Chippy Chipmunk: Friends in the Garden

Chippy Chipmunk: Friends in the Garden

Explaining loss to children is never easy, whether they have lost a family member, a friend or even a pet; and explaining healthy ways of mourning can sometimes come across as dauntingly grown up.

by Kathy M. Miller —

Explaining loss to children is never easy, whether they have lost a family member, a friend or even a pet; and explaining healthy ways of mourning can sometimes come across as dauntingly grown up.

But Miller explains life and death in their most fitting backdrop — nature — with her third installment in her renowned Chippy Chipmunk series.

Chippy and his meadow friends introduce children to the natural ways of life and death.

Helping him mourn the loss of his good friend, Pickle, they teach children that it is OK to be sad, to talk about the life of someone they have lost, and to rely on friends and family as a means of support.

The story is bolstered by Miller’s extraordinary high-definition photographs of all the garden critters, adding an element of realism that directly appeals to children and speaks in a literal voice about the circle of life.

This adorable book also contains an activity page, notes to parents and educators, and fun facts about the wildlife in the book.

Meeting the criteria of the Common Core, it can also be used as a classroom teaching tool.

$19.95 hardcover — Celtic Sunrise, P.O. Box 174, New Ringgold, PA 17960.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 34, Number 2, April/May 2015.