The Kids' Book about Death and Dying

by Eric Rofes

What is death? What is it like when a friend or relative dies? Is there life after death? This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316753904
• ISBN13: 9780316753906
• Release Date: January 1985
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company
• Length: 119 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.8" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

A dated, but instructive book on a difficult subject

This book was written by a group of 14 children, ages 11 to 14 in Cambridge, MA. These children visited funeral homes, interviewed the elderly, and shared their own personal experiences with death and dying. The book speaks frankly about topics ranging from the cost of funerals to assisted suicide and from burial customs to ideas about life after death. The coverage of the book is comprehensive and will likely answer most questions adolescent readers have about death. Since this book is nearly 20 years old, some of the material is outdated. There will be more recent statistics on common causes of death and the percentage of Americans choosing cremation, medical information about diseases and brain death, and data on funeral expenses. In addition, children today will not remember, nor relate to the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lennon. Nevertheless, the tone is straightforward and easy to read and the voices of the child authors ring through. The text is helpfully divided into chapters which might be given to a young person who is confronting a particular situation, such as "When Your Pet Dies," "The Death of Older Relatives and Parents," "The Death of Children," and "Violent Deaths." The text is also readable from beginning to end for those children thinking or worrying about mortality in general. Sensitive subjects such as suicide and euthanasia are handled in a candid, even-handed fashion, though parents with strong religious beliefs may wish to read these sections together with their children. Adult readers will find the book useful in thinking about ways to approach the subject of death with their children and will find especially helpful the children's recommendations for "How Kids Should Be Told" about death. The book begins with an introduction explaining how the children came to write the book and concludes with a brief annotated bibliography of children's fiction and non-fiction addressing the subject of death. Unfortunately, the book does not include an index, which would be helpful.

Lots of straight talk about tough issues.

The Kids' Book about Death and Dying covers a wide range of subtopics including: learning to talk about death, death of a pet, death of children, and "is there life after death?" (This last question is dicussed in an open-minded manner, describing many different beliefs.) Even tough subjects like euthanasia are defined and discussed, with a look at differing opinions on the issue. Due to the conversational style of the book, filled with words and opinions of other children, kids who read this book will feel less alone.