Book Details:
Book Title: Dear Brave Friend by Leigh Ann Gerk
Category: Middle-Grade Non-Fiction (8 to 12) , 49 pages
Genre: Self-Help
Publisher: Golden Harvest Publishers
Release date: August 2019
Content Rating: This non-fiction, self-help book is rated G. Appropriate for all audiences.
This gentle and heartwarming story captures the love between a boy and his dog, and the sadness that follows after his cherished dog passes away. Written in the form of a letter from the dog to the boy, the letter shares relatable, real life examples of how the boy (and therefore anybody who has lost a dear pet) may be feeling and suggestions on what he can do to help himself get through this most difficult time. The letter also touches on simple acts of kindness that can follow the reader throughout his or her lifetime. The message in this story is applicable to young and old, girl or boy, and to any family pet that has stolen your heart. Story starters, drawing pages, and a place to add pictures of your own beloved pet are also included in the back of the book.
Leigh Ann Gerk MA, LPC has been in the counseling field for over eleven years. She is certified in Pet Loss & Grief Companioning and the founder and owner of Mourning to Light Pet Loss providing individual and family counseling for anyone grieving the loss of a pet. She currently offers 3 free pet loss support groups in Northern Colorado and is excited to branch out and offer more. Having grown up on a farm, Leigh Ann’s childhood playmates included baby calves, horses, bunnies, dogs, and 32 cats that set up house in a boxcar that also served as her playhouse. This upbringing introduced her, at a very young age, to the human-animal bond and instilled in her a deep understanding of, and love for, this extraordinary relationship. Leigh Ann and her husband, Andy, live in Loveland, Colorado, and are the proud parents of identical twin daughters, Heather and Heidi. Their family is made complete by their first grandchild and their cherished therapy dog, Gracie. Visit Leigh Ann online at MourningToLightPetLoss.com.
connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ goodreads
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My Review
If you’ve ever lost a beloved pet you know how hard it is to grieve. In the middle-grade book, Dear Brave Friend, children will be comforted in many ways. This is an interactive book that will take children through their many emotions. The beautiful water-color illustrations are perfect for sharing warm feelings.
Dear Brave Friend gives a voice to all of the things that children may be thinking when their pet dies. Instead of dismissing a child’s feelings, this book encourages a child to focus on the good memories and ‘hear’ from the pet. Imagining a pet being in heaven and thinking about the child is part of the way this book describes an animal after it is gone.
In the back of the book you’ll find many pages with prompts and plenty of blank lines for a child to write. They’ll also be able to draw on some of the other pages provided. This will help the child to act on what they have read. This award-winning book offers children an effective way of dealing with grief.
Lisa thank you so much for your lovely review and for your support during my book tour. I especially loved how you said” Dear Brave gives a voice to all of the things that children may be thinking when their pet dies.”
It was my pleasure.
This looks like a sweet, tender book. I’d love to read it to my granddaughter, who is still mourning the loss of her cat.