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When Someone You Love Has Died: Talking to Young Children About Death
When Someone You Love Has Died is an award-winning, heartfelt, and compassionate children's picture book that gently addresses the topic of death and the experiences that come with it. Through sensitive storytelling and beautiful illustrations, this book offers reassurance and comfort while guiding young readers through the process of understanding and coping with their emotions during a difficult time.
Honest & Accessible By using concrete and age-appropriate language, this book helps children better understand and process the complex concept of death, reducing fear and anxiety, while fostering healthy communication and emotional expression.
Validation of This book validates children's experiences and feelings, reassuring them that their emotions are normal and that it's okay to grieve. This validation offers comfort and support during a confusing and challenging time.
Coping Offering practical coping strategies empowers children to navigate their grief in healthy ways. It provides tools for expressing emotions, engaging in memorial activities, and seeking support, promoting resilience and emotional well-being.
Resource for This book serves as a valuable resource for parents, teachers, and caregivers, offering guidance on how to support children through their grief journey and facilitating meaningful conversations about death.
Educational and Therapeutic With its informative and supportive content, the book can be used as an educational tool in schools, counseling settings, and support groups. It facilitates discussions about grief, enhances emotional intelligence, and supports children's emotional well-being.
Empathy By reading When Someone You Love Has Died , children develop empathy and understanding for others who are grieving. It cultivates compassion and teaches them how to provide support and comfort to peers who may have experiences a death of a loved one.
Honest & Accessible By using concrete and age-appropriate language, this book helps children better understand and process the complex concept of death, reducing fear and anxiety, while fostering healthy communication and emotional expression.
Validation of This book validates children's experiences and feelings, reassuring them that their emotions are normal and that it's okay to grieve. This validation offers comfort and support during a confusing and challenging time.
Coping Offering practical coping strategies empowers children to navigate their grief in healthy ways. It provides tools for expressing emotions, engaging in memorial activities, and seeking support, promoting resilience and emotional well-being.
Resource for This book serves as a valuable resource for parents, teachers, and caregivers, offering guidance on how to support children through their grief journey and facilitating meaningful conversations about death.
Educational and Therapeutic With its informative and supportive content, the book can be used as an educational tool in schools, counseling settings, and support groups. It facilitates discussions about grief, enhances emotional intelligence, and supports children's emotional well-being.
Empathy By reading When Someone You Love Has Died , children develop empathy and understanding for others who are grieving. It cultivates compassion and teaches them how to provide support and comfort to peers who may have experiences a death of a loved one.
- GenresChildrensNonfiction
36 pages, Paperback
Published July 27, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 28, 2022
A beautiful book for little children who are coping with a death of a loved one in their families.
The content is written in a second person narration addressed to the little child reading the book. It talks of death in a very simple-to-understand manner – ‘the body stops working’. It then introduces the idea of grief, why people might be visiting their home or why their loved ones might be crying. The book then suggests some methods that might help the child to cope.
There are a whole load of things I loved about this picture book:
🌷 The explanations are secular. There’s no heaven or God or divine reference. As such, the book will work regardless of religious affiliations.
🌷 The content is well suited to the target age of 2-6 years. Easy language, simple rhymes, comprehensible situations, and practical solutions.
🌷 No needless philosophy or platitudes as well.
🌷 I am not usually a fan of rhythmic verses since many indie books tend to force in the rhymes. But in this book, while the rhymes aren’t very jazzy, they work in terms of meter and hence are good for reading aloud without breaking the rhythm.
🌷 The second person point of view, which I have rarely seen in picture books, works brilliantly. The writing has the feel of a beloved elder guiding the little reader on the confusing journey of understanding what’s happening around them in times of loss.
🌷 Trickier questions, such as ‘Where do people go after they die”, have not been tackled. I like this decision because the answer to this question is highly faith-dependent and a generic answer wont work. Such questions are better addressed by parents/guardians rather than books.
🌷 The illustrations suit the story well. They aren’t too vibrant as to overpower the core message, and they are still beautiful enough to merit a second gaze.
🌷 There are four full pages addressed to the parents. These contain valuable guidelines such as how to speak to your child about death, how to speak with the child’s teacher about the recent loss in the family, how to answer questions about your own sadness. I found this entire section wonderful because the approach is so hands-on.
Overall, a brilliant book. If you have had a recent death in your family and want an easy way of letting your children know that the pain is okay, do pick this up. Strongly recommended.
4.75 stars.
For those of you looking for yet another reason to grab it, the book is on deal price today (28th November 2022) – I just purchased the Kindle edition from Amazon for free!
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The content is written in a second person narration addressed to the little child reading the book. It talks of death in a very simple-to-understand manner – ‘the body stops working’. It then introduces the idea of grief, why people might be visiting their home or why their loved ones might be crying. The book then suggests some methods that might help the child to cope.
There are a whole load of things I loved about this picture book:
🌷 The explanations are secular. There’s no heaven or God or divine reference. As such, the book will work regardless of religious affiliations.
