Quinn Says Goodbye by Christie Thomas is a book for young children about both helping others and loss. I recommend this book for children that have experienced any kind of loss, whether that is a pet, a family member, a friend or a toy. The illustrations are beautiful and really add to the story.

Quinn Says Goodbye is a good book for children who have experienced any type of loss. I am giving it five plus stars. Highly recommended.

I received an electronic ARC from Harvest House Publishers through NetGalley.
Everyone experiences loss. Thomas has created a simple story to help younger children understand this concept. Quinn the owl helps a firefly heal from a damaged leg. Although they become friends, the firefly needs to go back to his family. One evening, he's gone. Quinn experiences the various emotions involved and listens as his mom explains about loss and God always being there. Together they pray and Quinn finds comfort. She continues to find peace and acceptance in the coming days.
Delightful illustrations bring the characters to life. Their emotions are visible and the settings are realistically drawn.
A terrific addition to books about loss and finding comfort for young readers. Simple words and explanations to grasp complex concepts.

Great story for kids on dealing with loss of any kind. Short and sweet for young children with an understandable and transferable message.

Check out this book on Goodreads: Quinn Says Goodbye http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42873090-quinn-says-goodbye

“Quinn Says Goodbye” by Christie Thomas is a great book for kids dealing with grief. The age range could be as young as three years up to possibly ten. This book introduces Quinn, a happy, young owl, who meets a bug, Blink, who is in trouble.

Blink is hurt and Quinn and her mother revive it back to full health. Quinn and Blink become friends until one day Blink is unexpectedly gone. The book addresses themes of grief and loss and confusion. The book takes a biblical perspective asserting that, “God doesn’t always stop bad things from happening, but He is always with us and comforts us.”

This book would be helpful for young children going through any kind of loss, a grandparent who passes away, the death of a pet, a friend moving away, even a complicated situation like divorce. At the conclusion of the book, there are some helpful notes for parents and some conversation starters to help draw out your child to process what they are feeling.

Christie Thomas writes about cultivating authentic faith in the home at her blog: www.christiethomaswriter.com where more information and resources can be found.

This educational and entertaining children's book is perfect to explain loss to children. It is an extremely beutifully illustrated work and the text is well written and deeply moving.
A must-have for young children!

The gorgeous warm illustrations are the first thing that drew me in to this book. But then the authors descriptive story telling captivate the reader and bring the story to life. You join into Quinn and Blinks fast friendship. Then the sorrow of sudden separation. But the lesson that God never leaves is shared at the end, a little disjointed. And the image that He holds your heart like the Mama owl held Quinn in her wings. Could help kids connect.

The book also gives information about fireflies and talking points about loss to discuss with your child.

Thankful to partner with netgalley and read an advance copy.

I really enjoyed this book. What caught my attention was the beautiful artwork and the fact that I love owls, I was sad that Quinn had to say goodbye. I felt the story was a little slow for a few pages in the middle, but I enjoyed the overall story and message. The subtleties of God within the story were nice and honestly my favorite part. I would recommend checking this book out!

Sweet little story about love, loss, and grief. The illustrations were really pretty. I'm not a religious person so the ending didn't really resonate with me but I did think the concepts were presenting in a way that young minds would understand. Would recommend for ages 3+.

Quinn Says Goodbye by Christie Thomas

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Story Notes

Christie Thomas has written a wonderful little book that will help parents begin the conversation of loss with a young child.

Loss is a very real part of life. We lose friends, family, jobs, keys and sometimes even a pet. As adults we have a process that we all go through and are mostly mature enough to make it through those steps and talk about our losses. Children are a different story as their comprehension is just not on the same level. I loved this new book that Christie Thomas has written because it brings up the topic of loss in a gentle way. A little owl named Quinn has cared for a young firefly she named Blink whom she found, injured, on her bed of leaves. As Quinn helps Blink recover, they become good friends. Then one night, Quinn wakes to find Blink has disappeared. Heartbroken, she swoops out of her tree to search for her little buddy before realizing he really is gone. Her mother comforts her and assures her that although she has lost someone she loves, God loves her and will never leave her alone. Quinn is still hurting but finds peace in those truths. This story was excellent in its writing and plot line. Although there might have been a bit more about what actually happened to Blink, I think that the point of the story was that children will not always be told or know what happens to someone or something they lose. But that doesn’t mean that God will not be there for them, providing others to help with the healing. I really enjoyed the illustrations too, as they were very realistic. They kept the animals very true to life and did not give them cartooned faces. I think that will help children connect more with the characters in the story as they are what they would normally see when looking at an owl/owl family. Obviously, owls don’t talk or help bugs get better but this medium provides a certain needed distance that children might need to begin to understand loss. I will certainly be recommending this book to others and will be looking for a copy for my shelves in August. I’d like to share this with my family as we have recently had some family members pass away. Hope that Ms. Thomas will release other such books soon!

