New Children’s Book About Grandparent Loss and Happy Memories
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The Perfect Book For Grandchildren
The grandchild/grandparent relationship is a unique one
It can be described as pure unconditional love on both sides. That’s why it can be SO difficult for a child when a beloved grandparent dies.
I’ve written about this in a recent blog post (which you can find HERE) and the topic has been so well- received, precisely because the grandparent/grandchild relationship and the grief caused by such a death is so often overlooked.
Grandchildren’s Grief
It is not unusual for me, in my grief counseling private practice, to be helping bereaved children who have lost a grandparent. In addition to desperately missing them, they are having trouble adjusting to their new life and routine without the presence of that grandparent.
Recommended Grief Tool
Recently I came across a book that I’d like to share with my readers. It highlights yet another important and usually forgotten relationship --- that of the grandchild who has never really known his or her deceased grandparent but is told about that loved one and the legacy left by him or her.
This beautifully told story made me realize that so often, the grandchildren who don’t have a living grandparent or whose grandparent died before the child was really able to know and remember the grandparent, are missing such an important piece of the family life.
A Must Read
In this book, Periwinkle’s Chair, the author, Judith Zeilenga, who is also the grandma, writes the true story of her granddaughter Periwinkle (named after her grandparents’ favorite flower) who learned about her Grandpa (Judith’s husband Neil) and keeps him alive in her mind through a chair … Periwinkle’s chair.
Judith’s husband Neil was diagnosed with a terminal illness -- esophageal cancer – when their daughter was excepting their granddaughter. He fought through all kinds of cancer treatments and traveled actively everywhere.
On one outing, he noticed a pile of broken pieces of wood in the grass by the side of a road and after a time, decided to go and pick up those pieces, having determined that it was probably a broken child’s rocking chair.
He decided to fix it up for their grandbaby. And so goes the story of how the chair came to be Periwinkle’s chair.
This book is such a heartwarming true story of a grandfather, as told by his young granddaughter Periwinkle. It’s about how he embarked on a mission to ensure that she will always remember him.
Periwinkle takes us along as she follows in his footsteps creating a "forever" treasure for her.
Periwinkle reminds us that love in a family is enduring and that healing can take on many forms as we face life-altering events head on.
Baby Periwinkle doesn’t know her grandpa but she has her chair that he created for her. That’s just what she loves to sit on as she hears stories about him, looks at photos, and her grandparents’ garden filled with periwinkle flowers.
This picture book is delightfully illustrated. Another fun aspect of it is that there is a periwinkle colored ribbon on each page. The author asks readers to spot the ribbon hidden on each page. (Periwinkle Blue is the color of Esophageal Cancer Awareness.)
It’s such a moving story that grandparents may shed a tear and children will learn a beautiful subtle life lesson about loss, memory, joy, and legacy.
The Take-Away
Perhaps the parents of an unborn or infant child can identify an object that the child can use or have as a reminder of that grandparent who is either still alive or deceased.
This will enable grandchildren to have a part of the missing grandparent present in some form, in their life, though not physically present. The special object can become so meaningful in perpetuity.
The Periwinkle Book Details
If you order the book from the author’s website via PayPal, the book comes with a 2-d paper chair kit so kids can decorate their own chair for their grandparent.
Those who purchase the chair can send in a photo of their decorated chair and Judith will post the picture and the child’s message on her Periwinkle’s Chair Club Facebook Page.
In addition to the website, Periwinkle's Chair is available (without the chair) at most bookstores, mass retailers, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.
