When someone passes away and goes home to heaven, it is difficult for adults. Can you imagine how it feels to a child who understands “why” even less than an adult does? Children deal with loss a bit differently than an adult does. It is necessary to help them through the grieving process as much as possible.
When Someone Very Special Dies: Children Can Learn to Cope with Grief by Marge Heegard is an amazing book where children are presented with a situation or a statement regarding their loss. On each page a statement is made similar to, “this is my family”. They are then allowed to draw out their family, as they see their family. Each page refers to a different aspect of the person that they have lost. In this way children feel the freedom to draw out what they are feeling inside, which is a lot easier than talking about it.
This top-rated children’s book on a delicate topic is especially helpful for children who have a difficult time expressing their feelings and who tend to “bottle up” their emotions. This drawing book will give the child who is reluctant the freedom to express themselves in a non-threatening way and without verbalizing. It is such a difficult situation to deal with especially for the adult parent is trying to come to terms with the loss themselves.
When Someone Very Special Dies: Children Can Learn to Cope with Grief by Marge Heegard is approximately 32 pages in length. This book is appropriate for children 5 years of age and through the age of 11 or 12. This book has received top reviews and is highly recommended.
Personally speaking, this book is extremely helpful in helping children to cope with the loss of a loved one. It will not take away the grief from the child, but it will help them to work their way through it.