The First Day Without Sunshine

A unique coping guide for children’s emotional loss using the five stages of grief.

Children - Social Issues
31 Pages
Reviewed on 07/04/2021
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Daniel D Staats for Readers' Favorite

Everyone one of us has experienced grief or will soon experience grief. Grief happens whenever we lose someone or something. J. R. Denney has authored The First Day Without Sunshine to help children deal with the subject of grief. He does an excellent job explaining that grief is a loss whether it be to death or distance. Loss can involve someone no longer being a friend or moving across the country, misplacing a favorite toy, a pet dying, or a family member dying. Grief is common to all human beings. J. R. deals gently and compassionately with the topic. He kindly guides the child through the maze of the emotional steps of grieving. His encouragement will guide the child to acceptance.

J. R. Denney has given us a treasure in The First Day Without Sunshine. Everyone experiences grief at some point in their life. Grief is a difficult concept to experience. Grief is especially troublesome for children. J. R. understands the five steps to the grieving process and expertly breaks each step down to a child-understandable level. He writes with the compassion and understanding that help children navigate grief’s troubled waters. Acceptance is the stage when the person grieving returns to the living and realizes that their life is not over. It is in acceptance that one learns that nothing is ever really lost if we learn to keep them or it in our hearts. Phillipa Haskins does a good job illustrating grief. Her colors are very appropriate to the emotions felt during the period of grieving.