Bryan Mellonie

A gentle, matter-of-fact picture book about life and death. I like that it explains death as part of the natural cycle of living things without making it too scary or too religious. It feels like the kind of book that would be useful for talking to children about grief, pets dying, illness, or big questions about life, without overcomplicating it.

Lovely art by Ingpen. Written in very simple language for young children I would say maybe 3-7. Yet I would give this to any grieving person of any age.
The soothing repetition of there is a beginning and an end and in between is life ... beautifully illustrated for various plants and animals... helps one gently accept that this is true for people we love too.

Lifetimes is a moving book for children of all ages, even parents too. It lets us explain life and death in a sensitive, caring, beautiful way. Lifetimes tells us about beginnings. And about endings. And about living in between. With large, wonderful illustrations, it tells about plants. About animals. About people. It tells that dying is as much a part of living as being born. It helps us to remember. It helps us to understand.

Death itself is a hard reality that many people face at certain points in their lives and it could very well make the child upset. However, the way the author describes the concept of death is a sweet and calming way while using animals and then of course human beings talking about while using easy to absorb information.