-
'will be extremely helpful in supporting families, children and young people through pre and post bereavement'
Jackie Grant, Child Bereavement UK
-
'A book that conveys all the pain, all the terrible grief of losing a child and yet offers comfort to the sibling(s) left behind'
Debi Gliori, award-winning author of No Matter What
-
'Picture books can have such power, and this one is exceptional. Sensitive, understated, compassionate and comforting'
Cathy Cassidy, award-winning author of The Chocolate Box Girls series
-
'This book thoughtfully and gently provides a vehicle to allow discussion and shared grief in a way younger children may understand'
Alan Kessedjian, Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Benny’s Hat
By Juliet Clare Bell and Dave Gray
Benny’s Hat follows the fictional story of Friz, whose big brother gets sick and then dies.
Before writing the book, we worked creatively with bereaved and pre-bereaved children, young people and families, and young people with life-limiting conditions. These families also read and gave feedback on early drafts of Benny's Hat to ensure that we were creating an authentic book that was respectful and felt relevant to bereaved and pre-bereaved families.
We worked with families from Edward's Trust, Acorns Children's Hospice and Child Bereavement UK and are extremely grateful to all the families, individuals and organisations concerned, including the Arts Council, with whom we won a grant for this project and to create the book.
Click here to read a blog post I wrote about Benny’s Hat and tackling heavy subjects in children’s books.
