Love Is The Gift: Supporting Children Age 6 To 11 Through Bereavement

Alana, a mermaid, is having to come to terms with the fact that her grandmother, whom she loves very much, is coming to the end of her life cycle and will soon die. At first, she is confused and struggles to understand what is going on, confronted by many overwhelming feelings - anger, sadness, even guilt.

Alana’s grandmother supports her through her grief and gives her the space to come to terms with her feelings of loss by remembering and celebrating their time together and focusing on the love that they have for each other. This book aims to support parents and children aged 6 to 11 to process difficult feelings that arise when confronted with the loss of a loved one. Parents and guardians can use the story as a tool to support their child in reflecting on what is going on for them, creating a safe space to talk about feelings.

"No one is immune to experiencing loss at some point in life, and for many, our first experience with loss is that of a beloved grandparent. As a parent, you are suddenly thrown into a unique and complex role of grieving your own loss, along with helping your child cope with this new emotional experience.

Love is a Gift is a beautiful way to open those conversations around the difficult process of grieving the loss of someone we love. With magical and soothing art, coupled with very real conversations around the subject, it will be a gift to the well-being of any child who will inevitably experience loss at some point in their lives."

Sandy Peckinpah, author of How to Survive the Worst that can Happen and Certified Grief Recovery Specialist®