I bought this to read to my very imaginative 5-year-old daughter who has just lost her daddy. When I bought it, I thought it was a story book that involved a little grieving character to which my daughter could relate.
However, it is really more along the lines of a self-help book for children. It is obviously written by a grown-up talking to the child-reader about their "loss of a loved-one" and explaining to them what is happening.
My child didn't like it at all, and as I was reading it to her, I found myself editing bits out or rewording it because it was all a little too heavy. Now when I ask her what book she would like me to read to her she replies; "Not that yukky death one."
Sad Isn't Bad
I love the Elf Help books and have collected nearly all the Kids series and I also have some of the Adult Elf Help books. Wonderful way to broach difficult subjects with your children.
Way to specific for our purposes. :(
I wish I had known this book was specifically about death. "A Good-grief Guidebook For Kids Dealing with Loss" is a euphemistic subtitle that made me think it would address all kinds of loss. Unlike the Elf-help book about anger, this story about sadness seems to assume that a child cannot experience significant loss through any means other than death. I was so hoping this would be a book that would help a little boy deal with the loss of his birth family and foster family as he moves to an adoptive home. He will be grieving as well, and will have more to mourn over than the loss of a single parent or grandparent. Unfortunately, this book cannot even be modified to fit our purposes, as every page is centered around death. What a disappointment.
Sad isn't Bad
I purchased this book to use in an elementary school setting. Personally I like the references to God in the book but professionally I am not able to use it as I had planned.
Helpful book for grieving children
This book is a helpful resource for grieving children. It helps children understand basic concepts related to death, and normalizes feelings associated with grief. Counselors and therapists working with grieving children may also be interested in the following books:
Creative Interventions for Bereaved Children
Mourning Child Grief Support Group Curriculum: Middle Childhood Edition
