The Fall of Freddie the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia

Although this book is older it is still great. It talks about the changing of the seasons and relates it to death. Describing death to children can be very difficult, scary, uncomfortable, emotional, etc. The book compares the changing seasons and when the leaves change colors and fall to the ground to living life and eventually reaching the end. The metaphors are simple and delicate. There is no gore or fear. It is difficult to find a way to express death and this book provides that opportunity. The pictures also capture the subject matter. The book also has opportunites for learning, not just about death. It can be used to show the water cycle or photosynthesis without having to bring up the complexity of people dying.

A Second Is A Hiccup: A Child's Book Of Time by Kady Macdonald Denton

This book is a must have. Parents as well as teachers will enjoy the text because it provides an opportunity to explain time frames. It talks about the different amount of time: seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. The author describes various activities that you can do in those specific amounts of time. I remember being a kid and taking a trip someplace and asking, "Are we there yet?" or "How much longer?". My mom would say something like, " Three episodes of Barney". The book reminded me so much of those times. Instead of using tv shows, this books offers a variety of different ways to describe time, like tying your shoes in ten seconds or brushing teeth in one minute.It is very logical to have and will save time when kids ask how much longer until they can go somewhere or do something.