If you’re here to review the book or compete in the colouring competition the details are as follows:
Book Reviews
You can currently submit a review either on Goodreads or Amazon or both would be amazing. Any way that you can help to spread the word of the book will be so very much appreciated!
Colouring
There is no competition running currently but the colouring pages are here for free to download should you need a resource to keep little ones busy – watch this space for more.
The story begins with Bear sitting in a room alone with a big heavy jar filled with feelings that he can’t move by himself. His friends want him to come out and play but they can see that he’s sad and don’t know what to do. Each animal friend comes in to see if they can help, and one by one ask him about his Daddy. As Bear shares stories about his Daddy, he begins to feel he may be able to lift the jar if he can get a little help from his friends. They begin to assist him in carrying his jar, coming up with practical ways to make it easier to carry whilst sharing memories of his Daddy.
First initial sketches of the book
The Grief Jar is a 32 page picture book aimed at 3 – 8 years olds (although can be appreciated by children and adults alike) that I felt compelled to write and illustrate after I lost my Dad in June 2020. The circumstances surrounding his passing were such that my family were unable to grieve in the standard way because of the pandemic and limitations on funerals and gatherings. This compounded an already quite isolating period where I was desperately seeking opportunities to talk about him, and discovering that when I found someone to listen, my grief felt that bit lighter and easier to manage.
The story aims to show that grief is a weight that people carry around with them, and they cannot simply put it down, but family and friends can find ways of helping them carry that grief and make them feel less alone. Grief can mean tears and sadness, but grief can also mean sharing joyful memories of the person we’ve lost.
“He was so good at fixing things, he never threw anything away..”
On the 25th August 2022 we successfully raised £5600 to bring The Grief Jar to print and as of the 15th September we have received the funds to get the book printed. Special thanks to Plymouth City Council’s City Change fund and the iMayflower Creative fund for matchfunding the project. Work on the book’s printing and publishing is now finished and we are now fulfilling orders! Orders placed via this site will receive free colouring pages and a bookmark. Check back here for updates and for colouring competitions…
Reviews on The Grief Jar
“A gentle story about a little bear dealing with grief and how his friends helped him. Very sympathetically written and lovely illustrations throughout. This book feels like a warm hug and deals with what can be difficult emotions at any age with empathy and without a moral or religious agenda.”
Danielle Martin (Amazon)
“This is such a beautiful and moving book about coping with grief – and how to help others cope with it too. It’s a kind and simple story which is perfect for helping children to understand loss. But there’s also a lesson adults can appreciate. It definitely brought a tear to my eye and made me re-evaluate how I support grieving friends. The Grief Jar is a gentle story but one that doesn’t shy away from the reality of living with grief. Highly recommended.“
rt87 (Amazon)
“This is a beautiful book full of warmth and love. As a mum and a SENCO, I can’t wait to share this book and help people talk about the difficult topic of loss and grief. The illustrations kept my daughter interested throughout and allowed lots of conversations.“
michelle (Amazon)
“We think The Grief Jar is such a special book. With a moving tale of loss and how others can support someone who is grieving, we are certain that the children we work with will find this book helpful and engaging. You can really sense how the author has drawn upon her own experience. The Grief Jar is beautifully illustrated with loveable characters. This will be an invaluable resource for us and for anyone who wants to engage with children about their grief.”
Balloons team Exeter
“A soft a subtle way of explaining grief and loss of a loved one. I read this beautifully written book to my 5 year old this evening after lossing her grandad recently. Understanding that the feeling or grief, sadness and loss is a natural process of missing someone is an important lesson to all ages and even more important to support those that need it.“
Mrs J P Wilshire (Amazon)
“The Grief Jar is a delightful book that demonstrates how, with the help of friends, and sharing memories children can begin to manage their feelings, and not feel so overwhelmed by their grief. The delightful illustrations and gentle story are uplifting and will be so beneficial for many bereaved families to read together. We will definitely be adding it to our resources list!”
A beautifully told and illustrated story about losing a loved one and finding out how to cope with the support of others.
This little book has really highlighted to me how we as a society tend to treat grief with taboo and the unfortunately too common reality that we avoid or ignore the topic out of fear and discomfort. It has opened my eyes and made me want to change my own reaction and relationship to loss and grieving.
A beautifully told and illustrated story about losing a loved one and finding out how to cope with the support of others.
This little book has really highlighted to me how we as a society tend to treat grief with taboo and the unfortunately too common reality that we avoid or ignore the topic out of fear and discomfort. It has opened my eyes and made me want to change my own reaction and relationship to loss and grieving.