THE GOODBYE BOOK, by New York Times bestselling author Todd Parr, is an excellent resource for children and families dealing with the loss of a pet. In the book, Todd shares a heartbreaking but hopeful story about saying goodbye to those we love. Through the lens of a pet fish who has lost his companion, Todd touches upon the host of emotions children experience, reminding readers that it's okay not to know all the answers, and that someone will always be there to support them.
CNN.com featured Todd Parr’s own personal loss of his pit bull, Bully, and how that loss has shaped his books.
Parr's pet pit bull, Bully, featured prominently in his books and became an emissary in his mission to communicate with kids.
Children who grew up reading his books have told Parr they would kiss pictures of Bully goodnight. When he tours elementary schools, students ask, "What happened to Bully?"
"I don't want to tell kids that Bully died and make them feel sad," Parr said, "and yet I don't have another answer. Bully died and went to doggy .
USA Today reviewed the book and said that the GOODBYE BOOK "will serve kids as a sympathetic friend during trying times."
The book is available on both Amazon.com and Amazon.ca
What a great idea, dying is a part of life but it’s so hard to say goodbye. Tools like this one help, thanks for writing it!
Our pets are our family and it can be so hard to cope with the loss. It’s nice to see that Todd can turn the loss of his own best friend into a positive by helping children dealing with the loss of their pets. Very touching! I paint on glass and have had countless families have their pets portraits painted to memorialize their best friend. To help in the healing of others is an incredible thing. Thank you for sharing this blog.
Thank you for this. It is a wonderful idea. We just lost our 14 year old Husky and our son is very upset. I am going to buy this for him. I really hope it will help
A brilliant idea to help children through those rough times
I read this book with my daughter and also bought a small gold memorial urn at memorialurnjewelry.com for her to wear, with a bit of ashes from her beloved Whiskers. The two gestures went a long way in helping her heal.
It’s realy helpful, thanks a lot. Great idea!
It is the only bad thing about our pets…. having to depart with them and so soon, if only our pets could live for 50-60 years at least….