Henry Says Goodbye: When You Are Sad (Good News for Little Hearts; book 5) by Edward T. Welch

The Synopsis:

Henry the hedgehog loves his pet ladybug. She keeps him company and entertains him, his family, and his friends with her flying tricks. But one day, he has to say good-bye to his ladybug. Henry and his whole family are sad, but they learn to go to Jesus with their sadness and ask him to comfort them.
The last page contains information for parents on how God, in his Word, helps us turn to Jesus when we are sad. Together children and parents will be guided into meaningful conversations about living by faith in the details of everyday life. Also included is a tear-out page of Back Pocket Bible Verses that will give children a practical way to remember God’s words when they are sad.
A new series of hardback, illustrated, Christian children’s books for three-to eight-year-olds each centered on an animal family bringing gospel help and biblical counsel to families. The animal characters, colorful illustrations, and the real-life issues each animal family face will captivate children and help them begin a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ and God. The first three books address anxiety, anger, and failure, bringing biblical help and hope to issues every child faces.

I received this book from New Growth Press for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.

Review:

Henry is a sad hedgehog. His, friend and pet, ladybug died and now he doesn’t know what to do with his grief. This picture book is a great life lesson for helping kids understand how to cope when they are sad, by not only giving them something to relate to, but by presenting God’s love and comfort to them in the scripture.

Henry Says Goodbye is a very well illustrated book with pictures that capture the emotion of the story perfectly. It’s a very simple story. Henry loves his pet ladybug and has all sorts of fun memories with her, but she is older and one day when he gets home from school, his mom tells him that she died. His parents then walk him through coping with his grief by using Bible verses, prayers of strength, and even a memorial service for the ladybug so that Henry can remember the good times.

I liked that this book is well rounded to fit the grief of any type of circumstance for kids. Perhaps it’s the loss of a favorite toy, pet, or even, heaven forbid, a family member or a close friend. At the end of the book, there is a parental guide to help you understand how to help your kiddo’s sadness and the author writes something that I think is very important to remember:

“The Lord never minimizes our grief. (…) The Lord does not adjust His compassion based on its street value, as if plastic toys receive 20 percent of His compassion and comfort, small pets 40 percent, large pets 60 percent, and family members 100 percent. His compassion is not based on the merits of the item lost, but on His love for the person who grieves.”

It can be really easy to look at a child and say, “It’s just a toy!” or “It was just an animal!”, but in that child’s world, especially if they’ve never lost anything before, it is so much more than that and we can’t allow our busy lives or lack of understanding of where they’re coming from to trample on the feelings of grief. Grief is different than a tantrum of course, so when a child is truly sad about something, we really need to take the opportunity to help them grow in that, rather than squishing them because what they’re grieving may seem insignificant to us.

I give this book a full 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it as a book to keep on the shelf. It’s a great resource and provides a great way to connect with a grieving child.