Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children

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This is a simple and straight forward explanation of the biological sequence of birth, life, and death for children with realistic illustrations from the animal and vegetable kingdoms. It is very matter-of-fact, which I think is the best approach and is accompanied by appealing illustrations. When the death of a relative, a friend, or a pet happens or is about to happen…how can we help a child to understand?

Lifetimes was written by my father to try and explain death and dying to young children in a clear, simple, non-sectarian way that they could understand and relate to. He would ask for the book when he’s feeling worried about death but for the most part he doesn’t get upset about it anymore.Accompanied by some excellent illustrations of plants, animals and people which also help convey the theme of the book, Lifetimes is a gentle, sensitively written book that both children and adults find comforting and reassuring when dealing with a difficult topic. It was first published in 1983 and as a beginning teacher many moons ago, I remember reading this with my Year Two class one year when a child in the class had a family member pass away. When grieving a diagnosis that meant my mom's days were few, this book was a lovely, peaceful, straightforward look at life and death. What is great about this book and something I didn't realize at the time was that lifetimes didn't have to only related to death of people.

Some deal with death of a loved pet and some deal with the death of a grandparent or other family member. Sadly the print result is under their quality level, but I think it's a problem of how the originals were scanned/digitalized. A beautiful children's book about the cycle of life for all living things-animals, plants, humans, bugs. But the book about grief that I have loved for such a long time now is ‘Beginnings and Endings with Lifetimes in Between’. She lived on in wonderful shape: went to pre-school for the first time, watched her new baby brother grow, went to dance classes and read many, many books.The message, communicated as much through the graceful illustrations as through the words, is that the brevity of these creatures lives does not make them less beautiful or wonderous. In this tender and indispensable picture book children will discover-*The cycle of life and death, explained in a comforting and child-friendly manner*Empathy and emotional intelligence as they explore sensitive yet significant aspects of life*How to engage in thoughtful conversations with adults, fostering understanding and openness*Resilience building strategies to cope gracefully with life's inevitable changes and transitions*Appreciation for the present moment, finding joy in life's simple yet profound pleasures*How to find comfort and reassurance in understanding life and death as a serene and natural processDiscussing lifecycles in a way that is comprehensible and comforting for young readers, Beginnings and Endings with Lifetimes in Between is an essential resource to explain the concept of life and death to children in a sensitive and understandable manner. I think it's good for what it is intended for - it's not too sappy, it's not too blunt (but straightforward enough), it's clear, and it's been recommended by enough professionals that I assume it has worked well for kids in this situation before. I bought it for my 3 year old who doesn't yet grasp the concept of death but we have seen many dead insects and a good few dead birds and mice (pet cat - need I say more!