Remembering…

The Child Bereavement Charity has produced a booklet that may well be of seminal importance in helping children come to terms with the loss of someone dear. Designed with spaces for pictures, facts, mementoes and questions to fill in, this book provides gentle, reassuring watercolour illustrations along with plenty of space for musings and jottings. Questions to jog the memory, such as: ‘What I miss most about them’ and ‘I remember them being not very good at…’ are honest and thought-provoking. Memories of the day of the funeral are included, and while there is no specific religious connotation, there is space for recording what the child believes has happened to the person who has died. We are told that we may cry when working on the book and that this is normal. In a well-written introduction we learn that sadness comes and goes but that one day ‘shadows will fade and you can smile and think of the lovely memories you have.’ The Child Bereavement Charity should be pleased with this production.