Kirby's Ocean Friend is a children's picture book about death and dying. KOF was written as a grief resource tool for young children between the ages of 4 and 6 years old who have lost a parent to open the lines of communication and help them process the difficult emotion of grief.
KOF is a touching story about a young ocean liner name Kirby who is helped by his ocean friend, Pearl, on his 'journey of grief' after the death of his mother. The story is set on the north Atlantic Ocean in between Canada and the United Kingdom.
Both myself (author) and the illustrator (Cathy Checora) have lost our mothers to cancer. I wrote the book based on some of the emotions I felt after the death of my mother and Cathy illustrated the book in memory of her mother.
Parents, teachers, grief therapists, bereavement counsellors, and clergy can read KOF to young children, and through the text and images in the book, explain to them what death is and help them through the grieving process. This book allows children to express their feelings of sadness and lonliness and to ask questions about death and dying.
As the illustrator, I am very fond of Kirby. I hope this character will help many children and parents in need.
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