A LITTLE BLUE BOTTLE {Book Review for Grieving Children}

Are you looking for a book for a grieving child? Perhaps you’ll find this book review of A LITTLE BLUE BOTTLE helpful.

We know death is inevitable. But that knowledge doesn’t make coping any easier for those who are mourning the passing of someone they love. This includes grieving children.

“Mrs. Wednesday died last Thursday, or maybe the week before.

All I know is, ever since then, nothing feels the same anymore.”

-A LITTLE BLUE BOTTLE by Jennifer Grant

The Author

Jennifer Grant is a writer, editor, editorial consultant, and public speaker. She has written for publications such as Woman’s Day and The Chicago Tribune. Also, she is the author of five books for adults. Writing for children as well, her picture books have won prestigious awards.

In addition, Grant has served, for several years, as a fiction judge for The Christy Awards. She received her master’s degree in English literature with concentrations in fiction writing and critical theory from Southern Methodist University.

A lifelong Episcopalian and mother of four, ​she lives in the Chicago area with her husband and rescue dog Scarlett. 

On the author’s website, you can learn more about her and her books. Plus, you’ll learn A LITTLE BLUE BOTTLE is Grant’s third picture book which launched in September 2020.

Inside A Little Blue Bottle

This picture book published by Church Publishing Incorporated, is promoted for reading with ages 3 – 8, but also for use with older children.  The narrator of the story is an unnamed girl. The illustrations of her depict a child who could be between the ages of nine and twelve. Some pictures illustrate her memories of a time when she was younger.

The girl is grieving after the death of a beloved elderly neighbor. Bittersweet memories come to her mind when the neighbor’s family arrive to pick up the cat and move furniture out of the house.

Likewise, the little girl’s mother shares some of her memories. One of those was about the day the neighbor showed her a little blue bottle she kept beside a photo of her deceased husband. She said it reminded her of Psalm 56:8 which mentions God keeping track of all our sorrows. “You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

The little girl’s mother doesn’t elaborate. She just shares this special memory as she sits close to her daughter and gives her a hug.

The Illustrations

The illustrator, Gillian Whiting, does a beautiful job portraying the story in watercolors with an appropriate emphasis on shades of blue.

The people illustrated are of various ages, genders, and ethnic groups. I like that the little girl and the neighbor she loved so much have different skin colors.

Additional Content

Additionally, at the back of the book there is content titled “Best Practices for When a Child is Grieving.” The helpful suggestions include things to do and say, or not. One example is:

“It is okay to show your own grief, letting children see how sadness is experienced and processed. If your grief becomes overwhelming to you, seek adult support to help you through this difficult time.” (p.39, A Little Blue Bottle.)

Also, there is a link given for more resources at The Dougy Center (The National Center for Grieving Children and Families).

Recommendation

I highly recommend this book for home, school, and church libraries. It isn’t wordy or overpowering in any sense. THE BLUE BOTTLE is a subtle, yet comforting reminder of God’s love and that He cares when we are sad.

There are many ways to comfort and reassure our children. This book’s gentle telling of memories provides an opening for young readers to communicate their own thoughts and feelings.

A Little Blue Bottle Giveaway

The author and publisher have kindly donated a copy of THE BLUE BOTTLE for a giveaway. I’d love to get this book into the hands of more than one child so the giveaway will be a little different this time. Rather than randomly selecting a name from this blog’s email subscriber list, I’d like to donate it to a library or organization.

Comment below the name of a library or an organization whom you’d like to see receive this book and their name will go into the drawing. This can be a public, private, or church library. It may be an organization which helps children such as a counseling agency, foster care, or something along those lines.

But if you know of a specific child who is grieving and would benefit from this book, just say that. I’ll add your name to the drawing. The book can always be donated to an organization later after it has served its purpose with that child.

A winner will be randomly selected from the comments below (and I’m also including comments made on my Facebook page) on July 2, 2021.

Congratulations to the WINNER: Floyd’s Creek Baptist Church!

I received a FREE copy of this product in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.