Abstract

When Mia learns that her mother has died, all the colour in her world changes to a dreary grey. She feels guilty, angry, sad and lost (sometimes all at once!), and she doesn't know what to do to feel better. Little by little, with the help of her Dad, Mia learns how to cope with her difficult feelings. Together, they remember her mother by creating memory boxes, and they even get rid of anger by crazily sloshing paints and punching holes in newspapers! In the end, Mia finds her own, very special way of coping. When she feels sad or lonely, she looks up to the stars.

Full of practical strategies, this storybook for children aged 5-9 addresses loss, grief and hope. Written from the perspective of Mia who has experienced the sudden death of her mother, it covers the different stages of grief, from initial disbelief, anger and sadness to resolution and hope. The book highlights the importance of giving children the time and space to work through their feelings and provides a host of thoughtful activities to help them cope. It also addresses some of the questions children commonly ask about death.

Uniquely illustrated, this book will be an invaluable resource for anyone supporting a grieving child, especially bereavement counsellors, social workers, teachers and other school staff, as well as parents.

A diamond of a book! So often the awfulness of a parent dying is sanitised, but this little gem tackles a difficult event with sensitivity and realism. It offers a young person truth and an explanation of what grief is. The loss of a mother changes the life of a child forever, but throughout the story hope, along with the idea that 'different' can be OK, is offered gently. I would recommend this book to all professionals working in the field of bereavement. This book will become a classic and will help many young people and adults.
Dee Gardner, Senior Social Work Practitioner, Fireworks & Feelings Pre & Post Bereavement Project, St Francis Hospice, Essex, UK
Camille Gibbs is a social worker in the field of adoption, specialising in direct work with school-aged children moving to adoptive placements. Through her work, she has extensive experience of working with children who have suffered the loss of family members. She has also gained a certificate in counselling using the arts from the Centre for Child Mental Health, UK, in 2009. Camille lives in Essex, UK.
This is a warm, honest story that deals with Mia's feelings about her mother's death, and her creative reactions, which include becoming the ice queen whose heart feels no pain... Gibbs successfully waves a convincing illusion that had me believing Mia was the storyteller and Gibbs a co-writer or collaborator. It is Gibbs' skillful use of the words and language of a child of Mia's age, and the childlike illustrations, that makes this story of pain, anger and everything grief is, genuinely sound as if it is coming from Mia herself... Although a book for children, adults could learn much about the grieving process and useful ways to help children through it.
Augene Nanning, counsellor
BACP Children & Young People
A beautifully written, beautifully illustrated book that not only will help children to understand death and its finality, but will also give them ways of helping themselves and others to cope with the inevitable problems that come to everyone who suffers loss. Outstanding!
Healthy Books blog