Helping Children Live with Death and Loss Dinah Seibert, Judy C. Drolet, and Joyce V. Fetro Illustrations by Christine I. Stetter   March 2003 paper, 0-8093-2464-4, $24.95 144 pages, 7 x 9 1/2, 19 illus. Education / Wellness   Read an interview with the authors. “This is a sensitive handbook designed to provide tangible suggestions, from spontaneous conversations to planned classroom activities, to assist children to explore and to accept their feelings about loss and death. This book helps prepare caregivers for common questions with appropriate answers for each development stage.” —Read Two Books and Let’s Talk Next Week: Using Bibliotheraphy in Clinical Practice “Because we know that children can learn to understand death, because we have respect for their capacity to be resilient and face difficult experiences, and because we know that children can experience benefits of personal growth, we believe that death education should be shared with children as well as adults.” —From the Preface   Helping Children Live with Death and Loss is a practical guide for parents, caregivers, teachers, clergy, funeral directors, and other adults who may interact with young children between the ages of two and ten. Utilizing a developmental approach that is critical for understanding the unique characteristics and needs among children under ten, the volume is enhanced by an accessible style and format, numerous illustrations, and the positive attitude that make it possible for any reader to comprehend and apply the concepts when discussing death and loss with young children.   The scope of concepts ranges from adult self-assessment to knowledge of children’s developmental stages in learning. Building on that foundation, the book provides four basic content areas for teaching, supplies sample questions and answers, and suggests strategies for teaching general death education as well as strategies for responding to a current death or loss. The resource concludes with print and internet sources for adults and children. Helping Children Live with Death and Loss also aids adults and children in improving their communication and coping skills, which are critical for managing loss and preparing for a healthier future.  Dinah Seibert has facilitated professional and community workshops regarding grief education for more than twenty years. She currently teaches in the College of Applied Sciences and Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She was a founding member of her local hospice organization, where she developed its first volunteer training curriculum.   Judy C. Drolet is a professor of health education at Southern Illinois University Carbondale where she has been the coordinator of graduate teaching assistants for the Department of Health Education since 1982 and has taught mental/emotional health courses since 1983. Much of her professional career has been directed toward the areas of sexuality education, death education, and professional preparation in health education.   Joyce V. Fetro is a professor of health education at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she currently teaches courses in death education. A former Health Education Specialist for the San Francisco Unified School District, Fetro is the author of Step by Step to Health-Promoting Schools and Personal and Social Skills: Levels I, II, and III.