Customer Reviews

Where's Jess: For Children Who Have a Brother or Sister Die

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was almost too young to understand my sister's early death. But I was not too young to understand this book and how it helped me. It is about the same situation I was in. A small boy's sibling dies and he notices she is gone. The parents tell him what death is about and how it is alright to remember and talk about Jess. I was only four and could not quite read, but my mom read me Where's Jess almost every night. This is a helpful book for children and parents.

This book is a classic. I and many colleagues have recommended "Where's Jess?" to families when young siblings survive an infant's death. How disappointed I was when my new copy arrived! I had ordered it for dear friends' preschool child when their chronically ill infant died. I had read our hospital's Family Resource Library copy to the surviving 5 year old who had been showing many of the classic signs of distress of young children with overwhelming grief. As soon as he heard the initial words his little body calmed, he became still and seemed centered. For the first time in days he engaged in reciprocal conversation, and was able to articulate feelings based on his responses to the illustrations. He spontaneously said that he wanted this book for his birthday.
I was taken back when I saw the smaller size and bright cheery colors of the cover and the condensed, crowded small pages of the new edition. I shared the new version with colleagues to see if they shared my disappointment (they did!).
When actually reading the new version of the book to the little boy: It was much harder to draw him in and he didn't interact easily with the illustrations. Additionally, this time, unlike last time, he made no attempt to read the words on his own. Although the text is the same, the presentation is sadly distracting.
I don't think crowding or liveliness are helpful for those with aching hearts and troubled thoughts. It is as if the book has lost its essence and synchronicity.
This is a great loss indeed, as I think the text and intent of the book remain outstanding, but the presentation seriously detracts.
Buy this wonderful book if you can in its older, brown and simple format.

My son is 3 1/2 years old and really could relate to this book. I liked this book because it was short enough to keep his attention, but answered many of his questions. I like its simple yet reassuring style.

So often, children are overlooked when dealing with the loss of a sibling. They grieve, too, and need help understand the concept of death (especially since they will probably hear many euphemisms for death and get confused). This book is aimed at younger children, probably best for children age 7 or younger. I highly recommend it as an aid in helping a child grief losing a sibling.

I found the book to be very good for a young child facing the confusion of the death of a sibling. I especially like that it deals with subjects in an easy to understand, yet gentle tone. It describes some difficult fears and emotions ... like the child's fear that the death was his fault, like the fear and confusion the child has over seeing his parents cry and grieve, and like the simple statement about changes in the family home as time goes on, while Jess is never forgotten.

I have just one complaint about this book ... the last page says, "Mommy says we will all miss Jess for a long time ..." I wish they had said "we will always miss Jess ..." I think that is a more accurate portrayal of loss of someone in your immediate family.