"Through extensive research, carefully chosen words and thoughtful design and illustrations, she translates complex emotions and experiences into language that helps children better understand and manage their feelings."
Recommended ages: 4yrs+
Author: Trace Moroney
Illustrator: Trace Moroney
What is this picture book about?
The Grief Wave sensitively describes the experience of loss and grief, and offers a range of well-researched techniques to help children develop valuable coping skills, and helps to prepare them to navigate their way through future grief events. Notes to parents and caregivers at the back of the book provide helpful advice and information.
About the Author
Trace Moroney creates books about big feelings for little people. She is an internationally acclaimed author, illustrator and designer. More than 10 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide, and are translated into over 23 languages in 29 countries. Her bestselling The Feelings Series and the phenomenally successful The Things I Love Series have been met with extraordinary enthusiasm. Trace’s ground-breaking new series, My Emotions, equips children (and their grown-ups) with valuable skills to navigate their way through life’s ups and downs. Trace is extremely passionate about creating beautiful children’s books with meaningful content – helping to build emotional and social intelligence. Through extensive research, carefully chosen words and thoughtful design and illustrations, she translates complex emotions and experiences into language that helps children better understand and manage their feelings. As her son, Matt, describes ‘My mum is an exuberant cluster of love, fun, selflessness and support. She’s the most caring person you could ever meet!’ – qualities Trace has translated into her books to help young children thrive. She hopes to motivate her readers to focus on what is good in the world and create a life they love!
Reviewed by Madeleine Collinge - Editor
Sometimes life throws us a tragic curveball that causes us to be submerged in feelings of grief and loss. From acclaimed author Trace Moroney’s new My Emotions series, The Grief Wave beautifully captures these overwhelming feelings from the point of view of a young child – with all the senses of confusion and helplessness it arouses. Through her exquisite combination of illustrations and text, Trace depicts these feelings as being like a ‘great, big, gigantic wave of sadness’ that comes and goes, which will resonate with all young readers (and their caregivers). She shows how grief isn’t always consistent – sometimes people feel completely caught up in this emotion, or sometimes don’t feel anything at all, or even just want to laugh and play, and that it is ok to feel these things.
As well as compassionate descriptions of how grieving actually feels for young children, The Grief Wave offers wonderful, helpful tools for anyone grieving – from ways to treasure precious memories and recognise the ebb and flow of their emotions, to special family rituals and active or creative ways to express their feelings. Trace also provides a fun craft activity for children, and invaluable notes for caregivers based on psychological research.
The Grief Wave is the ideal guide for anyone – little and big – going through the process of grieving and loss.