I received this E-book free of charge from Harvest House Publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation from either company for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

This sweet book deals with permanent separation from a loved one and the assurance that although it is never easy, God is aways there to give comfort and peace.

Quinn, a thoughtful baby owlet, is forever full of questions. One morning she and her Mama return to their nest to find an injured firefly. Filled with compassion for the little bug they agree to nurse him back to health. Her caring Mama begins by bringing the little guy a leaf with a drop of dew on it and drips the water into the little bug's mouth.

Quinn helps to take care of their little patient and names him Blink. She has made a steadfast friend and she vows to nurture him and to never let him get hurt again. Suddenly, one night, everything changes....

Quinn wakes up and finds her best friend is gone. He just flies away into the night and leaves her. Oh my! Wherever could he have gone?

"Mama, why didn't God make Blink stay with me? Didn't he know how much I loved him?"

How will Mama answer her beloved child? Mama's wise answer leads to Quinn praying to God and telling him her sorrow. She feels assured that although Blink has flown away that God will always be there for her. As she pours out her heartbreak and deep sense of sadness to God she feels like he is hugging her heart just like her sweet concerned Mama is hugging her right now with her wings.

This book has beautiful illustrations and will touch a child's heart. They will understand that although people and things leave this earth God will always be there for them. It is a positive message of comfort, love, understanding and hope. The author includes facts concerning fireflies and a parent's page that is very helpful at the end. Highly recommended.

Quinn Says Goodbye is a beautifully illustrated children's book that deals with loss and grief. Quinn, a little owl, befriends an injured firefly and helps nurture it back to health. But one day, the firefly stops visiting Quinn and she doesn't understand why. Quinn's mother tries to explain to her that sometimes you lose the people you love, but God will always be there for you.

I did think the message was a nice one, especially for families who want to start guiding their children in a spiritual or religious manner. The book, though, doesn't necessarily deal with loss or grief in a way that I think would really make sense to young children. Quinn never does discover what happened to her firefly friend. Did he die? Did he just stop coming around? I assumed death was implied, but young children may have an even harder time digesting that and dealing with it. They may question why Quinn's friend had to "leave" and why God would take her friend away.

I did enjoy this book, although I do think older children may handle it a little better. But if parents are willing to open a conversation with their younger children about death, loss, grief, and God, this book could be a good way to start something like that.

I'm giving Quinn Says Goodbye 3 stars.

Quinn and her Mama nurse an injured firefly back to health and Blink, as Quinn names it, becomes Quinn’s friend. One day Blink disappears and Quinn is sad about this but Mama explains that Blink had to return to its own family. They speak to God and know that God helps us even when we are sad and will always love us. This is a charming, delightful and deceptively simple young children’s book. It has beautiful illustrations and a short message at the end about helping children deal with grief. As with so many children’s books the power is in the simple strength of the message. Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harvest House Publishers for ARC.

I found Quinn Says Goodbye to be a very touching and meaningful story about a young owl who doesn't know anything about loss until she meets a firefly named Blink. In this beautifully illustrated tale, Quinn and Blink become friends and then one day Quinn wakes up to find that Blink has gone away. She has to learn to accept and understand what has happened.

Loss is a difficult concept, especially for children so I think this book's message is very important.
That loss does occur and its ok to be sad or disappointed about it but to remember that God will always be there and you will be ok. My favorite part of the story is when Quinn decides to pray about her loss, "As she talked to God, Quinn felt like he was hugging her heart".

I enjoyed this book but I think there could have been a little more build up to the friendship. I think if there were more examples or evidence of time shared between Quinn and Blink, I could have empathized with Quinn a little more. Other than that, it was an awesome book and I will be reading it to my son.

This is a really good book to explore the meaning of loss and grief. Its beautifully illustrated and the story is approached in a lovely sensitive manner.

I think this book was great lesson in loss for little ones. I do think it’s still a difficult topic that I’m not sure a child would understand even with this books help. I loved the illustrations and the names.

This precious picture book teaches children—through beautiful illustrations of owls, fireflies, and nature—that although we sometimes have to face some kind of loss, such as having to say goodbye to someone we care about, God is always with each and every one of us to love, comfort, and guide us throughout our lives. "Quinn Says Goodbye" is a lovely book with an important message for all children.

Uses a very sweet, simple concept to teach young children about loss. Quinn nurse a firefly to health and then his friend leaves him to go back to his family. Mom helps Quinn talk to God about loss and love.

This is a really lovely children's book about loss and about still feeling God's love during periods of loss. The illustrations are beautiful and the text is clearly laid out and easy to follow. It is a lovely book to be enjoyed by parents/carers and children alike.

This book has beautiful illustrations and a wonderful message. It teaches children that friends may come and go, but God is always with them. Thank you Harvest House Publishers via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.