Bereavement Related Children's Book Review
Oct 2019
The task was to find a children's book that discussed death, and present a review and therapeutic activity to use along with the book. A partner and I prepared a presentation discussing the appropriate audience for our chosen book, the ideal time to introduce the book, and the contents of the book. We also created and presented a therapeutic activity to accompany the book when using it as a bereavement tool.
Collaborated with: Caroline Brown
2. BOOK SUMMARY
Polar Bears, Gus and Ida, live in a zoo together in NewYork City. They’re best friends who do
everything together- play ball, swim, chase and race each other all day long; until the day Ida
gets sick. Keeper Sonya breaks the news to Gus that Ida will no longer be able to play all day,
and she will never get better. Gus is very sad after hearing this, and immediately goes to Ida to
mourn. Ida spends her last days making sure that Gus will be okay without her. She tells him to
listen to their city’s sounds each day and know that just like those sounds, she will be with him
always.When Ida’s death comes, Gus takes peace in returning to all of their play spots and
listening to all of the city sounds, and he knows, Ida is with him, always.
3. AUDIENCE
vCan be used by parents or other mentors when a child loses a close friend or
other playmate (pets, classmates, etc.)
vAge group: 6-9 according to Grief in Development Stages Chart (“Grief in
developmental stages,” n.d.)
vGus understands Ida’s death will be permanent
vHe fears her death and is saddened by the news
vHe understands why she can play some days but cannot others (griefs ebbs
and flows)
4. LANGUAGE AND ART
vUse of onomatopoeias, alliterations, and rhyming words throughout
v “…keys clicked and shoes clacked”
v ”…friends flopped onto their favorite rock”
v “…pigeons coo; people say Hey,Wait,Yo, Hello”
vLanguage about Ida’s death is straightforward and concrete
v “Keeper Sonya told Gus…. Ida would die.”
vArt is vivid and detailed
vColors change with the mood of the book
v Starts bright/colorful; becomes dull/faded when Ida dies; glimpses of color return as
Gus copes
5. WHAT WE LIKED
vConcrete language
v Class discussion: using words such as “death” and “died” are best for children (D.
Warren, personal communication, August 21, 2019)
vExplained the emotional highs and lows that come with death and
bereavement
v Developmental chart: for 6-9 year olds, grief may ebb and flow (“Grief in
developmental stages,” n.d.)
vEmphasizes that Gus can remember her even after her death
vIntroduces the curiosity of what happens after death and leaves discussion
open for children and parents
6. WHAT WE DISLIKED
vThe book explains that IdaWILL die, and it describes their last moments, but it
never directly says that “Ida died.”
v “Her eyes fluttered shut and they didn’t open anymore.”
v May leave the child wondering what happened until an adult explains
7. TIMING
vWe would introduce this book to prepare children for a future death
vExample: during illness, old age, timely deaths
8. THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY
vMemory map
vGus and Ida had specific “play,” “swim” and “hang out” spots around the zoo
v After Ida died, Gus is able to find comfort in these places and the memories they hold
vBefore the death have the child and whoever is dying (if possible) draw a
memory map together
v Including: their favorite places and activities to do together
9. REFERENCES
vGrief in developmental stages [PDF file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://good-
grief.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Grief-in-
Developmental-Stages.pdf
