Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children Paperback – October 1, 1983

I can never recommend this book highly enough to you.I bought this for my advanced 3 year old who seeks to understand death, and who is also very close with my elderly father. I bought this to prepare.It was first suggested on a thread in a mother's forum by a licensed psychologist, and I'm glad it was. It will tell it to your child straight and simply -- no metaphors, no swirly language -- everything has a beginning, and an end, and there is living in between. It mentions how sometimes things and people get sick, but mostly they get better. Though sometimes they are too old or too sick to get better.There is nothing I can write to do this book the justice it deserves. It is an excellent read, absolutely appropriate for toddler and young kids, and as an adult, I actually find this to be one of my own favorite reads. If you're not in the business of sugar coating truth for your kids, this is the most beautiful and appropriate way to explain death to children. Not grief, but death itself.I highly recommend this book.

I am a trained and certified Death Midwife. I help people die and support them and their families. This book was perfect for my own little one (4 years old) when an uncle was dying. Some reviews here have complained that it doesn't "explain" anything. But that's not its purpose; it simply and beautifully communicates that every living thing has its own lifetime that begins and ends. More explanation would be better taken up with religious or spiritual leaders or communities. The simplicity of the text makes it perfect for any religious or spiritual tradition. The images are beautiful, and the text is simple enough for even very small children to understand. I have given it as a gift on more than one occasion. I highly recommend it.

I am an early childhood educator and highly recommend this book for children age four and older. This gentle, beautifully illustrated book frames death in terms of lifetimes, of beginnings and endings - of plants, animals, insects, humans. Initially, I got this book to help my young students understand death whenever a loved one/pet has died, but I make this a part of my classroom library and read it out loud periodically because I realized how well children were able to internalize, process, and understand death when it was approached as a lifetime with a beginning and and ending - "with living in between."I have overheard several young children console peers who have come across dead butterflies or who have had a beloved pet pass away. In their very sweet, childlike way can explain a lifetime to a sad or grieving friend in a way that is loving, accurate, and reassuring.If you are a parent, teacher, or engage with young children, I highly recommend including this book in you bookshelf.

This book is good if you need to introduce that life has a beginning, middle, and end. It mostly talks about trees, plants, animals, and how they have life and it’s all the same beginning middle and end. This is good to get kids to realize that is it not just people that life, there are more living things than just us. I think it’s important it states a few times all things come to an end, all living things have their own lifetime. It doesn’t talk much about people though until the very end and I had bought this book for my kids because my father in law was dying but we did not read it until he died and I wish I had a follow up book that gives kids more clarity about what happens to us when we pass on and go to heaven. So I recommend this book for introducing life and the meaning and death but definitely recommend you have follow up books because kids will still have a lot of questions after reading this one.

I bought this book when my 14yo dog started to decline and am so glad I did. It's a great, age-appropriate way to introduce the concept of not living anymore to a toddler.

This is the best text available if you need to speak to a young person about death. I am an experienced school librarian and have worked in international schools all over the world. Lifetimes transcends cultures and uses the world of nature to bring comfort at times of loss. The soothing watercolors and repetitive language help the reader/listener understand that all living things will eventually reach the end of their lifetime. I have purchased this title at least a dozen times, including for each of my school counselors. I wish it were still available in hardback, but even so, you will not find a similar treatment of the topic. Highly recommended.

I purchased this for my 3 yo when we lost our dog last year. I have since purchased more copies for friends when they’ve experienced loss. It’s the perfect words for the hard times.

This is a good book in many ways, but with a few issues that may prevent me from sharing it with my children.I like the straight-forward unsentimental approach to the topic. However at one point it states that people live for "sixty or seventy years, sometimes even more." As another reviewer noted, "That is a little scary for a child whose grandparents are already way past those ages and still in great health." It's also a bit off the mark, given that life expectancy in the US is close to 80, so 70 or 80 years might be more accurate...but I would have avoided putting a number on it myself.I also agree with other reviewers that the picture of the dead butterfly, followed by one of a live butterfly of the same species is confusing. And, finally, the splinter-removal picture is kind of scary and the child has a haunted look on his face.I recommend the book "In a Nutshell," by Joseph Anthony.