Let's Talk About When Someone Dies
ISBN13
9781472955340
Review published
20/01/2019
By Reviewer
Sam
Star Rating
By Author / Illustrator
Molly Potter
Age range(s)
7+
Review
This is the book to turn to if you ever have to have that unthinkable yet ultimately inevitable conversation with a child about death and what happens next. Let's Talk About When Someone Dies is written by Molly Potter and provides a simple, straight-forward explanation of what happens when someone dies. The author uses clear, child-friendly language to answer some of the complex questions about death, covering sensitive questions such as: 'What is death?', explaining what happens to the body physically, while also addressing other difficult questions such as 'Why do people die?', 'What's a funeral?' and 'What happens to a person's body after the funeral?'
Each question is answered succinctly across two pages, explaining how a person might feel, think or sometimes behave. Supported by colourful illustrations by Sarah Jennings, this book provides an ideal conversation starter about death and bereavement, with a note to the reader at the beginning and guidance for parents and carers at the end. Children and many adults may find reading or understanding things tricky when they are upset or overly stressed, so the 'It's good to know' / 'It's important to know' notes on almost every page would be really helpful at these times.
Let's Talk About When Someone Dies is written in such a way that most children aged 7+ will be able to read and understand it on their own. However, as highlighted by the 'It's good to know' note on the first page, some of the material covered in this book may require discussion with an adult. Children are renowned for asking questions about all sorts of different things, both at home and at school. The death of a significant person will inevitably raise a number of questions for a young child. It may be that they feel they cannot ask these questions at home where other members of their family are dealing with their own grief and perhaps not behaving as they would do normally. As such, this book would make a vital resource for any teacher, Parent Support Assistant or anyone working in a welfare role in school.
32 pages / Ages 6+ / Reviewed by Sam Phillips, teacher.
