Hi Everyone!
I have just attended a ‘Celebration Of Life’ (read: funeral – planned in advance by Sue when she was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer) and it made me think about how we can talk about death, loss, and even change with our children. I have in my hands a delicately written book for children of all ages - Beginnings and Endings With Lifetimes In Between.
This is a beautifully written book with careful illustrations that speaks about how everything has a beginning and an ending, and in between that there is a lifetime.
With a repetitive theme of...........
“That is how things are.
For plants.
For people.
For birds.
For fish.
For animals.
Even for the tiniest insect.
It is the way they live, and this is their lifetime”
Bryan Mellone never strays into melancholia or over explanation. Neither does he oversimplify. He consistently writes with a sympathetic, easily understood and sympathetic style. However, he does empathetically and gently write about the realities of lifetimes; some are longer (such as giant trees and fish) and some are shorter (such as butterflies and rabbits). He writes about how people have a lifetime too – but like all things – plants, animals, vegetables - this can change if they get sick and their lifetime may become shorter.
This book is used by many counsellors and therapists as an introduction to grief and loss around death or change. It can also be used as a tool for the preparation for a discussion around these topics. Using simple words and beautiful illustrations, this book could be used for children of any age.
If you are looking for a book around these topics, I would recommend that you check this one out.
