We Need to Talk About Death: An IMPORTANT Book About Grief, Celebrations, and Love

We Need to Talk About Death: An IMPORTANT Book About Grief, Celebrations, and Love

Sarah Chavez, Annika Le Large (Illustrator), Neon Squid
$14.99
Publication Date: March 5th, 2024
Publisher:
Neon Squid
ISBN:
9781684493753
Pages:
64
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Description

An educational book that helps grieving children understand what happens when we die, and celebrates the traditions people around the world use to honor the dead.

Death is an important part of life, and yet it is one of the hardest things to talk about—for adults as well as children. Historian and museum curator Sarah Chavez is determined to create a book that sparks wonder and curiosity about dying, instead of fear and shame.

In this informative book, illustrated by Annika Le Large, children will marvel at the flowers different cultures use to represent death. They will find out about eco-friendly burials, learn how to wrap a mummy, and go beneath the streets of Paris to witness skull-lined catacombs! Readers will also ride a buffalo alongside Yama, the Hindu god of death, come face-to-face with the terracotta army a Chinese emperor built to escort him to the afterlife, and party in the streets to celebrate the Day of the Dead in Mexico.

Through these examples Sarah Chavez showcases the amazing ways humans have always revered those who have died. Full of practical tips, this book won’t stop the pain of losing a loved one or a pet, but it may give young readers ideas for different ways they can celebrate those who have passed away, and help begin the healing process.

About the Author

Sarah Chavez is a historian, museum curator, and podcaster who has also worked on the popular YouTube series Ask a Mortician. She is one of the founders of the Death Positive movement, which wants to encourage a more open conversation about death. As the executive director of the “Order of the Good Death,” a founding member of “The Collective for Radical Death Studies”, and co-founder of feminist site “Death & the Maiden,” Sarah’s multifaceted approach to observing and honoring this process is unparalleled; her work weaves together the relationship between death and food, rituals, culture, and society, which she also shares on her blog “Nourishing Death.”

Annika Le Large is an illustrator based in Leipzig, Germany. Her artworks are often related to social issues or concepts of self-love.

Neon Squid creates beautiful nonfiction books for inquisitive kids (and kids at heart). We believe the most amazing stories are real ones, so our books are for children who want to decipher ancient scrolls, orbit distant stars, and dive into the deepest oceans. Our books are a labor of love—written by experts, illustrated by the best artists around, and produced using the finest materials, including sustainably sourced paper. We hope that by reading them kids are encouraged to further explore the world around them.

Praise for We Need to Talk About Death: An IMPORTANT Book About Grief, Celebrations, and Love

"Chavez opens with soothing remarks about how death is a part of life [and] touches on a series of helpful, informative topics. Likely to help normalize a universal experience." --Kirkus

"This really is an important book that opens up a space to talk about something that is often consigned to silence – the intimate relationship between life and death, between loving and grieving, and between celebrating and commemorating. A book to be read alone or with loved ones, to start conversations that should be at the heart of everyday life." --Children's Books Ireland

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