This is a lovely, sensitive guide to death and grief for young children. I love that it was gentle and metaphorical, but also direct and clear about acknowledging different emotions and facing the dying process. The love and care the family shows for each other is beautiful and comforting. The tone is accepting and hopeful, with an emphasis on carrying memories and traditions forward.

This could definitely become my go-to for discussing death with preschoolers and would be a great addition to school and community libraries.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Zonderkidz for the ARC of this.

I misread the description and didn’t realize this was a religious dealing with grief book, that does not fit in with my secular teaching. I tried to just skip over that and then it hit one of my triggers (tooth horror) so I had to completely DNF. I’m giving it 3 stars based on the imagery, language in the first half, and my own enjoyment/use, but I think there’s plenty of people who will enjoy this.

Walking Grandma Home
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Walking Grandma Home is a book about a young boy saying goodbye to his grandma as she passes away. It shows all the family gathering to say goodbye. The young boy processes his emotions with the help of his uncle and his parents. The book emphasizes that dying is about going home to heaven, which I appreciated. If I had a child who was about to lose a loved one, we would use this book to open up conversations about our circumstances.

I love this so much.
The illustrations are amazing, and it's actually a great way to learn talking about grief and death with children.
I love how the book gives notes for parents or councilors at the end page.
It's very suitable for kids 5-8 yo I guess

I loved the way this book emphasised the importance of mutual support, love and honesty at a time of grief. It is expressed from the viewpoint of a child whose beloved grandmother is dying and who is confused by expressions used ‘grandma is going home’ and scared of losing someone he loves very much. It is very moving and is a useful starting point to help a grieving child start to talk about their feelings in such a situation. There is an extremely useful last page which gives ideas for further helping a child deal with grief and what to expect from them. Whilst this book uses American expressions which may need some explaining to children from other countries, (for example, I had never heard to the expression that someone is going home when dying, and a cockerel is called a rooster etc) the principles involved as regards emotions; family support and communication; the comfort brought by memories and reminiscing about someone together are universal. An excellent book with simple, understandable illustrations to help in difficult circumstances.

Unfortunately, despite trying several times, I was unable to download this lovely book, so I am unable to give any relevant feedback. All I will say is that the cover is lovely and I am disappointed I could not read it.

Facing death leads to many emotions for anyone. Young and old. This book is sensitive to those emotions. It does not deny the emotions but as a Christian and having a hope, families can come together when facing death. I think that is what I liked the most about this story.

A young girl is experiencing the decline of her grandmother. Her grandmother knows that she is in decline and is helping her family thru this. I think this is so important because as Christ teaches, when we suffer together, it brings the gospel to us and to experience it together is like no other. When we deny that, it hurts our relationship with God and others. We have the promises of God when we face death for those that we leave behind and for those that are going home! Highly recommend.

A special thank you to Zonderkidz and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

WALKING GRANDMA HOME is a somber tale of death and grief. The writing is beautiful and in terms that young children encountering death for the first time will understand without being overwhelmed. The illustrations are simple and show emotion well. Readers should be aware that this book is published by a Christian publishing house, so there is a bit of religious subtext. However, the back matter of the book that gives prompts on how to work with the child through their grief does not mention anything religious at all.

This book is so beautifully done! I do wish they'd gone with maybe rhyming or something just so it flowed a little better. It just felt slightly choppy when reading it aloud but the story is beautiful! It takes you on a journey with a child dealing with his grandmother's death. You get to see his relationship with her and the connection they have. I was crying by the end. The uncle explains what's happening and that they're helping Grandma walk home to heaven. It's so touching and heartfelt you can't help but cry yourself! This is a wonderful way to help children understand and deal with trauma and death at a young age. I fully plan to purchase a copy for myself to read with my kids as my grandparents are 99 and 93. Lovely, soft-colored pictures add to the calm and reassuring feeling this book brings. The back of the book has ideas on how to help a child dealing with this and gives great ideas for activities and prompts to keep the conversation going. I highly recommend this book!

I thought that this book was absolutely brilliant!

This was a beautiful story and it really pulled on my heart strings as I read it with my five year daughter not long after my father in law passed away in August this year and we had also lost my grandma (her great-grandma) before that too so there was plenty we could talk about regarding aging and loss and to talk about her feelings

It was superbly written, it had a wonderful flow to the book - I thought it was excellent

It is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended!

The cover page of this precious little book notes that it is a story of grief, hope, and healing, something we adults need as much as the kiddos in our lives. These can be tough and difficult subjects to talk about with children, and a story and its lovely illustrations make it so much more approachable. Telling the story of a grandmother near the end of her life and her beloved grandchildren’s struggle to accept the idea of death and heaven, this one will have you tearing up, holding your loved one’s close, and remembering to never take a moment of time with your grandparents for granted.

I had no idea this was about grief until I started getting into it, but I’m so glad it is. There aren’t enough books for kids about grief. There aren’t enough books about grief period. It’s alarming how this common thing, that’s unfortunately absurdly taboo in America, doesn’t have enough literature on it to process and understand what we’re dealing with. However, this did a fantastic job of dealing with death and grief. I also really enjoyed the afterword with suggestions on how to deal with it.

#WalkingGrandmaHome #NancyBoFlood #EllenShi #Zonderkidz ## #NetGalley

This is a touching story that prepares little Lee for the loss of his grandmother, whom he loved. It will help little ones learn that loved ones die and when you love someone, you let them go when it is time and cope with the grief and loss.

This is an ARC with sweet illustrations by Ellen Shi and wise words from Nancy Bo Flood.

I can not put my finger on it, however I’m not a fan of this book. I do not find it very memorable, nor was I a great fan of the illustrations, however this book could be good to support/help them understand what happens leading up to and during the death of a sick loved one. It’s written from the child’s perspective, how he sees it and feels about it. The changes that are happening and how hard it is on everyone in the family. I do want to add that they do speak about heaven in this book, which maybe won’t be suitable for every families believes. it is something to keep in mind.

Wtfh. Not that I paid for this, but I want my money back. I am in tears.

I don't think anyone is ever too young to learn about grief. This is both beautifully drawn and written in a way that makes it easy to comprehend for any age group.

Beautifully done.

This book is told from the perspective of Lee, a young boy, who is told that Grandma is going home. Through conversations and illustrations we see the journey of how Lee deals with the upcoming death of Grandma.
Beautifully written and at the back of the book the author gives some tips on how adults can support children who have lost a loved one.

A lovely look at a family’s love.
Grandparents are a very special part of a family but what happens when they are no longer around?
In this story the adults know grandma is close to dying, they bring the family together to remember her and prepare each other for when the time comes to say goodbye.

Some books are just too intent on their purpose for being, that they forget the fact that people will have to want to read them. This is a little slight on the enjoyment and narrative, but is so visually top notch it counts as an unqualified success. It’s an Issue Book, in that it is from the point of view of a young lad whose nan is wasting away, having had a stroke. The whole family, from him and his sister to parents and uncle, all convene around her death bed, as she takes the first steps across the flower meadows outside her window on the path to heaven.

The lad is a wonderful character, caring, and understanding as best he can, and full of memories of his nan’s stories of old. So much so that she is barely here – halfway to her next home already, perhaps. But the subtlety and measured manner with which the dying is portrayed is definitely on the emotional side, bringing the truth of the matter vividly to the young reader. There are copious books to help a young person after a death in the family – this strikes me as rarer, in that it looks at how it feels to be expecting someone to pass on. On this evidence it’s best done with love, brightness and family, so it’s one gorgeous and positive lesson in bereavement, despite all the sadness involved.

I read this to my service dog (he blogs with me)

He enjoyed the book but at the end he kept laying his head on my shoulder. Asked him how many stars and he barked at 4, I asked if it was because it was a sad ending and he booked my nose.
Great book for young kids to learn about a topic like this, well written, and great message.
We still highly recommend it, just it was sad, get a box of tissues for the kiddos.

This is such a sweet story to teach kids about loss and grief. I cried reading it. Highly recommend this book. 5 stars.