This past spring, C. went to his first funeral, held for Chad’s Aunt Hazel. Within the next six weeks, my uncle died, and a friend of mine from church lost her battle with cancer. Needless to say, eight-year-olds are not usually confronted with death on a regular basis, but this spring really brought it to the forefront of all our minds. Naturally, kids thinking about death for essentially the first time will have a lot of questions, a lot of confusion, and a lot of emotion. So today, I’d like to tell you about two books written by Randy Alcorn that can help parents talk to their kids about the inevitable.
First, Dr. Alcorn has written a picture book entitled Wait Until Then. Realistically illustrated, Wait Until Then is a story of a boy, Nathan, and his grandfather, “Gramps,” who share a love of baseball and a love for each other. Nathan was born with spina bifida and must use a wheelchair. Gramps has cancer and is aging, finding it difficult to walk and do the things he once did. Over the course of the book, Gramps helps Nathan to understand God’s love and plan, and to realize that what lies ahead for them — Heaven — is amazing, beautiful, and wonderful, something to truly look forward to. In the end, Gramps passes away, and the book talks about his funeral. I’m glad the author included this section, giving kids some idea of what to expect at a funeral, which can be a scary and confusing experience for children. The last page of the book is a guide for parents, giving them some topics and truths to discuss with their children.
Second, Dr. Alcorn has written a resource called Heaven for Kids. His best-selling book for adults, Heaven, provides a comprehensive look at what the Bible really says about Heaven (addressing misconceptions such as ‘Heaven is one eternal church service’), and how that information should affect our lives. Heaven for Kids proposes to do something similar, but in easy-to-understand language that will give kids many of the answers they’re looking for. Some of the questions addressed are: Will we have real bodies in Heaven? Will Heaven ever be boring? and Will we sleep in Heaven? This book makes a quick read-through for adults who want to be prepared to answer their kids’ questions. It would also be good for parents to go through with their children. And because it’s set up in a question-and-answer format, it’s also easy to skim through to find a specific question that your child is asking.
As parents, of course we don’t like to see our children sad and confused. But these feelings will certainly come as they grow, and as loved ones become ill or pass away. I’m glad there are resources like these that equip us to help our kids through those difficult times.
I’ve heard about the first one, but hadn’t seen the second one. They both do sound like great resources. It’s always good to have correct information, in a kid-friendly format.
Katrina, thanks for the reviews. This is a very tough topic for anyone, let alone a young child. I am certain Dr. Alcorn approaches it with great compassion and faith.
Katrina~ Thanks for sharing these reviews. Fortunately, I don’t need any of these products TODAY, but you just never know. It’s been my experience that deaths/funerals seem to come in three’s.
I’ll definitely be keeping these books in mind!
Heidi
Those sound like wonderful resources. We have a large extended family and many aging family members, so these are books that I should get.
Thanks for always thinking ahead Katrina. I knew about Aunt Hazel but had no idea about the other folks you’ve lost recently. Isn’t it wonderful that we, as believers, can all look forward to heaven? You give me great hope in the future as I see all that I’ll be involved in with Quin’s life. And what in the world are doing posting blogs at 6:48AM on a Sunday? Get some rest!!!!!
Come to think of it when I was 11 i lost three pretty important people in my life also. I thought I was the plague and that it ws because of me that they all had died. I did survive and move on.
My husband still cries for his mother who passed in 2000. The WHOLE FAMILY gets together on the day she died and they talk about how much happier their life was when she was alive.
My father in Law called my husband on July 14th this year and said that he hadn’t heard from his son on this special day.
My husband went into a tizzy spell that he had forgotten. I just tried to point out to him that she sould never be forgotten and that he just hadn’t called EVERYONE because he had moved on.
My father passed in 1997 I cried and went to his funeral. I moved on knowing that daddy was in a better place. A place with no cancer, disese, strife just beauty, joy and warmth.
I’ve heard rave reviews of his book Heaven, for adults. My dd read some of it, too, and it answered some of her questions. I think the one for kids would be a great reference book to have around as we raise our little ones.