I Miss You: A First Look At Death (Paperback)

by Pat Thomas (Author), Leslie Harker (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
When a close friend or family member dies, it can be difficult for children to express their feelings. This book helps boys and girls understand that death is a natural complement to life, and that grief and a sense of loss are normal feelings for them to have following a loved one's death. Titles in this sensitively presented series explore the dynamics of various relationships experienced by children of preschool through early school age. Kids are encouraged to understand personal feelings and social problems as a first step in dealing with them. Written by psychotherapist and counselor Pat Thomas, these books promote positive interaction among children, parents, and teachers. The story lines are simple and direct--easily accessible to younger children. There are full-color illustrations on every page. (Ages 4-7)

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series; 1 edition (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764117645
• ISBN-13: 978-0764117640
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.4 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,560 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Issues > Death & Dying > Nonfiction
  #38 in	Books > Children's Books > Issues > Friendship > Fiction
  #99 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Situations

• This item is part of The A First Look At ... Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the book I've been looking for, December 7, 2005

By	L. Bretz (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am the parent of a 4 year old child. Her preschool teacher, who was also our family babysitter, just passed away very unexpectedly from cardiac arrest (at a young age). As we have a very open-minded spirituality in our home, we wanted to find a book that would help our daughter understand death and the feelings she is having, without any particular religious slant.

This book explains in very gentle, simple terms what happens when a person dies (they no longer eat or breathe, etc.), and explains that it is a part of the natural process of all living things. It talks about the different feelings that we have, including that we might feel bad about things that we did, or didn't do, but that it is not our fault that the person died. It talks about how sometimes people die when they are very old, or when they are very sick, or when something tragic happens. As for addressing "afterlife", it provides the perspective that we don't really know what happens, but that most cultures have some type of belief that the soul--the part of a person that we love--goes on to be with other souls that have already died, kind of like rain drops joining the ocean.

I can't imagine anything about this book that I would want to be done differently. It is beautifully written, beautifully illustrated, and exactly what I was hoping to find to help my child during this difficult time.

54 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helps young children deal with loss, January 20, 2006

By	Carolyn Rowe Hill "author of 'The Dead Angel" (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews

We have added this book to our short-list collection of books dealing with loss. It is an excellent secular discussion about dying. In it the author states, "Death is a natural part of life. All living things grow, change and eventually die." On the page where this text appears is a dying tree; on the facing page is a fallen bird. When the book reaches human loss, there's a question at the bottom of the page designed to help adults guide a child in a brief discussion by asking, "What about you? Has anyone you know died? How did they die?"

This book helps children (and adults, too) deal with the loss of loved ones, its accompanying grief, and even guilt. Likening one's soul to a raindrop that joins other raindrops in the ocean is brilliant! At the end of the book is a section on how to use the book; a short glossary (funeral, soul, and grief) which could've been expanded to include words like "culture," "beliefs", "ceremony"; further reading choices; and a paragraph on resources for grief support. I liked the fact that author Thomas mentions that people of different cultures have some beliefs that are the same and some that are different when it comes to what happens after someone dies. Lesley Harker's illustrations are lovely and comforting.

A must for every family's home library.

Carolyn Rowe Hill

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clear and sensitive at the same time, July 8, 2005

By	Timbu "Child psychologist" (Costa Rica) - See all my reviews

This books gives a clear and simple explanation about death without complicated religious concepts about heaven or god. I only regret that the author did not go a little bit further by mentioning something about cremation as an alternative to the burial and by not using the classical old figure of the person who died. I am looking for ways to explain to a 5 year old girl from a non religious family what happened to her young mother who died and was cremated. This book helped a lot more than others and I highly recommend it. I also recommend reading "When Charlotte Mom's Died" from Cornelia Spelman and wish I could find more work done for these boys and girls who loose relatively young people and not only their grandparents.