A Hug From Heaven
Reviews (134)
good for kids and adults, too
I had already read this author's book Rare Bird, about the freak accident that took the life of her then 12-year-old son. Having followed her blog and on Facebook since then, I have learned a lot about grief and the particular pain of losing a child. Most material on grief is written for adults, and many people don't know what words to use to talk to children about losing a sibling, other family member, or friend. In A Hug From Heaven, Anna Donaldson writes in a way that helps an adult explain to a child that they will experience different feelings. It's okay to feel sad and cry; they can think of and look for things that remind them of the person they are missing, and it's good for the child to talk about the person they loved and even come up with special ways to remember this special person. While it's definitely geared towards children, my own mother died this year. Her illness came on quite unexpectedly and we had only the summer with her. Even now, I'm not ready to dive into books written for adults about grief, and A Hug From Heaven was a simple and gentle reminder that she'll be with me forever.
Hope for children experiencing loss
A Hug from Heaven offers simple and clear messages of hope for children who have experienced the loss of a close loved one. Rather than focus on the loved one being in Heaven and out of sight forever, the book offers the grieving child the idea that their loved one never dies and will never leave them. Everywhere they go, for the rest of their lives, their loved one will be with them, offering love and support. There are suggestions on how the child can keep their loved one present in their lives, validating the child's need for continuing the relationship they had with the one who has died. Both adults and children will benefit from the beautiful messages of hope, so very badly needed when we lose a close family member.
A great resource!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Anna's book, A Hug from Heaven, is a beautifully written resource that I have already begun to use in my work as a Bereavement Coordinator in Hospice. I work with a lot of families with children who are experiencing the loss of a loved one; have Camp Fearless every summer, which is a bereavement camp for children aged 6-16; as well as running grief groups in the schools with children of all ages throughout the school year. In these roles I am always looking for resources to help these precious children in their healing journey. I consider this book to a great resource and those that I have shared it with have expressed the same sentiment.
Beautiful, comforting message about coping with loss and grief
Anna is so talented and brave. Her book is genuinely beautiful. What a balm for grieving children. Although it’s about dealing with death, the book’s message focuses on life, love and resilience. It focuses more on emotions than religion, would definitely be appropriate for people of any faith. I highly recommend A Hug From Heaven.
I LOVE the words, but not the illustrations
I'm torn about this book. I absolutely love the words. But my kids really disliked the illustrations and didn't want to read the book because of them. The illustrations are a little like Japanese anime and have a sort of exaggerated quality to them. Kids place more value on illustrations than adults do and some illustrations can even be scary to kids. Unfortunately, one or two pictures in this book of kids with strangely contorted faces disturbed my kids and they were done with it. It's so unfortunate because the words are just lovely and I wish I could buy a version with different illustrations. I've included a few pic so you can decide for yourself if your kids will be okay with the illustrations.
Exactly the message I wanted my girls to hear
Unfortunately, my Mom Mom passed away this summer, while home on hospice care. My girls are young (5 & 8) and I wanted to be sure that before they attended her funeral that they had a clear understanding of what had transpired and how they are still connected with her through memories and such. It truly was a great book with a lot of positive messages. I truly feel this helped them process what happened and made them comfortable at her viewing.
Not only for children...
Beautiful book. I wish I had a book like this one when I was 9 and lost my beloved aunt. I dressed up all my dolls, sat them on the couch and I had no idea if I’m allowed to play or smile... In simple words Anna says everything. Everything you need when you’re grieving no matter how old you are..
Great thing to give when you don't know what to say
This book is the perfect thing to give to a grieving friend or loved one, and a beautiful and comforting sentiment for anyone dealing with loss. I bought it for my own children when friends of theirs passed away and after reading it, and have bought several more copies to give to friends suffering through that same and other tragedies. I gave a copy to the school counselor also who agreed it was a wonderful resource for people of any faith and said she'd be using it with students.
Love this book so much.
After losing our son three years ago, this is the first book that I truly love. It is so well written, simple, and honest. It says everything I would have written myself. I bought one for my kids (and myself) and another for a couple who also lost their son recently. It is a book that is perfect for any type of loss - a parent, a child, a sibling, anyone.
Sweet
This book was sweet. I had the hardest time finding a theologically correct book for kids about death- (ex. Grandma doesn't become your angel when she dies. Angels are different beings than humans. Humans can go to heaven but don't become angels). Anyways, nothing theologically weird with this book. I got it for my 3.5 year old because we lost my 56 year old mom unexpectedly. I haven't read this book to my daughter yet, but I pull it out for me when I need a little comfort. I recommend this book for any one of any age. It comforts me as a 30 year old woman, and know it would comfort kids too. It's not geared toward a specific type of loss, so it's appropriate no matter who has passed (grandparent, friend, sibling, etc).
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