Customer Reviews

When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this book to help answer my 4 year olds questions about death. I felt this book is too much information for that age. She needed answers not new fears. This book brings up suicide and drug abuse. More appropraite for an older child.The book "Lifetimes" was exactly what I needed.

Don't buy this non-sentimental look at death if your favorite book is Love You Forever.

If however, you want something that doesn't dwell excessively upon emotions, that discusses lucidly what death is and what it means, then this is an excellent choice. A parent trying to explain death to a child doesn't need a book full of emotional upheaval or roundabout references to death.

Of course there are flaws. But this book isn't about leaves, about dogs, cats or focussed on the death of an older person. It covers all areas adeptly. I liked it for the slightly distanced look at a subject that evokes a tremendous surge of feelings.

I bought it as a gift for a recently bereaved family (lost daddy). I plan on buying another copy for my family so the topic of death is covered before I'm too distraught to carefully guide my kids through that scene.

Very highly recommended.

Explaining death to a child is never easy for an adult, but the Browns' book really helps. You'll find difficult concepts made much simpler with colorful illustrations that remind the child of the "Arthur" cartoon series which the author also created.

The kids with whom I have worked professionally have loved the little green dinosaurs who experience and express the same thoughts and feelings. When I talked to my daughter's preschool class a few years back after the class hamster died, I used parts of this book in my explanation.

The brilliance of the Browns' concept is that one doesn't have to read the book straight through. A parent or teacher can choose to use two or three pages. In fact, each two-page spread tends to develop a specific concept such as funerals, cause of death, what death means, etc.

As a matter of fact, this would be a nice addition to elementary school libraries and classrooms, especially when discussing the death part of their living things science units.

It's interesting in my own professional library that this book takes its place right along with all of the academic volumes on death, bereavement, and counseling theory!

This book is direct and honest about the subject of death. This book covers every aspect of death from old age to accidental to suicide. The death of a pet is also covered. Also looks at several belief systems of what happens after we die.
As parents we are afraid to talk about death to our children and with our children, this book broaches the subject in a way children can relate without sugarcoating it.
I wish I had this book to read to my 5 year old daughter when her great great uncle and great grandfather died within 1 month of each other.
Some areas maybe too intense for small children or very sesitive children so use discretion what information you read when reading to them.
I think this would be an excellent book for 3rd and 4th graders experiencing death of a loved one.

I highly recommend this book.

Kids ask very direct questions about death, and this book addresses those questions. Let's face it...it isn't always hamsters or very old grandparents who pass away. Sometimes people in our children's world die at early ages from disease, accidents, and even murder and suicide (both cases have touched our rather sheltered lives over the past six years that we've had children).

Kids seem to do better with simple direct answers rather than obtuse allegorical references to leaves turning brown and seasons changing.

This book allows you to step right up close to these unfortunate, tragic occurrences, acknowledge that they happen, and then move on. Because it's true that sooner or later death happens in our lives, and it happens in all kinds of ways, not just in tidy t.v. drama hospital bed settings.

Get this book so you will be prepared when you need it.

2 years ago my husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer. When it looked like it was getting close and time to tell my girls (then ages 2 and 5) that Daddy was dying, the oncology nurse suggested this book. We sat down with our 5 year old and read it to her and explained to her that Daddy was going to die. She referred back to this book a couple of more times on her own before and after his death. Two years later she still reads this book and reads it to her little sister, who was too young then to understand, whenever she questions Daddy's death.

When Dinosaurs Die explains, in very direct terms, what it means to die. Also, it talks about the different ways a person dies, explains what different people believe happens after death, and what may be done to remember soneone who has died. The book even includes a glossary to define all the new words that may be associated with a death, such as autopsy and cremation. The author accomplishes all this without bias, or condescention. The language is simple enough for a child of four, the concepts, comforting, even for those of us in our thirties. Well worth owning.

I read it to my kids after they lost their Grandmother. I skipped most of the parts dealing with suicide and other really grown up subjects. Then I put the book in the closet. I did not like this book. And I think you should really borrow it from the library and read it first before you buy it.

I had intended to use this book to help my 7-year-old but when I previewed it, I found it to be a case of "too much too soon." It appeared the author tried to address every conceivable way a child might encounter death but, for my child, it would have introduced MANY more fears than it alleviated. Many of the illustrations were especially disturbing. Having a child wail "can we keep our house?" as the obituaries float around the picture was too much. Introducing death by substance abuse and suicide was too much. Discussing the donation of eyes to an eye bank or having the word "autopsy" in the glossary was too much. For young children facing death and the grief process for the first time, I would use extreme caution if considering this book. My child would have had nightmares for ages.

As an elementary guidance counselor, I have had to use this book many times with my students. It is so basic for the students to understand, and the pictures are absolutely fantastic. Young children love dinosaur's, so it is especially easy to keep their attention and have them learn at the same time. I had a chance to use this book at another school earlier this year when a teacher was killed and the staff had an absolute fit over it. In fact I bought a copy for the new guidance counselor to add to his library. FANTASTIC BOOK- HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT FOR EVERY COUNSELOR!!!!!