What's Heaven?

Rating:
Summary: warm hearted stories about death!!
Review: an imaginative discussion with a child about the death of a beloved family member. could be used to encourage a conversation with an unpset child or to elaborate an existing conversation. very sweet stuff.

Rating:
Summary: What's Heaven
Review: The book came to light when the author, Maria Shriver, lost her grandmother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, and had to explain this loss to her two young daughters at the time. The book consists of thirty-two pages sharing discussions between a girl named Kate and her mother. The mother is very sad one day and explains to Kate that grandma died. Kate is full of questions that the author's own daughter had asked.

On each page the pastel illustrations portray the scenes described on that particular page. Sandra Speidel has won awards for her previous pastel illustrations in children's books. The first picture shows a girl sitting among the flower pots with her mother sharing a special moment, possibly reflecting on the life of the loved one who just passed away. Next Kate asks about Angels and the illustration shows an Angel sailing through the sky.

Kate learned that each member of her family carries a piece of the relatives that are in Heaven and she was taught to believe in herself. Kate went outside to play and glanced up at the sky leaving a message for her great-grandmother, " your spirit will always be alive in me".

I was pleased with the way this book handled the questions young children might ask at a time when a loved one dies. I felt this was suitable for any faith, as this did not delve into any certain religious practices. I would think this would be a good book for a Sunday school class to read as well as for children over the age of four or five in a pre-school setting and regular classrooms.

I would certainly get this book when the time is right and the subject needs to be addressed. It would be worth having on staff in the Hospital for families to read when someone passes on, especially in the Children's ward. With more families having their elderly relatives living with them, this is a subject that might need to be addressed. What's Heaven? will help in dealing with the loss of family pets as well as when tragedy hits in the media and in our schools.


Rating:
Summary: Provided what my daughter needed :COMFORT
Review: When searching for a book to help explain the death of our grandmother, I wanted a book that was simple enough for my 5 year old to understand, and that would give her comfort knowing that her grandmother was safe and happy in heaven. When a child is distraught and confused it is not the time for a hellfire & brimstone sermon to scare her even more. This book is a gentle explanation that encouraged her open conversation about our family's beliefs (something that's often hard to achieve with a silly, rambunctious 5 year old!) My daughter and I read this book together and laughed remembering her silly grandma, we also cried because she was gone, but were ultimately comforted. This book was not meant to be a replacement for the bible, and therefore it has not failed it's original intention - to comfort!

Rating:
Summary: A lovely fairy tale
Review: While the book was nicely written and has beautiful photographs, it has some disturbing beliefs that millions are being led astray by. The book says "everyone goes to heaven" and "you have to be a good person to get into heaven". Well, Maria just how "good" to you have to be? How do you know when you are "good" enough? No one will ever be good enough to get in to heaven, we are saved by grace not good works. John 3:16

Rating:
Summary: A gentle introduction to the rituals of death.
Review: This little book will do much to help a child begin to understand the enormity of death. The point of it is not to argue whether there is a Heaven and whether everyone will go there, but to create a safe haven for children to ask questions and receive a little comfort. I used this book to help explain to my 3-year old about my dad's death and used it simply as a tool, skipping over parts I thought she wouldn't understand and expanding on the ones I thought she would. She has come through with the understanding that grandpa is in Heaven (and who is going to explain the complexities of the ideas Heaven and Hell to a 3-year old and frighten them in the process??) and that she will always have her memories of him in her heart to help keep him alive. It also explains that it's OK to be sad and cry if it helps you to feel better about your loss. My daughter has been comforted by that and that's all that matters. This is a childrens' book, after all, geared toward childrens' understandings...not a theological debate.