Customer Reviews

Buddy's Candle:

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is beautifully written and while emotionally charged .. the charge is positive! I would highly recommend this for children who have suffered loss.. whether it be a pet or human loved one.

My son lost his Father, his Grandfather and his dog of 7 years all in the same year (at age 7). I gave him Buddy's Candle to read at age 10. He read it cover to cover in 15 minutes and afterward he hugged me. He said he couldn't believe that the author was able to make him cry (he never cried through any of his loss). He said he knew it was a good author because he knew how to write to make the feelings come. He was embarrassed when he admitted that the book made him tear up .. until I said "Don't worry .. I cried too."

While Buddy's List will make you cry .. it also paints a very positive picture for all of us to use to replace the dark and scary image we often have of death.

This book really helped us to bring forth and process some important feelings.

While it is a children's book it is also a book I would encourage adults to read. There are many inspirational reminders in it to live each day. And, as adults it may also remind us that our love for the one we have lost will always keep them close.

I would highly recommend this book for both children and adults. It is a great story, well written with positive messages throughout the book. It is also a book that should be in every veterinarian clinic.

Buddy's Candle beautifully offers both children and adults powerful lessons: how to handle the loss of a loved one, the value of dogs and other animals in our lives, living our lives fully in each moment, and the power of love. A sweet and tender book with heart-warming illustrations.

In this tender and heart-warming story we meet nine-year old Simon who is about to hear a story about his dad's battle with leukemia when he was Simon's age. He told him how he wanted a dog and God sent him just the right one. This special dog appears at the house one day and dad named him Buddy. As it turned out Buddy was also sick and the bond between the boy and dog began giving them both happiness and fellowship with each other. Unfortunately, after a time, Buddy died from his sickness, but not before he gave all in the family love, joy and faith to carry on.

This book shows what love, unity, faith can do for a hurting soul, both animal and human. It brings to life that even when we might think we have lost, such as in death, there is always a time when love will reunite us with the person or animal that is gone. Love never dies, as it is part of God, and our love for one another, or a beloved animal, unites us forever.

In this book we are shown how to live life each day to its fullest with those we love. Grief is normal in loss, but without hope that we will be reunited again it can become unbearable. This work leaves you with that assurance that life is but the beginning of eternity for all living things, an eternity that we will once again be with those we have loved and lost. Deeply touching to the core of your soul.

Buddy's Candle by Dr. Bernie S. Siegel & Mari Gayatri Stein is a beautifully written and rendered story about a little boy's love for his dog, Buddy, and how Buddy taught him to appreciate life and handle death. First, Mia's thoughts on the book. The book is about a puppy who died. And the dead part made me sad. I almost cried. The puppy went to heaven, and all dogs get a candle to celebrate their life, but his boy was crying and putting the candle out with his tears. My favorite part was when the boy got Buddy as his pet, because it made me excited for him. My bunny Ebony died, and I still miss her, but I'm not going to cry for her anymore, because I don't want to put her candle out. I'm going to remember her with love, because that will keep her candle lit forever. Now my thoughts. I think that Dr. Siegel tackled a difficult problem to discuss with children with remarkable compassion and tact. Trying to explain death to a child is painful, but Buddy's Candle turns death into a celebration of life. The story kept Mia's interest throughout (although she was very near tears when Buddy died), and Stein's artwork is charming. One small quibble: there is a editing error with the boy's name near the end (the son's name is Simon, but the name is used for the boy instead). The image of the father with his son and dog at the end brings the story to a full circle. The book also has a wonderful message of embracing life every day, making it a chocolate ice cream day. One of the best lines is this: He asked if I knew why dogs have shorter lives than people. I told him dogs know how to love and forgive, so they don't need all that time to learn. A wonderful book for kids struggling to deal with death, especially that of a pet.

Many of us, regardless of age, find ourselves stumbling through life after the loss or death of a loved one. Our grief makes it difficult--sometimes seemingly impossible--to remain open to the wonder of life. Dr. Bernie Siegel has spent his life in the healing profession, and this book is a continuation of his emphasis on peace, joy, and love. Beautifully illustrated by Mari Gayatri Stein, Buddy's Candle gives us all a gentle message--that though death is a time for grieving, we are also meant to live life with an open heart, letting our own inner light shine forth so that "we can be beacons for others." If you or someone you know has lost a beloved friend (human or nonhuman), Buddy's Candle will very gently lead you out of grief to love. The book also emphasizes our role in befriending others in their time of grief, offering compassion and love at a difficult time.

Marie Mead, author (with collaborator Nancy LaRoche) of Rabbits: Gentle Hearts, Valiant Spirits Inspirational Stories of Rescue, Triumph, and Joy

If you are not familiar with the writings of Bernie Siegel, M.D. and his lifelong work as a surgeon and humanitarian, you will want to start adding all his books to your personal library and his latest, Buddy's Candle, is no exception. Bernie wrote Buddy's Candle from the heart - a heart filled with compassion for cancer patients, children, and animals. This book serves all of us in some beautiful and positive way whether we have children of our own; love, care for, and have at some time lost an animal to illness and death; or just seek insight about life, death, and life as it continues without end. It is full of wisdom, hope, and comfort,through Bernie's words and Mari Gayatri Stein's illustrations: gentle, soothing watercolor-and-line paintings. While written for the 9 to 12 age group, be assured that even those of us who are much older will find this to be a treasure, a great gift from a great physician and human being. Buy it for yourself and everyone you know - you will not be disappointed.

This book helped me overcome the grief of losing two of my pets within a year and a half of each other. Dr. Bernie Siegel's wisdom and love shines through the story he tells, and it is quite beautifully illustrated by Mari Gayatri Stein. The story and pictures helped me come to terms with what happened and understand how to start to fill up the emptiness and sadness in my heart with the light of continued love for me from my dog and cat.


I recommend this book highly to anyone who is grieving over the loss of a loved one and hasn't found any answers yet to the questions such grief raises.

Bernie and Mari have created a beautiful, poignant book to help children of all ages (4-104) address grief and loss. Although it is focused on the loss of a pet, it is easily applicable to any kind of loss. Bernie's spiritual message transcends all religions and faiths. It will touch your heart and the heart of those with whom you share this precious gem. It is a must read!

I think the drawings are a whimsical, softly water colored world, which illustrates this story for kids and adults to better understand the why's of life and death and why we shouldn't be afraid.