Education Guide

Supporting Children Through Grief

Whether you are a parent, sibling, family member, educator, or friend — when you speak or engage with a young child, you are teaching. Children watch, listen, and learn from the world around them, especially from the adults they trust. When you read "Do You Look at the Sky" with a child, you are helping them learn the language of grief and giving them a safe way to explore and express their feelings.

​​​​​

 

Audience

This story was originally written for all the children who would come into the world and never have the chance to meet my son Cooper. But as the story developed, it grew into something bigger: something that could be shared with any child who has experienced the loss of someone special.
Whether it’s a sibling, parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or friend, the story is intended to support conversations around grief in an honest and gentle way.
 

​​​​​

Personalising the Story

Many parts of the book can be adapted to make it even more meaningful and suit your child's unique story. Some examples:

​​

“We think about someone we love”

→ “We think about someone we love. We think about Cooper.”

​​

“Someone I never met”

→ “Someone I met only a few times”

​

“With bright sparkling eyes”

→ “With bright blue eyes”

​

As a teacher, I would often ad-lib while reading, tailoring a story to suit the children I was with or to highlight a message that felt important in the moment. I encourage you to do the same — especially if you're reading the story regularly about the same person. Making it personal helps children feel connected and understood.
 

​​​​​

Why I Keep Reading It

I plan to read this story to children from the moment they’re born — and continue for as long as they’ll let me. I hope it becomes familiar, comforting, and even memorised over the years. Having this story embedded in their hearts, as a way to remember and love Cooper, is a small gift in the shadow of a great loss.
​​​​​​​​​​​

​

Activity Ideas

These gentle, creative activities can support children in processing their grief:

​

• Draw a Picture - Ask children to draw who they see in their mind as they hear the story.​​

• Read the Story Outdoors - Read the book under the sky — feel the wind and sun. Ask the child to notice what they feel in their heart. If they’re comfortable, invite them to share their thoughts or feelings.​​

• Write or Draw a Letter - Encourage children to write a letter to the person they’ve lost. Younger children may prefer to draw, or you can write for them. These can be taken to a meaningful place: a grave, a memorial, a favourite tree, or sealed in a special box. Doing this reinforces the idea that their relationship still matters — even after loss.​

​

These small rituals can help children understand that love never dies, even when people do.​
​​​

Books I Found Helpful​

It took me a long time to pick up a book again after my loss. When I finally did, a few stood out and truly resonated. These are the ones I always return to and recommend:

​​​

• Bearing the Unbearable – Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief by Joanna Cacciatore, PhD

• Choose to Believe - A story of miracles, healing and the afterlife by Paige W. Lee

• The Unspeakable Loss - How do you live after a child dies? by Nisha Zenoff, PHD

• Same Soul, Many Bodies by Dr Brian Weiss