Bear and Bird (Hardcover) (Ages 6-8)
The Cycle of Life is Gently Explored
Losing a friend as a child – or, really, anytime- can be a hard thing to understand especially if it is out of the blue. Like most people reading this, I had friends as a kid who passed away. Each one was shocking and very sad. I only remember a few conversations I had with my dad growing up, but I do remember one he had with my brother and I driving on the way home from a wake of a friend- since we could not drive yet. My dad told us the story as we drove on Third Street about how his best friend had died when they were teenagers. He didn’t say the entire story, but it had something to do with him jumping off bridges into the water below – something very common, yet dangerous, for young kids to do in that area. It must have been a very profound thing in his life since I learned that if either my sister or I had been a boy, we would have been named after Miles! It was strangely comforting to know he had experienced a similar loss around the same age. There are many things in life that are tough topics that we discuss with our kids and death is one of them.
Reading the new book, Bear and Bird, by Sleeping Bear Press that deals with the subject of losing a friend made me a little choked up when thinking about how to explain it to Brooke. Bear, a much older and wiser animal, finds little baby Bird when he needs help learning to fly and she discovers a new friend. They have fun each year until winter when Bear goes into hibernation. They love each other very much and look forward to seeing each other again in the spring. That is, until Bear does not come to see Bird one spring and Bird learns she has passed away. But, Bird will always remember her. This is a very gentle book that softly deals with death. Losing a friend is hard and it is important to talk about how our happy memories can bring comfort and acceptance without forgetting. This could also be a comforting book for a child who has lost a grandparent since the book talks about Bear having grandchildren and living a long and happy life.
Bear and Bird (Hardcover) (Ages 6-8)
List Price: $ 15.99 (eBook Available)
Momma's Bacon 