personal grief as best anyone can who has to 'explain' death to a child.

[Benjamin Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A child processing the death of a sibling in their own words. This would be an excellent book for a child who has recently experienced a loss, to help them process and show them that other people face similar situations. It does spend a fair amount of time talking about God and angels though, so if that is not your thing you'll want to be aware of that before reading or sharing it.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is super sweet. It's all those sorts of questions kids might ask when dealing with death at an early age (and all those questions us adults would like to ask but think we're too big to ask them).