I would caution against using this book as a regular picture book for toddlers and older preschoolers because it may actually introduce the idea of death before a child is able to comprehend the explanation.

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? Each with our own story and each a part of a larger story, the story of generations of humanity and the vast diversity of life. Although death can be a sensitive and sometimes difficult subject to address, this book was very comforting. Here is a list of excellent books designed to help explain death to younger children or to help them cope.In a simple, matter of fact approach you are taken through the life cycles of different creatures - starting with smaller creatures and working up to more complex animals including humans. With simple text and illustrations of nature, this book aims to normalize death by explaining it as a part of a given creature’s lifetime. A lot of books on this topic are targeted for bereaved children, which doesn't apply to my son, he just has questions and worries. Throughout the book, the lifetime is explained as a beginning and an end, with living in the middle; it is established several times that this is true of all living things.

By doing this, you cope with your pain and unanswered questions: when you explain to children, you are explaining to the child who is still living in you. In a simple and matter-of-fact way, "Lifetimes" explains death in a way that children can understand. Despite many subsequent imitations, I believe my father's book remains clearly the best, and I am sure he would also have been proud to see that it has helped so many people. Mostly, of course, they get better again, but there are times when they are so badly hurt or they are so ill that they die because they can no longer stay alive. However, as a person of faith, I would add that the scope of this book is limited to earthly life and therefore does not touch on the belief in life after death.

Robert Ingpen is an award-winning illustrator of numerous books, including The Encyclopedia of Events That Changed the World, The Encyclopedia of Ideas That Changed the World, and The Encyclopedia of Mysterious Places. This Goodreads listing is the one that uses the correct title (Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children). I live in the hope that the gorgeous children in my extended family will grow up full of empathy and understanding for those around them.

Through Robert Ingpen's captivating illustrations, children can visualize and comprehend the abstract concepts of life and death. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. It talked about how plants, animals, fish, insects, birds, and humans all have a period of lifetime, then they die. In 1986, he was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen medal for his contribution to children's literature. 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.Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item. I also love that the book discusses death without any references to religion or afterlife, so it is appropriate for families of any belief system.

It is very matter-of-fact, which I think is the best approach and is accompanied by appealing illustrations.A gentle, heartfelt and comforting guide to help children navigate the wonders of existence, from the joyful beginnings to the peaceful endings. When grieving a diagnosis that meant my mom's days were few, this book was a lovely, peaceful, straightforward look at life and death. I had a hard time keeping their attention through the entire book, but we might have made it to the end if we had read a condensed version of this book.