Losing Uncle Tim

by Marykate Jordan, Abby Levine (Editor)

The story of Daniel and his Uncle Tim, who is dying of AIDS--they have shared so much together, and now in the face of death, they both display great courage and compassion

Genres: Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1989

Reviews

[Leah Edel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
This book is about a boy, Daniel, who spends a lot of time with his Uncle Tim, he was his favorite adult. Uncle Tim owned an old antique store. They would do a lot of things together, such as sledding, playing with old toys, building forts, and playing indoors. One day when Daniel was with Uncle Tim he seemed sick and tired. Later Daniel’s mom told him that Tim had a bad disease, AIDS, and he was dying. Tim needed help from other people and couldn’t do things on his own anymore, it made Daniel so sad to know that his uncle was dying. A few days later Uncle Tim died, and Daniel had to go his funeral. In Uncle Tim’s will it said that Daniel would get his favorite toys from the antique store, so although Tim was gone, Daniel still had something to remember him by.

Possible Topics:
1. Learning to accept bad diseases, like AIDS or cancer.
2. Living through the death of a close friend or family member.
3. Finding the good things from a situation, even when it all seems bad.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first picture book about AIDS. Published in 1989.

[Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Losing Uncle Tim by MaryKate Jordan is a very sad picture book about a boy named Daniel who is having to deal with his uncle Tim, who he loves very much, die from AIDS. The story progresses from before his uncle got the disease to his steady decline in health until finally he succumbs to his illness. The book deals with all the feelings and thoughts Daniel has when he finds out and when he's having to deal with having his uncle slowly die right in front of his eyes. It also covers the funeral and a little bit of the after math. Daniel dealing with his uncle's death and deciding to move on and live a life his uncle would be proud of.
This book is truly a sad story that in this day and age almost everyone has to deal with at this point in time. It may not be AIDS but it could be anything: cancer, old age, any other illness that takes away our loved ones, sometimes far too soon. This would be a great way to help children who are dealing with the loss of a loved one or who are dealing with people who are ill and could possibly die soon. It's a great way to show them that the hurt they feel is normal and that they can move on from it. The hurt won't be this painful forever and that those they lost would be happy with them going on to live their life.

[Bella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think writing a book about death for kids is hard. Everyone says you shouldn’t lie to kids about death, but that makes it challenging to write a book that doesn’t get super sad, since none of us know what happens when we die. Dark stuff for a kid’s book. Particularly when the death comes from AIDS. But this book shows the realities of a terminal illness, and how to still love someone once they’re gone. The book says that somewhere in the world the sun is always shining, and ties that into the person you love never truly leaving, which I thought was really lovely.

[Stephanie Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniels favorite uncle, Tim, discovers he has AIDS. Daniel at first has difficulty which the thought of his uncle's death but comes to terms with it. This book could be used when a death occurs inside or outside of the classroom.