We Need to Talk About Death: An IMPORTANT Book About Grief, Celebrations, and Love

by Sarah Chavez, Annika Le Large (Illustrator), Neon Squid

Overview

An educational book that helps grieving children understand what happens when we die, and celebrates the traditions people around the world use to honor the dead.

Death is an important part of life, and yet it is one of the hardest things to talk about—for adults as well as children. Historian and museum curator Sarah Chavez is determined to create a book that sparks wonder and curiosity about dying, instead of fear and shame.

In this informative book, illustrated by Annika Le Large, children will marvel at the flowers different cultures use to represent death. They will find out about eco-friendly burials, learn how to wrap a mummy, and go beneath the streets of Paris to witness skull-lined catacombs! Readers will also ride a buffalo alongside Yama, the Hindu god of death, come face-to-face with the terracotta army a Chinese emperor built to escort him to the afterlife, and party in the streets to celebrate the Day of the Dead in Mexico.

Through these examples Sarah Chavez showcases the amazing ways humans have always revered those who have died. Full of practical tips, this book won’t stop the pain of losing a loved one or a pet, but it may give young readers ideas for different ways they can celebrate those who have passed away, and help begin the healing process.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684494842
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Series:	We Need to Talk About
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	80 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Sarah Chavez is a historian, museum curator, and podcaster who has also worked on the popular YouTube series Ask a Mortician. She is one of the founders of the Death Positive movement, which wants to encourage a more open conversation about death. As the executive director of the “Order of the Good Death,” a founding member of “The Collective for Radical Death Studies”, and co-founder of feminist site “Death & the Maiden,” Sarah’s multifaceted approach to observing and honoring this process is unparalleled; her work weaves together the relationship between death and food, rituals, culture, and society, which she also shares on her blog “Nourishing Death.”

Annika Le Large is an illustrator based in Leipzig, Germany. Her artworks are often related to social issues or concepts of self-love. Annika previously illustrated We Need to Talk About Vaginas for Neon Squid.

Editorial Reviews

"Chavez opens with soothing remarks about how death is a part of life [and] touches on a series of helpful, informative topics. Likely to help normalize a universal experience." —Kirkus

"This little book’s chatty warmth and calm, demystifying approach belies its intimidating title; written by one of the founders of the Death Positive movement, it covers what death is, what happens to dead bodies, the different ways in which people process grief, and global rituals of remembrance. A 7+ school-library essential." —The Guardian

"A good choice for introducing young people to topics of death and grieving." —Children's Literature

"This really is an important book that opens up a space to talk about something that is often consigned to silence – the intimate relationship between life and death, between loving and grieving, and between celebrating and commemorating. A book to be read alone or with loved ones, to start conversations that should be at the heart of everyday life." —Children's Books Ireland

From the Publisher

2024-03-23
An overview of select funerary practices and customs worldwide, offered in hopes of giving bereaved young readers some comfort or perspective.

Introducing herself as a “psychopomp,” or spirit guide for her (living) readers, Chavez opens with soothing remarks about how death is a part of life. She quotes an expert’s savvy insight that grief can’t be “fixed” but with sympathetic help can be “carried.” From there, she touches on a series of helpful, informative topics from funeral home embalming and the stages of physical decomposition to food, flowers, and festivals associated with funerals, as well as memorials of both the physical and virtual “necrotech” sorts. Her wide-ranging discussions of burial practices “green” and otherwise include descriptions of cremation, composting, and aquamation: “People are always inventing ways to make death care more meaningful, accessible, and environmentally friendly.” If some of her glancing claims about many beliefs and practices tend toward the general—“special devices” delivered “libations” to the dead in ancient Rome—they may spur readers on to further research. Sharp comments about archeological grave robbers and racially segregated cemeteries, for example, serve as occasional reminders that the topic has controversial issues. In brightly hued cartoon images, Le Large scatters a racially and culturally diverse cast of corpses and survivors, along with death-related artifacts from hearses and caskets to columbaria and catacombs.

Likely to help normalize a universal experience. (glossary, index) (Informational picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews