Talking to a child about death can be challenging. Whether a child has recently experienced the death of a family member, friend or even a beloved pet, adults are often unsure where to start when speaking with children about their loss. In this episode, children’s book authors Lacie Brueckner and Katherine Pendergast offer suggestions for talking with children about loss in meaningful ways.
Lacie Brueckner has been a funeral director serving families since 2005. She takes a special interest in meeting the needs of children during the funeral process, as they very much want and need to feel included. In her experience, she has found that including children and letting them lead the way in how much they want to be included usually works best. Lacie is a North Dakota native and resides there with her husband and five children. She has always had an interest in writing. Lacie coauthored A Child’s Journey to Understanding a Funeral and Starting the Grieving Process and A Child’s Journey to Understanding a Cremation Funeral and Starting the Grieving Process.
Katherine Pendergast is a children’s author who loves writing about difficult topics and turning them into stories that children can easily understand. Throughout Katherine’s childhood and early adult life, she experienced loss and wanted to share some of the things she wished she had known about death, funerals, and grieving. She was honored to coauthor A Child’s Journey to Understanding a Funeral and Starting the Grieving Process and A Child’s Journey to Understanding a Cremation Funeral and Starting the Grieving Process. Katherine lives with her family and two dogs in Bismarck, North Dakota. She has also written several other books including her award-winning books: Pickles the Dog: Adopted, Pickles the Dog: A Christmas Tradition, and Babies of the Badlands.
