The Memory Tree

Bought this book to try to talk about the topic of a grandparent who had passed away to my 3 1/2 year old. I chose this book over others as I felt it was better suited to her age and liked that it didn’t focus on death but more on remembrance. The story is very appropriate and tells it in a way she understands. The pictures are also lovely. She likes to see at the end of the story the other animals using fox’s tree as their home and so fox lives on forever. She regularly talks about how her grandad will live on in her memory like the fox and she regularly asks for it to be read to her so I know this book was the right choice.

My grandfather passed away last November and I tried really hard to find a book that would help me explain this loss to my 6 year old son, I came across the memory tree. Even thinking about it now brings a tear to my eye, but its a beautiful story, that really helps to explain how everyone will be feeling, how we remember all of the good things that person does. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, be you young or old. A bittersweet story.

I purchased this book for my two children after the sudden loss of their grandma due to a rapid cancer diagnosis. It has been an incredibly gentle and comforting way to help them understand grief. The story explains complex emotions in a way that is accessible to young children, without being overwhelming or frightening. The illustrations are warm and inviting, and it opened up important conversations that we otherwise would have struggled to have. I’m so grateful for this book—it has been a real support for our family during a very difficult time.

It's a lovely story, with very sweet pictures. I had to return it as I was looking for a book to help my child deal with a loss of a friend and the "fox lived a long and happy life" doesn't suit with a death of a 3yo, but it would work very well with the death of a grandparent.

Absolutely brilliant! Beautiful written and such a child friendly way to explain loss and grief if someone passes unexpected. Helped my little one ask lots of questions and answered loads too.

Lovely book, my only issue is the use of the term 'went to sleep forever' for dying. I've avoided that term with my daughter (she's 4 and our cat had just died so we had been talking about dying a lot). Many psychologists and child development specialists talk about the danger of using the term 'gone to sleep' as it can make children scared of going to sleep in case they don't wake up again. I was so uncomfortable with the words 'dead, dying, died' but I forced myself to use them so they aren't so scary and taboo as my daughter grows up and saying them more has also helped me be less scared of them! So when I read this book I just change that sentence to 'he lay down and died'. One day she will be able to read it herself but hopefully by then she will be less confused...I hope!

I got this for the girls as they lost their mum (my wonderful friend) this year. I sobbed reading it. Giving it to them as a Christmas gift which I hope helps them continue talking about their wonderful mum

LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!!!!!!! If I could give it 10 stars I would. My two children (9 and 8) have been struggling to come to cope with the fact that their grandad is dying, and after weeks of sleepless nights and tears and becoming more and more negative (despite all our best efforts) we bought this book and and after reading it once they went straight to bed with no messing about. They’re bouncy again and laughing. We bought 2 other similar books at the same time but they are still restless at night after reading those. They love this book, and ask to read it every night. It’s a beautiful story with a beautiful sentiment and it has helped massively in our house!!

Un libro favoloso, il mio bimbo di 3 anni me lo ha chiesto diverse volte, anche 2 o 3 volte di fila. Alla fine lo abbiamo preso sia in italiano che in inglese e non ci penso nemmeno a separarmene

This is a beautiful story book for grieving kids. The imagery is pretty, light, and comforting. The story offers validation, comfort, and hope. We bought this for our three year old after losing his pre-school teacher. He loves the book and it has been healing and hope-giving for him and for us. Absolutely would recommend for grieving kids and families!

An amazing read

This book is beautiful inside and out. The story is perfect for little ones and parents. So simply and full of love, it explains how our beloved ones don’t really leave, they will always be here with us. I recommend it for little readers 3 years +

Bought a few books for my upper primary school aged children when their grandfather died and this was our favourite. The tone is beautiful and the sentiment focuses on people gathering when someone has passed and how their memory lives on. It was sweet and helped frame their understanding of death, sadness and funerals but also in a sweet and simple story, some of the other books were a little too abstract or eerie. Would definitely suit 4-10 year olds.