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A Last Goodbye

 A Last Goodbye

By Elin Kelsey, Artwork by Soyeon Kim

Toronto : Owlkids Books, 2020. 

Losing someone you love is one of the hardest things to go through. It can be especially difficult for little ones to understand. Knowing that they are not alone in their sadness and grief is a great tool to help little ones through the process. Seeing how elephants wrap their trunks around their loved ones and orcas lift their loved ones to the surface for one last breath can be a part of healing process. Elin Kelsey and Soyeon Kim combine their talents again to bring these images to life and help us to feel connected in the world through our shared experience of grief and loss. While grief and loss are hard, there is a sweet thought that flippers, paws, and hearts reach out together to help one another through this heartbreaking process.

Soyeon Kim’s intricate paper dioramas are absolutely stunning and Elin Kelsey’s poetic text bring a gentle feeling to a very raw emotional moment as we lose those we hold dear. For those struggling with grief and loss, this is a must read for children and adults alike.

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