Customer Reviews

How It Feels When a Parent Dies

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As a long-time child therapist I have used many books and other methods to help children cope with this most painful of losses. This book heals young people with its reality, with the variety of experiences and feelings presented, with its loving approach to the feelings they have felt but feared no one else had ever felt. This book is invaluable.

I am a high school counselor. I bought this book to have in my office for my students to have access to. The short writings hold a range of reactions to the death of a parent. The authors come from different backgrounds, situations and circumstances, yet they hold one thing in common: losing a parent. Honest writing. Great for adolescents and adults.

I wish that I had this book available when I lost my father at 15. I recently lost my mom and reading this book, even as an adult, helped me grasp and get a hold of my emotions of pain and loss. There is nothing more honest than looking at grief from the eyes of children. I would recommend to have this book handy if you have living parents or if you are a parent as we all have to deal with death at some point in our lives.

These are short essays by children who have lost a parent. The children are different ages and the circumstances of their parent's death vary. Many different sizes and types of families are represented. The children talk not only about what they felt about the death when it occurred, but how they feel now, how they are doing now, and how their life and their families lives have changed.

My husband died when my daughter was 2 years old. I purchased this book for her several years later, when she began to grieve this loss. She immediately found examples of children that she would relate to as they were also young when their parent died, and she felt comforted that she was not alone. In the 7 years since, my daughter has periodically returned to this book, and each time she finds another story that she can relate to. I heartily recommend this book to any parent of a grieving child. It represents sort of an ongoing support group that your child will be able to return to throughout the years.

I lost my Father when I was 3 years old, too young to remember him, and only had my three older sisters and mothers memories to steal a peek at him from. My family didnt talk about him, because the sadness was too much to deal with, and I didnt know one single other child who had lost a parent growing up so I felt like a freak. I picked this book up the other day, wondering if any of these childrens stories were similar to mine, and found that every one of them carried a mirrored image of my grief.

It was published in 1988, and the pictures prove that, but each story is a timeless one of loss, and confusion, and guilt and the everyday struggle to "deal" with the death of a parent that NO child should have to endure. I wish I had found this as a child, I would not have felt so alone.

I found myself at the end wondering how each of them are doing now, in 2009, It would be an interesting read to find out how their losses as children affect them now.

I've been recommending this book for years. First came across it when I was working for hospice, and found it helpful for kids and surviving parents alike.

Through words and photographs, Jill Krementz captures what it's like for a child to lose a parent. Given that 1 in 20 kids will lose a parent before they turn 18, I consider this to be a valuable resource for children, parents, family members and professionals working with grieving children.

Susan Fuller
Author of How to Survive Your Grief When Someone You Love Has Died

In 1994 when my wife died after a 5 year battle with cancer I found myself as a single dad with 3 young children.
A friend gave me this book to read with my kids. The book helped them think and talk about their loss. It also helped them see that they were not the only ones going through the tough times of losing parent.
Since that experience I have given copies of the book to friends in similar situations.
Oh, the kids? They all are in healthy relationships, with good careers, and happy lives.How It Feels When a Parent Dies