When Goodbye is For Ever

by Lois Rock

All through our lives we learn to say many goodbyes. Some are easy. Some are hard. This book helps young readers to understand different sorts of good-byes and to find the strength and hope when they face the hardest good-bye of all--bereavement.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1969

About the author

Lois Rock is the Commissioning Editor for Lion Children’s Books, as well as a highly respected and trusted author in her own right, acclaimed in many different countries for her books of prayers, Bible stories, and non-fiction books about the Christian faith.

Lois lives in Oxfordshire, is married and has 3 children, all of whom are now grown up. She enjoys cycling and walking and has helped to lead church children’s groups for many years, an experience that she draws on when writing books for children.

Reviews

[Papillon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that deals with the loss of a loved one in a very simplistic way. The drawings are crude and a wee bit creepy. I like the fact that the text includes God. Most authors of today are scared to do that. "When Goodbye is Forever" is an appropriate title for young children aged 3 - 7 or 8.

[Kendall Lockwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Challenges/Issues
Awards: N/A
Audience: PreK-3rd grade
A. When Good-Bye is Forever touches on the challenge of death. Specifically, it talks about how you may feel when someone you love dies and how it will get better eventually because God is watching over our loved one and us.
B. I would use this book with PreKindergarteners through 3rd grade, because it is a picture book that has simple word choice and pictures to aid understanding. This book could be read to a PreK-1st grader or a 2nd-3rd grader could read it independently. I think that this book would be the simplest way to explain the feelings that come along with death to adolescences. This book could be used for a class that has lost a classmate or for a child that has lost a loved one recently.
C. This is a mirror book, because the reader can view his or her own experiences and spiritual values in the book when it talks about the different types of good-byes that the reader says in his or her life and how God's love keeps us safe.

[Reading Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a beautiful book for children who may have lost a loved one or to prepare a child for loss.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another Christian based viewpoint of death and the after-life. The prose is simple but very straight forward in describing the feelings that accompany the loss of a loved one. This would be a great choice for children 3-10