Today, I want to talk to you all about a difficult, but necessary book.
Dear Moon by Stephen Wunderli is designed to help children deal with the death of a friend.
Grief can be such a tough emotion for children, but the loss of someone their own age can be incredibly difficult for them to process. I’ve seen a lot of books about grief, but find they generally speak about the loss of a parent or grandparent. This is the first one I’ve seen specifically dedicated to losing a friend.
In this book we meet Max and Ely, who are best friends. Max and Ely are trying to find a way to stop the moon. If tomorrow doesn’t come, Ely won’t have to leave Max to go to the hospital tomorrow. I don’t want to spoil the whole story, but let me just tell you that you will cry.
The beautiful illustrations by Maria Luisa Di Gravio really capture the heartwarming friendship between Max and Ely, making it easy for any child to see themselves in the story.
Dear Moon presents an imaginative metaphor for death that is easy for children to understand. I also really like the way this book embraces the emotions associated with grief, and shows children there is no shame in the sadness we feel when faced with the death of a loved one.
You can pick up a copy of Dear Moon just about anywhere books are sold, including Bookshop and Amazon. (Please note: These are affiliate links which allow you to support this blog at no additional cost to you. I will receive a small commission from purchases made through these links. This commission is used to maintain this site and bring more content to you.)
I would also like to thank Familius and Workman Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book to review. I’m so glad to know there are book like this out in the world when children need them most.
mutuallyinclusivebooks.com 