a profound exploration of death and the intertwining of grief and joy

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 

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a tender but unflinching story of Australia's Stolen Generation

a tender but unflinching story of Australia's Stolen Generation

ages 6 years to adult
Have you seen this website? It’s a collection of personal testimonies from people of the Stolen Generation. They're so very personal and real that I feel like a welcome, if naïve, guest. Each testimony includes a short personal statement

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when you were born . . . our hearts sang, our spirits soared . . .

when you were born . . . our hearts sang, our spirits soared . . .

ages newborn to 5 years
I came across this really sweet book at the library. It's a lovely collection of different animal and human parents telling their young ones what it felt like when they were born. For the bear family it was: When you were born the snow melted, the birds sang, the flowers grew. For the owls

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a wonderfully concise look at younger sibling-hood

a wonderfully concise look at younger sibling-hood

ages newborn to 8 years
That's William at playgroup, all dressed up as a pirate and asking: “Who will be my crew?” And, when William's dad was five or six-years-old, he used to leap on to the lounge chair asking exactly the same question: 

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a fun chapter book for feeling safe even outside your comfort zone

a fun chapter book for feeling safe even outside your comfort zone

ages 4 to 12 years
With Marge in charge there’s plenty of fun, a fair smattering of risk taking, a few nervous moments and a whole of rule bending. A terrific book for early readers and for reading aloud to younger kids. The universal experience of waiting anxiously for a new babysitter will delight young readers – but they’ll probably never have a babysitter quite like Marge.

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intergenerational love and the Orcas of Canada - a tale to prompt one's own family storytelling

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

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