Lasting Love, Hardcover

This gorgeous picture-book meditation on loss and family love is a useful tool for children navigating a first experience with death.

When a family member or another loved one becomes ill, one of the scariest aspects of their sickness is the way they may change, both physically and in spirit. The feeling of loss can come so early as the person becomes more difficult to recognize. It's a hard thing for anyone to understand, and especially so for a child. This book offers a helpful visualization of a sick person's essence as a friendly creature who remains strong and warm, even as the illness progresses. The creature is always around and never tries to cheer the child up, but only serves to keep them company.

Caroline Wright and Willow Heath clearly understand that, like the creature, a book cannot "fix" a painful situation or even make it a little better. Instead they simply reflect the pain of loss back to the reader and help them understand that they are not alone.

CAROLINE WRIGHT is a cookbook author, recipe developer, food stylist, and culinary writer. She is also a mother of two little boys and was diagnosed with the most aggressive brain cancer, a glioblastoma. She was given a year to live, and she decided to spend her time working on her legacy by writing stories to leave for her two boys. She lives in Seattle with her family.

WILLOW HEATH is a visual artist, illustrator, storyteller, creative crafter, and art instructor. Willow has gained a reputation in many Seattle schools as the "storytelling artist." Her students are enthralled listening to tales of her Alaskan childhood adventures, which she also brings to life in her classroom illustrations. She is working on illustrating and writing her childhood tales, as well as teaching illustration and painting in schools. Willow lives in Seattle with her husband and son.