Something Sad Happened: Helping Children with Grief (Comfort for Children in Hard Times)

Price: $16.99 - $13.99
(as of Mar 28, 2025 19:34:14 UTC – Details)

Something Sad Happened helps children process their feelings after experiencing the death of someone they love and provides comfort through the story of Sunny the bluebird.

Sunny is a little bluebird who loves to sing happy songs until the death of Wren. Sunny’s heart hurts because she misses her friend, and she doesn’t feel like singing anymore. But Sunny’s Mama and forest friends gather around her, teaching her how to share her sadness with God and others. Sunny learns to remember what she can count on about God’s love and care and all the love she shared with Wren.

Darby A. Strickland uses the story of Sunny to help parents and caregivers walk with children through the complexities of grief and the questions that come with a loss. A special section at the end of the book gives parents tips for helping their children express their sorrow to God and offers ideas for remembering a loved one.

The second book in the Comfort for Children in Hard Times series, addressing difficult experiences that children commonly face and offering gospel hope and help.Children ages four to seven will be drawn to the whimsical illustrations by Thais Mesquita.The companion minibook, Helping Your Family Grieve: Lament and Remember Together by Darby A. Strickland is also available to give parents and caregivers more detailed help.Also available, a plush Sunny toy birdthat gives kids something soft and comforting to snuggle when they’re sad and serves as a reminder that we can turn to Jesus in our grief.

From the Publisher

“Darby has given us a great approach for ministering to grieving children. Reading Sunny’s story introduces children to common reactions to loss and asks questions they might not be able to formulate on their own.”

Jeff Forrey, Senior Writer/Content Developer, GriefShare

“In this beautiful book, a seasoned counselor and mom gives parents and grandparents a tender aid to slow us down and help us listen and talk openly with our children about the pain of loss.”

Paul Tautges, Pastor; counselor; author of A Small Book for the Hurting Heart

“Something Sad Happened is gentle and inviting, biblical and Christ-centered. It is a helpful and needed resource for parents of grieving children.”

Christina Fox, Author of Tell God How You Feel and The Great Big Sad: Finding Comfort in Grief and Loss

Part of the Comfort in Hard Times series that helps children (and parents) work through complex feelings and find hope in Jesus.

Author

Darby A. Strickland, MDiv, is a faculty member and counselor at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). She is a contributor to Becoming a Church That Cares Well for the Abused and Caring for Families Caught in Domestic Abuse and is the author of Is It Abuse? A Biblical Guide to Identifying Domestic Abuse and Helping Victims, the Comfort for Children in Hard Times series, and the minibooks When Children Experience Trauma and Helping Your Family Grieve. She writes regularly for the  Journal of Biblical Counseling. Darby and her husband, John, have three children.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Growth Press (September 23, 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 164507417X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1645074175
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 – 7 years
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.25 x 8.25 x 0.35 inches