Up in Heaven [Hardcover]

Emma Chichester Clark (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

Daisy is Arthur’s dog, and she’s devoted to him. But she’s very old, and lately she’s finding it hard to keep up with Arthur. One night, after she goes to sleep as usual, she wakes up in heaven. Heaven is a wonderful place, and Daisy loves it there. But she knows Arthur is sad and misses her. So Daisy finds a way to let Arthur know she’s happy—and that’s the first step toward making him happy again, too.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2--A sweet story about the death of a beloved pet, this is bibliotherapy at its best. Daisy, a dog, and Arthur, a boy, are inseparable until the day the canine lies down in her basket never to rise again. Although she arrives in a lovely doggy nirvana, Daisy can't fully enjoy her newfound paradise because she is able to look down on her former home and see her family grieving. On the advice of fellow dogs in heaven, she sends the child dreams that both reassure him about her benign fate and encourage him to move forward by acquiring a new puppy. Clark's simple text and characteristically child-friendly illustrations make this book useful for sharing with even the youngest children. Recommend it along with Cynthia Rylant's Dog Heaven (Scholastic, 1995) to anyone seeking comfort when dealing with issues of grief and loss.--Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS. There's nothing religious in the view of heaven in this picture book about the loss of a beloved pet. Clark has simply created a joyful fantasy with an honest treatment of grief and comfort. Daisy, Arthur's dog, is devoted to him, but she can't keep up with him anymore. After she dies, she wakes up in dog heaven, a place she loves. The bright lively pictures show an idyllic place in the sky with sunshine and flower-filled green meadows, where Daisy runs with lots of old and new dog friends or curls up in a cozy armchair. Arthur doesn't know that Daisy is happy. He misses her and doesn't want another dog. But Daisy is watching over him, and she sends him dreams about her beautiful dog heaven and suggests that he get another puppy. The countryside Arthur sees when he drives with his parents to choose his new pet looks a lot like Daisy's heaven. Because Clark never denies the child's sorrow and loss, the hopeful, loving scenes will help preschoolers move on. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers (March 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385746385
• ISBN-13: 978-0385746380
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,278,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely!, October 30, 2004

By 

Jessica Ferguson "threelittlebirds" (Woodbury, NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Up in Heaven (Hardcover)

Finally! A lovely, short, picture book for young (to very young) children that deals with death.

Arthur's beloved dog, Daisy, dies in her sleep one night. Of course Arthur and his family are sad. Daisy, watching from heaven, decides to send Arthur some dreams. In this way, she lets him know that she is happy in heaven, with lots of friends and feeling fine, and that she doesn't mind at all if Arthur decides to get another puppy.

Chichester's book certainly doesn't answer all the questions a child may have about death but it does address the loss of a pet very well. Unlike many books that deal with the loss of loved ones that fall very heavily on the reader, Up In Heaven also stands alone as a lovely storybook. Illustrations are bright and beautiful.

Although not religious in nature, the story is skewed to religions that believe in heaven and a possible afterlife. I hope my pups go to Chichester's heaven when they pass on!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great children's book on the loss of a beloved dog., March 12, 2011

By 

Kathy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Up In Heaven (Paperback)

This is a great book for children who have lost a pet through death. The author, Emma Chichester Clark, strikes a lovely and insightful balance as she tells the story of young Arthur whose dog Daisy dies of old age. Arthur is bereft and his parents are unable to console him. But Daisy comes to the rescue, observing from heaven how unhappy Arthur is.

Daisy's friends advise her to send Arthur a dream and show him how happy and restored she is now that she is in heaven. For a while Arthur is comforted, but the cure is short-lived. Again Daisy consults with her doggy friends who now advise that she send Arthur a "new puppy dream", making sure he knows that Daisy will not be jealous.

With Daisy's approval young Arthur is ready to adopt a new puppy, confident that it is Daisy herself urging him to do so.

The book has delightful illustrations and I have only one caveat: be sure as parents that you are ready for puppy adoption if your family is recovering from the loss of a beloved pet.

A rare and sensitive story which will delight both young and old.

Kathy

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book to explain the loss of a pet for toddlers and beyond, October 29, 2010

By 

AngieD "AngieD" (Bear, DE) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Up In Heaven (Paperback)

I came upon this book while in my hometown library and was thrilled that someone had written a stunningly visual book to help explain the loss of a pet to toddlers. We had lost our 1st baby 3 months earlier and ever since our 3 year old had questions about where Bear (our dog) went and why? Once we got this book, our daughter was able to easily relate to our dog having a fabulous time in Heaven with his friends and that she could still talk to him as he was looking down on her from there. Every so often she will still look up and say how much she loves him.

I also purchased the book from Amazon as her class of 3 year old's also lost their pet guinea pig Daisy (the name of the dog in the book) and they needed help explaining this concept to them. It never did arrive on time from Amazon (see Book Depository review), but we got it instead from the library again and when the book finally arrived, gave it to them for a reference for the future. All the kids loved it and were easily able to relate to the concept- it really helped in their grieving process and now they have a new guinea pig, Ruby to enjoy and make new memories with.