A Last Goodbye

A sensitive book that explores death for young children. It is illustrated with pictures of animal mothers talking to their child about death. I thinks it lets a child know that death is not bad. It lets the young know it is okay to be sad and missed the one that has died.

I received a copy of this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. Good for kids who may have lost a pet. This book shows how animals grieve when others die.

First of all, this book is visually stunning. It is beautifully illustrated and paper pieced. Secondly, it goes into a topic that many children’s book avoid which is death. This book shows various animals dealing with death and grief. It shows different ways that animals deal with death.

If you have ever had to navigate the death of a loved one with your children you know it can be so difficult to find the right way to talk to them, to make them feel safe, to make them feel comforted even when, as adults, we are also grieving.

Thankfully there are incredible authors who are writing some of the most beautiful books to help you navigate these difficult times. A Last Goodbye by Elin Kelsey and Soyeon Kim is a new, completely wonderful book to share with your family at such a time. Carefully researched, Elin Kelsey talked to scientists, watched video and explored all of the ways all different animals experience grief. From elephants to whales, and monkeys to humans, we all grieve in different and beautiful ways. This book is so heartfelt and wraps you in a cocoon of support. It’s gentle and lyrical and feels so safe and comforting.

I truly appreciated how she asks the question of how the bodies of those who die will nourish the ground and the environment around them. What a lovely way to think of a loved one after they are gone, as providing nourishment to the environment so that there is a beginning from an ending.

We experienced the death of my uncle last year and since we had watched so many nature documentaries The Bear and The Bee were familiar with death and we have always talked about the circle of life so when Uncle Michael passed away their thoughts were of how he was going to help nature. We spoke about the beautiful flowers Uncle Michael would help to grow and the grass he would nourish and in turn helping the animals that live around the cemetery. It really provided them with concrete information about death and help them in their grieving process.

The illustrations by Soyeon Kim are otherworldly. So beautiful! The love you can feel leap off the pages just by looking at the illustrations, you know this is a truly special book.

This was one of the most beautiful and touching non-fiction picture books I've read! The artwork is masterful, and somehow obviously portrayed the difference between the animals living, dying and even passed on! There were even beautiful images of the dead bodies becoming part of the beauty of life again. Wow! The facts are well researched and tastefully shared, and the comparison to the loss of human lives is quietly understood.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this wonderful ARC book! I will be purchasing this book for my school's library this year!

#ALastGoodbye #NetGalley

A Last Goodbye is a beautifully written, and illustrated, story about animal behavior when a loved one dies. There is sadness, but eventually memories bring joy.

The language is informative and simple, yet engaging. The illustrations are soft and inviting. I would recommend this book for a child who has lost a family member or a beloved pet. As loss is a part of life, this book I can be a comfort throughout life.

Thank you to OwlKids Books and NetGalley for the electronic ARC to review.

This is a beautifully written picture book that will offer comfort to anyone who has lost a loved one- a grandparent, parent, child, pet, friend. This is a book to cherish and read any time you are mourning the loss of a loved one whether is was yesterday or last year.

Stunning, moving children's book about dying and death. 'A Last Goodbye' encourages caring and empathy and how we can honor our family members. The illustrations are gorgeous and show great tenderness. This is a perfect book to explain death and the cycle of life to children.

Thank you NetGalley and OwlKids Books for providing this ARC.

This artistic picture book is a necessary topic that is broached deftly for young children. Death is always hard to explain, but by using examples from the animal kingdom, Ms. Kelsey reminds us of the things all creatures of the earth share - family, caring, and love.

Children maintain a certain innocence about them that shields them from the more difficult trials and tribulations that we as adults deal with. Children are not meant to deal with the things adults deal with. They do not have the mental, physical or emotional capacity to handle certain things, and they do not understand and handle them the same as an adult might. Death is one of those things that can be especially difficult for children. They do not understand the concept, they do not understand the how or the why. This is why death can be more difficult for children to grasp and work through.

A Last Goodbye presents the idea of death in a child-friendly manner that is both clever, informational, and pleasant. Death is unpleasant, and losing someone is painful. Trying to make death relatable for children to understand and comprehend is not easy feat. Kelsey's book explain death in pre- and post-mortem. It looks at death in the sense that it will happen, and help the child to prepare for it, and it also provides comfort to the child when the inevitable does happen.

This book uses stunning visual art in multiple mediums in such a way that is jumps off the page. The artistic immersion makes the words that accompany it easier to stomach. It is both a distraction and a complement to the unpleasantness that is death. The clever use of animals is also a wonderful method of communication. All the animals depicted in the book actually maintain a sort of ritual when it comes to death and/or goodbyes. Not only is this informational but it helps to give goodbye a deeper meaning across more species than just humans. This helps children to see that goodbye happens all around them and it is nothing to be afraid of, and that there is no one way to grieve. Death is scary. Especially to a child who doesn't understand it. A Last Goodbye helps children to understand what death means for them, and helps them to see what will happen once someone is gone. This view of the afterlife helps to make death seem less scary, less uncertain, and reassures the child that death is not the end. I truly appreciate this book's ultimate goal and that is to help children to grieve and get through this terrible tragic moment of their life.

My Thoughts
First of all, the layered collage-style artwork is visually stunning and sweetly beautiful. And next, this book approaches the difficult topics of death and grieving with sensitivity and empathy.

Parents and caregivers can read the book first if they feel these subjects might be tough for young ones, but the gentle text accompanied by the lovely illustrations will make it easy.

By showing how different animals love and grieve (while they may do so in different ways), the book tells young readers that it is OK to be sad. It also can help young ones prepare for the death of loved ones and pets, and to honor them and cherish their memories when they are no longer with us.

In Summary: A great resource for parents and caregivers to help children deal with grief and death.

Note: I learned a lot about the grieving rituals of the various animals depicted in this book.

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Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC of the book; these are my honest opinions after reading this inspirational book.