The Grief Wave

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.

Reviewed by Madeleine Collinge - Editor