Children’s book offers a kid’s guide to loss, bereavement

Author Corinne Litzenberg takes on a crucial, but often avoided, topic in her new children’s book, “Ice Cream Cones and Heart Stones: A Child’s Grief Journey.”

“This book is a resource,” Litzenberg said. “Sooner or later adults have to to talk about this with their child. It’s a subtle approach to bringing up loss and death.”

Litzenberg, a graduate of the Tome School, University of Delaware, Loyola College, and Wilmington University with a doctorate in environmental education, has written an array of children’s books regarding the natural world and its wonders. But, after she and her husband lost their son, Todd, in 2017, the retired teacher and author decided to integrate her environmental background with her experience of grief.

Her new, semi-fictionalized book is about a child who loses her grandfather, their shared memories of the beach a mechanism for coping and for finding happiness. 

“As a retired elementary teacher and seeing some of my students manage grief with the loss of their parents, they need tools to deal with that. How do you mention how to manage grief without God?” Litzenberg asks.

“If you have a strong faith, no matter what the faith is, the important part are the memories that you shared with the loved one,” Litzenberg continued. 

She said children and adults may find solace from grief in the environment. It’s a sense of mindfulness as well as a way of remembering moments with those lost.

The story follows three stages: happiness, hurting and healing with a tale that is both accessible and realistic. The book also features questions for parents and eight techniques that can help children navigate the grieving process. 

“One can create a box with items that remind them of their loved one,” Litzenberg said. “They can share these items at family gatherings. Everyone copes in different ways, so it’s important to express the different options.”

The author teamed up with Daphne Blaker, an illustrator and member of Cape Artists’ Gallery, Rehoboth Art League and Delaware Watercolor Society. 

Blaker’s watercolor illustrations of the beach and nature underscore Litzenberg’s subtlety and gentleness.

“I was very touched by the story and thought it had merit, so I wanted to bring it to life,” Blaker said. “We wanted a more realistic look, nothing cartoonish. There needed to be an in-between of the seriousness of the subject and the children’s book approach.”

Litzenberg said her own grief helped her create the book. “Everyone processes grief differently, and there is no time frame. After acceptance, it is important to try and find meaning and purpose in your grief. My purpose was to help children understand some of the parts of grief and find their place of solace through the guidance of a caregiver.”

“Ice Cream Cones and Heart Stones: A Child’s Grief Journey” will be available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book at all Blooming Boutique locations, Bayside Gifts in Longneck, and Sand N Stones in Lewes. It will be released later in December, with a book signing at Lewes Gifts and Sand N Stones.

For more information about Litzenberg and her books, visit corinnelitzenberg.com. You can also reach her at flocktales@yahoo.com.

For more information on Blaker and her illustrations, visit watercolors-by-daphne.vpweb.com.