Books For Bereaved Younger Children - It's Okay To Feel Happy (Sent for review).

It's Okay To Feel Happy and I Want To Hug Mummy are books which have been written especially to support younger children who have been bereaved, and I have been sent them for review by Troubadour Press.

The author, David Peart, is a widowed Dad, and he writes from the heart, with a gentle bluntness and honesty which can be especially useful for younger children. 

It's Okay To Feel Happy talks about the feeling you get in your tummy, when you do something, but then you are crippled by confused emotions because it feels so wrong to be happy. Survivor guilt isn't just for grown ups.

Pride, joy, excitement, fun, achievement. They are all clouded by grief, and it can be incredibly hard, especially at first, to allow them out. 

The father in the story cries too. His child sees this, she understands they are both together in weakness and strength. He feels the same way, he finds it hard to allow himself to enjoy life too. Understanding that your adults are not superhuman is important for bereaved children. If Dad cries, it must be okay to cry. If Dad struggles, then it's okay to admit you are struggling too.

The illustrations by Harriet and Tim Ruscoe are perfect, and excellent quality for a book which has not been picked up and funded by a big publisher. 

The drawings are soft, gentle, full of love. They have enough detail to catch your interest, but not enough to detract from the main focus of the illustration, which is always the people, and usually the bereaved child.

I Want To Hug Mummy is also suitable for any bereaved child, but obviously will be more closely resonating for anyone who has lost their Mum. 

The girl in the book misses her Mum. She misses the little things, the everyday, those things that can't be replaced. She finds solace in knowing that all things have energy, and energy can't be destroyed.

She hugs her family, and is comforted by the feeling that her mother's energy is in them all, and it will always be there.

Both books are written with primary aged children (age 5-11) in mind, and any bereaved child can find support in their pages. They are especially suitable for children who have very recently been bereaved, or who are having problems coping down the line. 

My family lost our 16 year old when our other 6 children were aged between 4 and 20. I couldn't read more than a page of either of these books without crying, because I can see exactly where the author was when he wrote them, and I know that place well. It does get easier to live with. I promise.

It's Okay To Be Happy and I Want To Hug Mummy are written by David Peart, illustrated by Harriet and Tim Ruscoe, and published by Troubador. Paperback with large illustrations on each of 16 pages. Available to buy now priced £6.99rrp each, from all good bookshops, including online at Amazon (affiliate links below). 

We were sent our copies of It's Okay To Be Happy and I Want To Hug Mummy by Troubador for review. *Amazon links are affiliate, which means I earn a few pence as a thank you for my time if you order through my link, but you don't pay any extra.