This short book (really just a pamphlet) is subtitled Explaining Death to Young Children. It is a story about a group of water bugs who notice some of their friends going up pond lily stems and disappearing. They decide that the next one of them who makes that journey will come back and tell the others where he went and why. When this actually happens, the water bug discovers he has completely changed — now he is a dragonfly and his attempts to return to the water to inform his friends is futile.
What a gentle way to explain to youngsters that death is not the end, but a new beginning! At the end of the book there is a prayer, some advice to parents, and a list of further resources.
VERDICT: 5 STARS.
For more posts about death and grieving see:
Between Life and Death by Kathryn Butler, M.D. — Book Review
The Spirituality of Grief by Fran Tilton Shelton — Book Review