Reviews

Death Is Stupid by Anastasia Higginbotham

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kayleeacton's review against another edition

5.0

Death Is Stupid follows a child responding to the death of their grandma. It can be very sad, hard, and frustrating when a loved one dies. In the story the child thinks that it is stupid that the grandma had to die so early. There were things that the child wanted to do and experience with their grandma. Sometimes the reactions of people around us when our loved one's die does not help, and sometimes makes it words. It is best to be honest and open with your emotions. I would include this book in my library for all of my students. Death is a hard but necessary topic to be spoken on because each person will experience death at some point. I do not think that I would have a lesson about death, but possible a small group or one-on-one with a student who is struggling.

perhamj's review against another edition

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5.0

wow... this was incredibly powerful, yet practical, for dealing with the death of loved ones-- both people & pets, which i'm especially happy was included since the pain of losing a furry friend is often invalidated. important to note it doesn't touch on any religion or spirituality, other than recommending to "talk to" the late person in your imagination, which could be perceived as a type of prayer.

i think the mixed media/paper collage style was a great choice because grief is truly a universal experience and the style isn't particularly juvenile or overly mature. i'm looking forward to seeking out more books in the "ordinary terrible things" series.

P.S. i was pleasantly surprised to see caitlin doughty has a blurb on the back. big fan of her work and a SOLID name to have on the back of a title relating to death, imo.

lattelibrarian's review

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5.0

A collage-style, brown-bag book, Death is Stupid focuses on a young child who has just had a death in the family. Adults keep saying that their grandma is in a better place, but wouldn't right here be a better place? This book truly meets kids where they are. Death is stupid, and Anastasia Higginbotham isn't the first to say it--though she might be the first adult to say it. It's a beautiful book, filled with colors and dialogue bubbles and accessible illustrations and text that make deathlike euphemisms more understandable, especially if the person reading it is experiencing their first death.

Even better, the back of the book features interactive pages which help the reader remember and celebrate their loved one with photographs, lists, and drawings--showing that while death is stupid, it's something that we can understand, respect, and get to know a little better.

Overall, this book is just absolutely amazing, and I recommend this to anybody and everybody. It's not just great for kids, but for adults, too.

Review cross-listed here!

maddyreads89's review

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emotional informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

Probably would’ve helped 11 year old me grieving a loved one, and would’ve even helped 14 year old me who didn’t know how to talk to someone grieving. This book felt cathartic even reading it as adult looking for something to do while subbing.

kblank17's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

This was a beautiful and honest discussion of death geared toward grieving children. Lovely book.

Content Warnings

crowandnightingale's review

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4.0

It's a difficult subject to talk about, especially with children. The empty platitudes that we say when someone passes away ring just as hollow to a child as they do to an adult. This book may not help completely, but it has some suggestions for what to do with the child who has lost a loved one, even a pet. It's sad but lovely.