how friendship and courage bring hope to a community
/ages 12 years and up
Hotaka is the tale of the town of Omori-wan, one of the Japanese villages devastated by the 2011 Tsunami and the people who are trying to learn to live after everything is swept away—it's told through the eyes of a young boy, Hotaka....
a profound exploration of death and the intertwining of grief and joy
/ages 6 years to adult
Because grief, when it visits, consumes us and seems to blanket all the world in sadness, our inclination is to shield children from its depths, or to show them how to escape as quickly as possible. It’s a strange, if quintessentially human, response. Our great love for the children we care about motivates us but
intergenerational love and the Orcas of Canada - a tale to prompt one's own family storytelling
/Set in Canada, Waiting for the Whales makes a really nice stepping stone to family storytelling. It’s about a grandfather living a simple life of gardening and watching the seasons. It's a picture book to prompt one's own family stories – leading easily to thoughts, memories and 'after' conversations.
ages 4 to 12 years
a graphic portrayal of what it is to feel alone, and what it is to heal
/A poignant look at living with the demons of anxiety and profound unhappiness. Small things lead to the demons that beset a young man, and small things lead to overcoming them. A lovely meditation on the impact small things can have.
ages 10 years to adult
real life heroes - they're not always human!
/The remarkable true story of a horse and his trainer show what it is to lead and care for others.
ages 2 to 10 years
a tender and gentle look at grief and recovering joyfully
/ages 2 to 12 years
Books that offer positive mechanisms for coping with grief that aren’t overly sad or far too heavy thematically for young children are thin on the ground, but this is one. And it's a rare child whose life remains untouched by grief, traumatic or simple.