Back to Books

A long, long time ago (or so it seems...), I used to try to write about some of our favorite finds at the libraries and book stores. Now that I'm back in the blogging saddle, I figured I'd revive the idea and start by sharing some of the titles that were most helpful this past month.

Literature was a wonderful tool to help explain death and dying to Eli. Thanks to my co-workers and Eli's teachers, I had plenty of books to choose from. Surprisingly, there were not many written for his age group, but together, we managed to find some.

I'll Always Love You by Hans Wilhelm is a sweet story about a boy and his dog growing up together. The dog, of course, ages faster than the boy and eventually dies. The little boy is very sad, but is able to cope because he knows that he always told the dog how much he loved him.

We first read this book during Grandma's final week in the hospital. Eli began to request it daily, and it prompted several questions from him as to where Heaven is and how one gets there. Eli also seemed to pick up on telling people you love that you love them all the time, so that they always know. His emotions were running high for a while there, and he was more lovey than usual.

I was browsing websites and Amazon for other titles when I discovered this gem, God Gave Us Heaven by Lisa Tawn Bergren. She has several titles in this series. The characters in this book are a daddy polar bear and his daughter who is curious about Heaven. The dad does a wonderful job fielding her questions and telling her what a wonderful place Heaven is.

This book gave Eli a lot to talk and wonder about. We had many "deep" conversations after reading this one, and I love that the story does not focus on the sad parts of death. Instead, it tells us how awesome Heaven is. I think it brought Eli some peace knowing that MeeMaw was going to such an incredible place.

We read several others. Some were a little too "sad" or close to home. Others went right over his head. Eli's 3-year-old brain processed a lot in the past month, and I'm grateful that I was able to use literature to help him get his brain wrapped around this abstract concept.

And I know I've already shared it, but I can't get his little line out of my head. He came up with it during our conversation after reading I'll Always Love You.

"When you get to Heaven, you are alive again!"
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