I’m going to share some titles about dealing with the death of a loved relative or pet this week. It’s not one of those popular subjects that get a lot of attention, but when you need something to help explain a painful situation, you want some titles to draw upon.
Tear Soup is the story of an “old and somewhat wise woman” named Grandy. Grandy has suffered a loss. She knows she needs to make a big pot of tear soup to hold all her memories, misgivings, feeling, and tears she had inside.
“Tear soup is a way for you to sort through all the different types of feelings and memories you have when you lose someone or something special.”
This book describes the sadness Grandy feels and how different people react to her suffering. The pictures are wonderfully detailed with a cute dog following Grandy around the house. The underlying message is that it’s okay to grieve in your own way and for as long as you need to. It’s a message relevant to readers of all ages.
Tear Soup is a junior non-fiction book, and includes a list of “cooking” tips (tips explaining the grief process) and support groups that would be appropriate for adults to review first. I would recommend this as a book to read with a child – and use Grandy’s experiences as a way to start a conversation about how you or your young reader is feeling about the loss.
Check the WRL catalog for Tear Soup.
Melissa:
I enjoyed reading your selection of books about losing a loved one. We are asked about books like this pretty often!