Finn discovers an amazing white feather right on his doorstep. Could it be from his brother Hamish who is now an angel?
After the tragic accident of her young son Rachel Noble wrote to help cope with her loss and through this she felt inspired to write a picture book that would help others, especially children who are going through this process of dealing with grief. Finn’s feather is a beautiful and sad yet empowering picture book.
Every body deals with traumatic events differently and this book is one which will inspire hope into both adults and children who have had to deal with death and grief.
Young children deal with death very differently to how adults do and this book looks at grief through the eyes of the older brother who finds a feather on his doorstep and believes it has been sent by his brother Hamish who is now an angel.
Young Finn doesn’t dwell on the sadness of the feather but rather the joy this beautiful white feather can bring. He takes it to school and alongside a friend they climb trees, make a castle, play hide and seek and of course tickle each other.
The feather is a beautiful metaphor for the loss of his brother and shows that when we have lost someone we always hope that they are nearby somehow.
But although Finn feels joy with his feather he also wishes his brother was still with him.
As the day wears on the feather becomes dirty and stuck up in a tree but with some help he is able to get it back down and after this his friends tell him to “Hold it tight” – such a beautiful line to come from friends who are observing someone who is dealing with grief.
We can hold onto our memories of loss or trauma but we also need to see the joy in life.
The note written by Finn on the final page leaves a heart-wrenching yet positive feeling and shows the importance of talking about how we feel, supporting each other and allowing ourselves to feel how we do about events like these.
Finn’s feather did make me cry but it also made me realise how important it is to talk and connect through those hard times, let ourselves cry, let ourselves be sad but also to let ourselves continue to see joy in life.
Finn’s feather is a story to share with anyone who has or has not lost someone in their life. It is a celebration of life and a celebration of memories. It reminds us that just because someone isn’t here on Earth with us anymore, it doesn’t mean your relationship with them is over.
If you have a child who is dealing with grief I highly recommend buying or borrowing this book.
Buy now from Fishpond
