Episode 14: A Book About Grief and Loss

Children’s books about grief can be a gentle support when it’s hard to find the right words, giving children a way to understand and express big emotions like sadness, anger, fear, and loss.

They also show them that they are not alone. Other children have gone through this too, and they will be OK. These books don’t just comfort; they build empathy too, helping children imagine what others might be feeling. For parents and teachers, they create a spring board to talk about what the children are feeling, leading to connection and gradual healing.

We chat to Lalu Mokuku, the author of a new children’s book called Butterfly Heart published by Jacana Children’s Books. Lalu is a multilingual storyteller, playwright, facilitator, performer and academic. She has written this book from experiencing her own loss as a child and seeing the need for a book that talks about death. The book is meant as a conversation point, leading to communication between the child and the parent or care giver.

Butterfly Heart is the beautifully tender story of a young friendship between two young girls and the grief and healing that follows when one falls ill and passes away. We chat to Lalu about writing about grief and how to use books as a springboard to help children process loss.

Read our full review here.

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BOOK REVIEW

The loss of a mother: We also review the beautifully illustrated story about two children losing their mother, The Princess in the Kitchen Garden by Annemie and Margriet Heymans. Read the full review here.

Published internationally by Farrar, Staruss and Giroux, it is hard to get hold of, but is currently available on Etsy.