Customer Reviews

I Miss You: A First Look At Death

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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.

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

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.

This book covers much more than things live and then they die. It talks about how you feel and invites the child to tell how they are feeling. Besides talking about death it explains funerals and what the purpose is. The thing I liked best about this book was how it explained the after life. No matter what your religious beliefs their explanation of after life is perfect and doesn't limit it's self to any specific belief. It goes on to discuss this in terms a child can understand "sometimes it helps if you think of a soul as a single rain drop, joining a great big ocean". We got a few books to help us explain and answer our 4 ½ year olds questions but this one covers everything, it's the only one we would have needed.

I bought this book for my 5 year old when his grandmother died. My son was dealing with some serious grief. We were searching for any way that we could to help him. He loves this book. It has questions to go over with your child that really open up the communication and help children deal with the emotions that they are feeling. This book is a favorite in our house that we read every night and have great happy memories of our loved one.

I'm a child psychologist and got this book for my office. I am very impressed. It is simple, straightforward book full of warmth and empathy. The illustrations are very nice, and it has little "what about you?" discussion-starter boxes on several pages. I would highly recommend this book for young children who have questions about death.

I bought this book based on the reviews and because we are expecting a death in our family soon. I have a three year old son and I wanted to start acquainting him with the idea without scaring him. This book introduces the concept of death in a very positive and gentle way. We actually read it as a bedtime story. I love the way the author presents some of the more difficult and abstract concepts about death. And, there are suggestions at the end of the story for further discussing death.

This is a lovely book that addresses the loss of a loved one in simple terms. It also explains that young people can die of tragic and sudden events and does not merely focus on grandparents (as many others do). I highly recommend this book.

Our 4-generation family recently had a loss, and my kindergarten-age granddaughter was distraught to realise that when she had said "good night", she didn't know it was the last time and she would never have a chance to say "good-bye". The book's premise is similar, and it's a very gentle book to deal with loss. It's fairly non-religious, deals with guilt by making clear that mean thoughts can't cause someone to die, and makes it clear to children that being sad and lonely are normal feelings. We cuddled together and read and cried, and I think it helped her over the hump of grief into healing. I highly recommend this for preschoolers and early grades.

This is a very good informative book; but I feel the language may be a little difficult for very young children. I think, as it is read to children, one would have to be careful to explain concepts in terms a very young child could better understand. Talk on their level. Overall. A good book.