Children Grieve Too

“But I didn’t kill him!”

That was my seven year old’s anguished response when I had suggested he might say “I’m sorry,” to my brother-in-law whose father  had died a few days before. My son had not killed his cousins’ grandpa; a stroke had. However, his retort and his evident distress made me realize how little I knew about a child’s perception of death.

Playing with the Angels: Stories of Possibilities for Grieving Children is a book I would have welcomed at the time. It is written by Jane George, Executive Director of Wellwood in Hamilton. The artwork is engaging; the stories are affirming. It is a book I could have given to my ten year old to read independently, or snuggled up with both boys to read together. It’s the kind of book that  every family might want to have on hand…just in case.

Playing with the Angels: Stories of Possibilities for Grieving Children is available through Bryan Prince Bookseller and on-line at Indigo.