Read this when
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney
Ten good things, one goodbye 🐈
Who it's for
A gentle, honest picture book that gives a grieving child something to do with their sadness: remember the good things out loud.
Sad and confused about a pet's death→Comforted and able to remember the good times
Feelings it meets
What it is
A boy's cat, Barney, dies. His mother suggests he think of ten good things about Barney to say at the backyard funeral, but he can only come up with nine. After he and his sister disagree about where Barney is now, his father plants seeds with him and explains that things change in the ground, and the boy finds his tenth good thing: Barney will help the flowers grow.
Where to find it
In print (Atheneum / Simon & Schuster) and widely available in libraries.
Before you start
Heads up: Death of a pet cat, gently told.
Age: Ages 4–8 (publisher)
Let life be beautiful like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds
