This picture book for children seeks to provide a glimpse into the loss of a loved one. Daria is a young girl whose grandfather is in the hospital. She visits him and together they watch the ocean and the beach outside of the window. After his death Daria takes drawings of the ocean back to her room and her apartment building to remember Grandpa.

The illustrations in this are lovely, capturing the expansiveness of the world outside. The note at the end provides an excellent resource for parents or teachers who may be helping young students navigate grief or a relative with an extended illness.

While it might not work in every scenario, it is a short, direct story for young children to begin to approach the subject of death.

Daria has been spending a lot of time with Grandpa in his hospital room lately. His window faces the ocean, which inspires the two of them to make plans for all the fun things they'll do once Grandpa gets better. But Grandpa doesn't get better, and Daria has to decide how she will deal with the new feelings that twist up inside her.

This book is just a little glimpse into a family dealing with loss. It makes a really poignant statement with only a few words. I don't think I'd be able to read this one aloud to a child, as it sets me crying every time. It's a great way to open up conversations about what it means when a loved one dies and the ways we deal with feelings afterward.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flyaway Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

What a beautiful and helpful book to help explain death and dying to a child! In meaningful steps, Grandpa’s Window gently takes us from an alert, ailing grandparent through death. The illustrations are vivid and perfect. The words are simple, highly understandable, and absent when unnecessary. This lovely choice allows children to feel what’s happening in the pictures, and use their own words in discussion with their adult reader.
I found this lovely and remarkable. I hope it’s found by many families, and helps children for decades to come.
Thank you to NetGalley and Flyaway Books for granting access to a digital ARC in exchange for my opinion.

What a sweet story that almost made me cry. We see grief through a child's eyes and how even with loss there is so much love.
Lovely illustrations too.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Death and dying in children’s literature is a thing, believe it or not. I even had a class on it in college, back in the dawn of time. This take on a beloved grandfather dies, is sweet in that the child knows what is happening, sort of, as her grandfather gets worse and worse, yet still she goes to show him love, and pictures of things. Her drawings of the beach are so much better to look at than the hospital window that looks out on gray buildings.

And even after he dies, she goes to collect her drawings, and puts them up in her room to remember him by.

The author explains that you have to be direct with children when explaining death. Don’t say gone to sleep or passed on. Explain that someone has died and won’t be coming back. But you always have your memories, and those you should cherish.

Well done book. Sad, but sweet pictures.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

I want to cry because this book gave me lovely and heartbreaking feelings. What an excellent book to introduce grief to children as they may find themselves in similar moments. Instead of focusing heavily on death and grief, the book focuses on the color that the grandfather and granddaughter possessed in their relationship, not the gray of its physical end.

Highly recommended for classrooms, personal and school, as well as libraries.

This is a lovely, tear-inducing story of the love between a child and her dying grandfather. She and her grandfather make plans for when he is better but when he dies, Daria has to deal with the loss in the only way she knows how. She still feels his touch. Heartwarming and intuitive story that deals with love and loss and how a child may grieve. Beautifully illustrated and simply told story that should be read to every child who has experienced or will experience a loss of someone dear to them.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Grandpa's Window is about making memories before dealing with loss. It is geared for children but has a note at the end by Dr. Sharie Coombes, child and family psychotherapist, to assist parents with how to inform a child that a loved one has passed away.

Daria visits her grandpa in the hospital where he has a window looking out at the beach. They hope that one day they can spend time on the beach together doing beach activities such as flying kites and building sandcastles. When Daria's grandfather can no longer speak, they hold hands, and she understands what he is saying with the gentle squeezes he gives her hand.

This book can be used to help a child with coping with an ill family member and one who has recently passed away.

The illustrations are a compliment to the story which is short but shows a young girl saying goodbye to a beloved family member. This book deals with a serious subject with grace and care.

Oh the timeliness of this one for my personal life was too close to home! I wanted to go right out and purchase 3 copies right now! This book deals with the death of a grandparent but could be related to any close relationship to a child. I loved how the girl chose special memories to keep her grandfather close. Heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. A gentle way to help children understand the death of a loved one.

Beautiful story about losing a loved one. I am sure that kids who have lost someone will resonate deeply with Daria. I enjoyed the author’s note at the end and think it will be helpful for parents waking through grief with their kids.

Laura Gehl has written a lovely book for helping small children deal with grief. Daria’s grandfather is hospitalized. Every day Daria visits him and talks about what they will do on the beach when he recovers. Over time he gets ill until he dies. The author used wordless illustrations that conveyed his death, funeral, and Daria’s sadness over his loss. I thought this technique would encourage parents, teachers, and counselors to discuss these events. I think this book will be an important addition to home and school libraries. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Grandpa's Window is a very touching book (I had to hold back my tears). I loved the window aspect and how Daria and her grandpa could enjoy beautiful views from his hospital room and then after his death she could bring those views home for her window (the views were her drawings for him). The hope that Daria had that her grandpa would get well was inspiring and at the same time sad that maybe she hadn't been prepared for what was to come? That would be my only criticism of this book. The illustrations were beautiful and the story will speak to many children who have dealt with the loss of a loved one. I will be purchasing this book for the school library. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book as an ARC.

#GrandpasWindow #Netgalley
Special thanks to Netgalley and flyaway books for providing me with ARC
My daughter is 4 years old, she loved it so much and want more stories.

This is a great book for dealing with the death of a grandparent or other loved one. When the little girl’s grandfather is dying in the hospital, they take in the ocean view and imagine better times. After his death, she’s able to let those memories live on by drawing the sights she saw and putting them in her windows.

I received an electronic ARC from Flyaway Books through NetGalley.
Powerful message of love amidst coping with the end of life for a grandfather. Readers meet Daria as she sits in the hospital with her much loved grandpa. They look out the window and see the ocean. Plan are made to go there when Grandpa is released. Each day, the view is different until the truth is revealed near the end of the story. A beautiful book for those coping with losing someone. I love the way the illustrator shows the window on each page. Gehl offers realistic portrayals of Daria's grandfather's health as the book proceeds. Tears in my eyes as I'm typing this.

What a beautiful, gentle book. This story is a wonderful way to encourage children to enjoy and cherish the memories of loved ones. It is well written and the illustrations are lovely.

A very heavy subject for young minds and emotions. When a loved one is sick and is expected to die soon. This story reflects on how we can remember our loved well by making memories now. It is more of a presence. What I liked most about this book is that it helps everyone. The one that is expected to die and all those that he is leaving behind. It brings back humanity and it embraces hope.

Highly recommend.

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

Well that was sweet but also incredibly sad.

Losing a loved one, especially people with that amazing title of grandparent is so very hard.

Books like this are important to get us talking about those feelings.

I liked the story and felt that the illustrations worked perfectly to show the progression from her grandfather healthy…then progressing until he eventually passes away. It paints a real picture of the cycle of life without making it overly heavy for young minds.