Waterbugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Gloria Ortiz Hernandez (Illustrator) "Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a little colony of water bugs..." (more)
Key Phrases: water bugs

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Waterbugs and Dragonflies is a graceful fable written by Doris Stickney who sought a meaningful way to explain to neighborhood children the death of a five-year-old friend. The small book is beautifully illustrtated by artist Gloria Ortiz Hernandez.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Pilgrim Press (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082981180X
• ISBN-13: 978-0829811803
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 4.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #25,347 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect reading for a memorial service, even for adults!, June 27, 1999

By A Customer

A young woman read this short children's book at our hospice memorial service. This event brought together people of all ages and from a variety of religious traditions. Such a gathering requires a selection of materials that will speak to many, while offending no one. The author's gentle story speaks to the profoundness of the death experience in a way that leaves the reader or listener joyful. This joy is a great gift for those who have experienced loss. I highly recommend that each household, even each elementary school, keep a copy on hand. It can serve as a deeply appropriate focus for any kind of memorial gathering, or for classroom reading to children when a loss has occurred.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, October 13, 2004

By	E. Allen - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Water Bugs & Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children (Looking Up) (Paperback)

my husband and i were told this story while we were in the hospital after our daughter was stillborn. i loved how this story talked about life after death but didnt talk about heaven, jusst a "better place." it also talked about why people that die cant come back. this is a pocket book, small and paperback. i am getting a tattoo of a dragonfly above my heart in memory of my daughter because of this story. i'm glad i found it in book form. i bought 3. one for each set of grandparents and one for us to keep.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars religious thinking about death, February 23, 2006

By	A. Hutter "churchgeek" (Marblehead, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Water Bugs & Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children (Looking Up) (Paperback)

This little tiny book is a wonderful tale for small children about the difficulty of knowing what lies beyond the grave. In the most delicate and gentle way, the authors use the metaphor of the dragonfly larva, who live below the surface of the water, and the adult dragonflies, to illustrate the notion of someone going beyond our sight, to a marvelous place. They can't return to tell us about it. we just have to wait our turn. The authors' notes help to provide a spiritual context for talking to a young child about the death of someone close. I am an Episcopalian, and found the language and theology very congruent with our tradition.