CHECK OUT: Goodbye - A First Conversation about Grief

Dear Friends,

 Young children have important questions about death and need supportive adults. It’s never too early to begin the conversation. This book is a great place to start!”

That is a quote from an amazing children’s picture book that I just bought and am very excited to tell you about!!  It’s called Goodbye - A First Conversation About Grief written by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli, illustrated by Isabel Roxas. The book is geared for children aged 2 - 5, but it could easily be for older children too because it contains a lot of interesting conversation starters for all ages.

Goodbye is a great book for adults to share, especially if they’re feeling uncomfortable with how to introduce the topics of death and grief. Throughout the book, there are questions asked to give an opportunity for discussions to happen as the book is being read.

The book starts with talking about life and how it is beginning all the time with seeds sprouting, eggs hatching, and babies being born, then talks about how all these things change and that death is one of those changes too. The book moves along with different headings; “What happens when we die?’, ‘What is grief?’, ‘What does grief feel like?’, ‘What does grief look like?’, ‘How long does grief last?’ and  ‘How can we help each other feel better?’

There is an information section at the end of the book for adults with topics such as ‘Trusting children with grief’, ‘Misconceptions & misinformation’, ‘What children need to know about death’, ‘How to talk about death with children’, ‘Answering children’s questions about dying’, ‘We all grieve’, ‘What grief looks like in children’ and ‘Grieving together’.

The reason I love this book is that it is written in plain language, which is easy for children to understand, the pictures are captivating, and the information provided is clear and well researched. Goodbye does a very good job explaining grief, how people grieve in different ways and that everyone in the world feels grief at some point in their life. I think this is important because children need to know that there is no ONE right way to grieve and that whatever they are feeling is perfectly normal.

If you are unable to buy the book or find it at your local library, you can watch the read-aloud video on YouTube.