🌷 The content is well suited to the target age of 2-6 years. Easy language, simple rhymes, comprehensible situations, and practical solutions.
🌷 No needless philosophy or platitudes as well.
🌷 I am not usually a fan of rhythmic verses since many indie books tend to force in the rhymes. But in this book, while the rhymes aren’t very jazzy, they work in terms of meter and hence are good for reading aloud without breaking the rhythm.
🌷 The second person point of view, which I have rarely seen in picture books, works brilliantly. The writing has the feel of a beloved elder guiding the little reader on the confusing journey of understanding what’s happening around them in times of loss.
🌷 Trickier questions, such as ‘Where do people go after they die”, have not been tackled. I like this decision because the answer to this question is highly faith-dependent and a generic answer wont work. Such questions are better addressed by parents/guardians rather than books.
🌷 The illustrations suit the story well. They aren’t too vibrant as to overpower the core message, and they are still beautiful enough to merit a second gaze.
🌷 There are four full pages addressed to the parents. These contain valuable guidelines such as how to speak to your child about death, how to speak with the child’s teacher about the recent loss in the family, how to answer questions about your own sadness. I found this entire section wonderful because the approach is so hands-on.
Overall, a brilliant book. If you have had a recent death in your family and want an easy way of letting your children know that the pain is okay, do pick this up. Strongly recommended.
4.75 stars.
For those of you looking for yet another reason to grab it, the book is on deal price today (28th November 2022) – I just purchased the Kindle edition from Amazon for free!
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
November 29, 2022
This is an amazingly clear and succinct book to guide you into conversations with children about death. It did not give too much. It explained what has happened in the clearest of terms and offers ways to aid them in their own process of grieving a loved on. The main thing is that death, died, or dying are not bad words. That is freeing right there. There is also words for the parents after the story that are very helpful. This is the first book that I've read about death and children. I will be mindful to recommend this book.
August 27, 2022
I wish this book had been around a few years ago when my kids were younger.
It's a sweet story that tells children about what happens when someone close to them dies. It looks at the facts of that person not being around any more, visitors, and a funeral, and some ideas on how to deal with grief. At the end, there are notes for parents to help them through.
A lovely story that is sure to help families navigate grief.
It's a sweet story that tells children about what happens when someone close to them dies. It looks at the facts of that person not being around any more, visitors, and a funeral, and some ideas on how to deal with grief. At the end, there are notes for parents to help them through.
A lovely story that is sure to help families navigate grief.
November 8, 2022
Perfect discussion starter
This sweet rhyming book is the perfect way to start a discussion with a child about the truth and feelings surrounding the death of a loved one. By using real words and observations and not skirting the subject. The author opens the door for a child to be ok to explore the topic and talk about their feelings with a parent or caregiver. Well done!
This sweet rhyming book is the perfect way to start a discussion with a child about the truth and feelings surrounding the death of a loved one. By using real words and observations and not skirting the subject. The author opens the door for a child to be ok to explore the topic and talk about their feelings with a parent or caregiver. Well done!
December 4, 2024
Easy for Kiddos to Understand
We're about to have the first major loss in my child's life. My therapist suggested an approach to explaining death similar to the one taken in this book. Very factual and direct, but still age-appropriate. I'll be buying the paperback to add to our library.
We're about to have the first major loss in my child's life. My therapist suggested an approach to explaining death similar to the one taken in this book. Very factual and direct, but still age-appropriate. I'll be buying the paperback to add to our library.
August 9, 2022
Gentle sweetness
With gentle sweetness this sensitive subject is handled superbly. Imaginative illustrations do an excellent job of evoking sadness and contemplation. Well done.
With gentle sweetness this sensitive subject is handled superbly. Imaginative illustrations do an excellent job of evoking sadness and contemplation. Well done.
February 22, 2023
Really nice book to read to children when they are coping with a grief.
May 3, 2024
Excellent
Very thoughtfully done. It is a great book for children about grief. One thing that surprised me is this book rhymes, making it that much more appealing to children.
Very thoughtfully done. It is a great book for children about grief. One thing that surprised me is this book rhymes, making it that much more appealing to children.
August 15, 2024
Great for littles!
Great find for littles. Hope I never need this, but if I do, it is very good. Additional resources in the back for helping young ones deal with loss.
Great find for littles. Hope I never need this, but if I do, it is very good. Additional resources in the back for helping young ones deal with loss.
April 11, 2025
This book is a beautiful way to help young children cope with grief.
At the end of the book, it also has advice for parents on how to discuss grief with your child.
At the end of the book, it also has advice for parents on how to discuss grief with your child.
August 7, 2022
wonderful book
What a well done book about a hard subject. It’s a daunting experience to have to communicate the death of loved ones to children, and I hope a book like this will help many
What a well done book about a hard subject. It’s a daunting experience to have to communicate the death of loved ones to children, and I hope a book like this will help many
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews