Johnny is not in that photo but we know he is with us.
Johnny our forever kid.
That’s what we call him now.
The Forever Kid by Elizabeth Mary Cummings and Cheri Hughes is a powerful picture book that explores how children feel when they lose a sibling.
We meet a family who love celebrating birthdays – birthdays filled with favourite people, favourite dinners and favourite snacks!
But this year the celebration is different because their big brother Johnny isn’t around anymore.
We don’t know why Johnny has gone but we do know that now he is a forever kid – forever in the hearts and the minds of the family.
This book is a celebration of Johnny’s life – a celebration of what he loved to do and how good he made them feel. It does not dwell on the sadness felt by the family – though we can sense this – but rather them trying to enjoy the happy memories.
The illustrations on each page ooze emotion and allow the young reader to see how the family is feeling throughout each stage of mourning. Through this they can see that mourning a loved one is ok – it’s an important thing to do and it’s something we can do with others who shared that person as well.
The forever kid would be a great book to share with anyone who has lost someone, especially young children. I think that it brings a sense of empowerment to the young reader as it shows that it is ok to miss someone and memories are a treasure we should always celebrate.
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