A simple introduction to pet loss that helps children learn how to say goodbye and honor and remember their pet. I like how Bella finds very special ways to show love to Bella such as cleaning up her accident, snuggling with her, etc. It was pretty heavy on text, and I wish it would have shown the euthanasia process as part of that love, but there are other books that do.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Charlotte's dog Bella is in her golden years. After a vet visit, Charlotte is told Bella is dying. Charlotte does not want to miss saying good-bye to Bella so every time she sees Bella, she tells her that she loves her. Soon, Bella dies and Charlotte grieves. Helpful for someone recently grieving a pet.

what a great story to introduce children about how to deal with the loss of a pet! def have tissues ready when you read this one.

This is a lovely story about a young girl and her beloved dog, Bella. As Bella's health declines, the family makes her comfortable and prepares to say goodbye. Tissue alert!!! If you are an adult, I recommend reading this book before reading it to kids. I love dogs and this book had me crying the first time I read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and its writer for providing me with an advanced copy of this book
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A sad book about how she is getting her dog's dead and the process we should have to do.

Really liked those work of ideas to do when my cat die, it is not further but not sooner, and we feel she is dying slowly, sad and crying deeply.

5,0

Thank you NetGalley. I read this book with my 2nd grader and we both loved it. We cried, missing our own sweet girl and really felt all the emotions. This is a great book for helping kids deal with the trauma of losing their own fur babies.

Thank you @netgalley and Greenleaf Book Group/River Grove Books for an eCopy of this book.

Goodbye, Bella was an emotional book, a journey down the memory lane. It brought back memories of loss, love, pain and happiness.

This book teaches kids how to say goodbye to their pets. It teaches families how to make the most of their time with their pets not just when they are in their last days but throughout their little life.

A wonder story about celebrating and loving your pet who will soon pass. Goodbye, Bella is such a sweet story. My family lost a beloved pet last year and I read this to my girls. They really loved it and helped them share stories and memories of our pet. I highly recommend this to anyone with children who’ve lost a family pet.

Great book that speaks to the grief of losing a pet, and what little kids can expect while dealing with this loss. It can act as a useful tool to help prepare them.

Thank you to the publisher, along with NetGalley for the eARC! Goodbye Bella is a great book to use with a child who has an older pet, who may be going through the loss of a pet soon. The added pages at the end for the reader to put pictures of them with their pet is a cute addition. This is a great resource to use when going through losing a pet since the book explains the process in kid friendly language.

❤️‍🩹 This is a book about pet loss – saying goodbye and helping children deal with grief. It can be a little tough to read, particularly if you’ve experienced the loss of a pet yourself, but the information is presented in a considerate way to help kids understand that it is okay to be sad when we lose a friend.

❤️‍🩹 The book also discusses ways to make the most of the time children and families have left with their pets and ways that that they can remember and honor them after they have gone.

❤️‍🩹 The illustrations are appropriate for the story. You will definitely see the heartbreak, but it is also clear that love is present in abundance.

❤️‍🩹 I think this book is great for learning about grief and coping skills. Not only for pet loss, but the loss of any loved one.

Thank you @netgalley and Greenleaf Book Group/River Grove Books for an eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A very sweet story that will help kids process the grief of losing a pet. The art was cute the story followed the process of saying goodbye to a pet so TW for kids who aren't dealing with that.

4 stars

Sometimes, we get to know when our pet’s time is coming to an end. Charlotte’s parents have told her that Bella, her dog since the day she was born, will be dying, soon. Charlotte accepts the coming loss, but is also worried she won’t be there when Bella dies, and won’t get to say goodbye.

And so begins a tale of how we can cherish final days, saying goodbye with each moment, while also enjoying the little time we have left. Bella isn’t given a reprieve of a last-moment burst of energy. We’re allowed to see her fade, and then see her body. Nothing gruesome, of course. Bella is rendered as if she could be sleeping, giving Charlotte one last chance to say goodbye to the body.

Even after the death, Charlotte finds ways to say goodbye, at a funeral and, later, on Bella’s birthday, when they give charity to an animal shelter. There is an off moment, here, where they adopt a dog who looks JUST LIKE Bella, and even give her a name to rhyme with Bella. After a book full of saying goodbye, it felt like an odd stumble on the message. However, not a terrible mistake.

I received an advanced copy of this book, for review, from NetGalley. Unfortunately, this advanced copy did not have the text placed upon the page as it would be upon publishing, but was instead below the images. I don’t know 100% if the text I read was the same that was published, or how it fit on the page. This book is pretty text-heavy so I’d hope significant thought went into making it legible.

Overall, a suitable book on pet loss, and an especially rare one that focuses on a child’s knowledge of coming death, instead of death already arrived.

Goodbye, Bella is the perfect children's book to explain or help kids cope with the loss of a pet. Our family had to say goodbye to our 13 year old black lab a couple months ago so this book really hit close to home. I loved how they were able to honor Bella while she was still with them. The illustration was really beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group, River Grove Books for allowing me access to the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Goodbye, Bella is a lovely little book for kids about how to deal with the imminent death of a pet or for a recent loss. I love the areas in the book where the child could write their own memories and place a picture of them, with or without the help of their parent depending on their age. This is a hard topic not only for kids, but also their parents, so this book would be very helpful in starting the conversation around why our pets don't get to stay with us as long as we wish. Thank you to Kat's Socks and NetGalley for the early read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Goodbye, Bella is a book about saying goodbye to pets and dealing with grief for kids. It's hard for kids to understand the enormity of feelings when they lose part of their family, and this book shows kids that it's okay and normal to feel sad when pets get old and die.

The illustrations in this book are really well done. The story is as much about celebrating life and showing our love to those around us, people and animals, as it is about grief and death.

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to review this eARC in exchange for my honest review on the book!

It was an easy read. Maybe because it's a short story. It touched my heart a bit as it was a really emotional story but it felt to short for me and i did not feel the grieving part. Nevertheless, the graphics are good and the whole concept is wonderful. It just felt rushed for me.

Goodbye, Belle by Katerine Pendergast and Lacie Brueckner - 5/5
Children's Fiction - Parents & Families

Saying goodbye to a beloved pet is never easy and can truly be something you struggle with when explaining to your children what is happening. I believe in teaching children about hard subjects, such as death is highly important. They have the right to learn what is happening and the how to develop a healthier process when experiencing death. Whether that be a beloved pet, family member or family friend. It is something that is never easy to understand or move through the moments but talking about it and educating children can help them.

Goodbye, Belle pulled at my heart strings, as a fur mom myself, and now I know which book to grab if the time every comes. I recommend this book 100%.

Available publication date June 2023
Thank you NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group for the eARC.

I believe that teaching children about death is highly valuable as it can help them develop a healthier perspective and avoid developing a fear of death as they grow older. One of the first experiences of death for many children is the loss of a pet, and I truly appreciate the efforts of authors and artists who create stories that aim to minimize the pain associated with this process.

When it comes to having pets and children, it is crucial to approach sensitive topics such as pet loss with honesty and empathy. I think this book effectively achieves that by presenting the topic in a simple and understandable manner. It would be a beneficial story for families with aging pets as it can help explain the changes the animal may be going through and gradually prepare the child for the impending loss.