Finding Joy

by Raven Howell

Finding Joy tells the story of a little girl and her adopted brother, John, who rescue a sweet old dog, Joy, from the local animal shelter. As the seasons slide past, the children learn how magical it is to have a pet friend by their sides—romping through the winter snow, splashing through spring puddles, and picking autumn apples. But one day old Joy lays down to take a nap and does not wake up. At first, the children are shocked, finding it difficult to process the feelings of sadness they experience in Joy’s absence. With the love and support of their parents, they learn to recall the good memories they shared with sweet Joy, even preparing them to welcome a new pet friend into the family.

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

Published September 20, 2022

About the author

Raven is an award winning author and poet of picture books. She's a journalist for Story Monsters Ink magazine and Voice. She writes for children's magazines such as Highlights for Children, Ladybug, Cricket, and Hello. Raven is the Creative & Publishing Advisor for RedClover Reader, and writes educational storybooks for various children's publishers. She's a contributing author for Reading is Fundamental (SOCAL) and I Am A Promise Books.

Her work is published in anthologies, in DVD and CD format, in both public and home schooling programs. Raven has won several awards including Excellence in Children's Literature, A Golden Box Books, NABE's Pinnacle, SCBWI Magazine Merit, and Global Impact Award. She remains active with charity work, and presenting children's workshops for elementary classes and in libraries. Raven is a member of the SCBWI and ILA and IBPA.

Strolling the beach, music, reading, spring flowers, a warm wood stove, and straight-out-of-the-oven butterscotch chocolate chip cookies inspire many of her poems and stories.

Reviews

[Pamela Rappaport morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Joy by Raven Howell and illustrated by Pamela C. Rice is a simple, yet heartwarming story dealing with grief. Told from the perspective of a young child of about 8, Finding Joy touches on adoption and death from the perspective of a young child. Ms. Howell has written an easy to read story that children will enjoy. The topic of adoption is mentioned for a human and a pet, but in easy to understand language. The topic of death is the focus, and parents can rest assured that it is handled with great care, presenting an opportunity for deeper discussion with their children. The accompanying guide at the end about dealing with grief, written by Denise A.Angelo LCSW-R includes many wonderful activities that can be done with children of all ages who need to process their grief. Adults can benefit from these activities as well. The watercolor illustrations are soothing and colourful. I would highly recommend this book especially for families who have experienced a loss of a pet or a loved one. The author creates a comforting story for children to begin to understand their feelings about death.

[Tabatha_Reads_Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, and it’s even signed by the author! Very cute story! This story is about a family that adopts a dog from the shelter and names her “Joy”. The story shows the children and their interactions with their dog and each other, and dealing with the grief of losing a family pet. I love that the story, written from the perspective of one child, shows the growth of the bond between the children as well as the new family pet, and how the family processes their grief and loss. The story then ends with the family adopting a new family friend and moving forward with the fond memories of Joy. Very cute book and even made me tear up!

Also, for parents, there is a section at the end about how to talk to your children about loss. It’s very practical and helpful.

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story for all young children and their families. This book is provides an excellent roadmap for explaining the concept of love and loss to children, as well as the healing process of remembrance and honoring that loss. The illustrations are lovely and expressive of the author’s message. The Resource Guide “How to Talk to Children About Loss” at the end of the book is a bonus. I am passing my copy along to a niece whose family has recently lost their beloved canine family member. She’s also a primary grade teacher and will undoubtedly share in her classroom.
Beautiful and well done!

[S.A. Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Point Three Stars
Finding Joy is an illustrated book that deals with the difficult topics of handling difficult emotions of loss and grief for children. While Joy, the dog of the family is no more, the little girl and her family that includes her adopted brother all learn how to handle their grief and remember that ‘joy’ eventually remains even after a loss. Good read for caregivers and for older children.
Review also found at:
https://ok-readingcorner.blogspot.com...

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for discussing loss with young children. It has an easy to follow story about losing a pet that allows for an open discussion with young kids about what happens when someone they love dies and how to mourn and continue on. Awesome book!

[FELICIA JACKSON · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a well written book. It was easy to read to children and they understood what happened and it prompted them to answer and ask questions. Some had shared s story of someone or a pet that had passed.

[Abby Moneypenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book with my 4 year old, and as animal lovers and owners, it was a nice, simple way to discuss the inevitable. Nice Children’s book to brief the subject of pets as family members and loss.