My Liddle Buddy Jake

by beatlebangs
(new york)

This is an ideal book for discussing death and loss with young children. The illustrations are cheerful and appealing and the boys' faces are very expressive.

Luke, the elder of two sons loses his baby brother Jake to crib death/Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Jesus is part of this deeply moving story and one picture that will surely spark many conversations is the one of Jesus reaching towards the baby from heaven.

The story is told in Luke's young voice so children will be able to identify with it. Cristine Thomas discusses the human spirit and what happens to that spirit when someone dies. The gentle illustrations and frank discussions of spirituality will help grieving families bond during a time of loss. I just can't read this one with dry eyes, so I admit passing the buck on to someone else to read aloud.

While the death of a loved one, especially a child is an indescribably painful one, this book is helpful in that it discusses Jake's brief life in happy terms; the love he had from his brother and others who knew him and of God's universal love for all of His children.