Talking about Death: A Dialogue Between Parent and Child

When my niece passed away from SIDS a little over a year ago, I called a friend who does grief work at the local children's hospital. He recommended this book ~ even took time out of his day to send me a copy. There is no other book, in my opinion for helping kids deal with the death of a loved one. The book is divided into sections to read along with your kid(s), parts for you to read to help you answer questions your kid(s) may have, references, and much more. ~ CV

As a therapist specializing in grief for 20 years, I have seen many books that help adults to help children with their grief. This is definitely one of the best because it is a simple and effective guide for adults to use during challenging times. It is very hard, as a parent, to focus on a lengthy and very wordy book. Earl Grollman's book is designed to make it easy to find the aspect of the grief process that you are looking for. Because I also run a pet loss group, I appreciate the sensitivity he brings to this subject. So often, misguided parents or friends try to replace a pet too soon. This author states, "Do not rob your children of the right to grieve, cope with, and overcome their pain." (p. 71) I also love the list in the back of resources, including groups for various types of loss, and books and movies that may be helpful. Boy would I love to have a lot of those films in my personal library! It's always helpful to have choices as you're moving through the unchartered territory of each unique grief journey. Marcia Breitenbach, founder of[...]

I did a research paper for college on how children are ignored during the grieving process, particularly when the deceased is their parent. Of all the many books and articles I found during my research, this book became my exclusive favorite. Rabbi Grollman understands how a child's mind works during each stage of development and provides excellent suggestions and advice on how to reach a child at each stage of understanding and awareness. I hadn't considered some of the things he mentioned but found everything to be sound, make sense, and above all, they work as I help my now deceased friend's young children cope with her loss in their lives. This book will also help the adult to understand death better and come to terms with the loss. A win/win for everyone.

The only problem was that I did not read this book before my husband died. I have a 22 year old son, a 5 year old daughter and a 4 year old son. Their father's death was a sudden tradgedy and was difficult for the whole family, especially explaining it to the small children. I only wish I had read this book before I explained it to them. Thank you Earl Grollman for incredible insight.

this Book reflects The Importance of Talking about Death.explaining our time here on earth.Earl Grollman does a Fantastic Job here of Explaining of how to cope with the Loss of a Loved One.though we Lose The Soul of a Person we never Lose The Spirit.it is Reflected in Generations to Come.this Book is Very Important from Adult to Child.ANy Age Really.Because who Really Ever gets over a Loss?but a Book like this does bring a Form of Comfort.