When Your Grandparent Dies: A Child's Guide to Good Grief (Elf-Help Books for Kids) [Paperback]

Victoria Ryan (Author), R. W. Alley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2002 | Series: Elf-Help Books for Kids

Elf-help Books for Kids - Addressing the needs of children and the adults who care for them. Losing a grandparent is often a child's first experience with grief. The ordeal can be as bewildering as it is painful. Explaining what happens from a child's-eye view, the little elves in this book depict the difficult days before, after, and beyond a grandparent's death. They explore the meaning of death and heaven, as well as how to stay close in spirit with a grandparent who has died. With ideas for action and questions for discussion, this creative guide will help you help your grieving child to create comforting memories and find closure. Softcover; 32 pages. 8" x 8".

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Abbey Press (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870293648
• ISBN-13: 978-0870293641
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 7.7 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Religions > Christianity > Ages 4-8
  • #53 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian Living > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book out of four that I looked at for helping Preschoolers understanding Death, February 13, 2009

By 

A. Bucci (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When Your Grandparent Dies: A Child's Guide to Good Grief (Elf-Help Books for Kids) (Paperback)

I have read 4 books about dying in hopes of finding the "perfect" book to help explain death to my 4 year old. I haven't found the "perfect" book, but this one came the closest and was the most helpful.

This book is actually part of a series of "Elf-Help Books" that feature a little Elf. What I liked about this book is that I was able to get one specifically about a grandparent dying, so it best fit my situation. Also each page has a clear topic title, so we could skip pages that I felt were too much for a 4 year old to understand. There are references to God, Heaven, a funeral, and Cemetery. There are photos of the elf throughout the book helping to show these different things.

If you go to Amazon and type in "Elf Help Books" you will see many titles dealing with death of other family members (death of a parent, a general death one), self esteem problems, moving, jealousy, fear, divorce, learning to be a friend, serious illnesses, being in the hospital, and others. I would recommend this series for a variety of situations that need to be explained to preschoolers.

I also read Up in Heaven by Emma Chichester Clark (a good book, but only deals with the loss of a pet), What's Heaven? by Maria Shriver, and I Miss You: A first look at death by Pat Thomas. But I liked "When your Grandparent Dies" the most out of all of these.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good resource, October 21, 2008

By 

V. Alden (Eastern IA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When Your Grandparent Dies: A Child's Guide to Good Grief (Elf-Help Books for Kids) (Paperback)

I am a hospice bereavement counselor and use this book in grief sessions with children. It is written simply, and is a good resource for a wide age range.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Counseling, April 24, 2009

By 

Mrs. Shelia K. Thompson "Mimi" (Indiana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When Your Grandparent Dies: A Child's Guide to Good Grief (Elf-Help Books for Kids) (Paperback)

Got to thinking that my grandchilren will not understand why I'm not available after I die. Bought this for both my children to share with the grandkids. Hope they see it as helpful as I do.