Goodbye A first conversation about grief

The First Conversations series continues its line of thoughtful, guided conversation starters on difficult or important topics with this volume on grief. Intended to help adults as much as kids, it opens with a gentle reminder to take the book at the reader's and listener's own pace, and it closes with detailed explanations for each concept and advice for helping children experiencing grief. Notably, the book doesn't have a spiritual or cultural explanation for what happens when people die, leaving space for a wide range of beliefs. Expressive illustrations show kids and adults experiencing grief in different ways. Perhaps most important here is the constant reminder that there are many ways for adults and kids to experience grief and the best way to support grieving loved ones is to give them space to process in their own ways. Grief is always a difficult topic, and this book is a reassuring, compassionate resource.

An answer to questions about death and grief. Life--it begins, changes, and ends, the authors inform us. When someone dies, their body stops working, and they don't come back, like readers see sometimes in stories. We don't know what "happens to our spirit, or soul, or energy," although people have different ideas. Most people experience grief, a mixture of love and sadness for the deceased, but the authors emphasize that grief can look and feel differently. Grievers usually benefit from the support of loved ones and from saying goodbye in a meaningful way. Like previous titles in the series, this entry employs a frank, conversational tone and directs prompting, open-ended questions at readers to help them connect their own experiences to the textual discussion. They will also help readers internalize the repeated message that death isn't their fault and that they matter to others who are still alive. Backmatter encourages caregivers to keep discussions candid and concrete while including children in the grieving process. Overall, this is a pragmatic addition to existing titles about death and grief. The soothing, cartoonish artwork focuses on two families--one is brown-skinned with a pale-skinned grandparent; the other includes a brown-skinned child with pale-skinned guardians. Solidly helpful. (Informational picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.