When a Pet Dies

Today Debbie Glade reviews a very important book about grieving when losing a pet.

Young or old, no matter what your age, nothing can really prepare you for the death of a pet. Good-Bye Jeepers: What to Expect When Your Pet Dies ($18.99, Capstone, Reading Level 2-3) by Nancy Loewen is ideal in helping parents explain the death of a pet to their children. Good-Bye Jeepers is a story about a boy (panda bear) who one day discovers his pet guinea pig, Jeepers, is rolled up into a ball in his cage, unresponsive. His parents explain to him what he already knows – that Jeepers has died. The story goes into the activities and feelings the boy experiences the day his pet passes away. Small boxes at the bottom of some of the pages gently explain to the reader the many different emotions that are a perfectly normal part of the grieving process. The simple, colorful illustrations by Christopher Lyles are a nice addition to the story. Losing a pet is such an important and sensitive subject, and I’m so glad there is a book like this to help a child get through it.