When Your Friend Loses a Parent — Gina Maria Sanfilippo

For ages 3-9... Jack the husky dog and his friend Maria face loses together when Maria's father dies suddenly one summer. Maria is a young girl of 11 years of age dealing with one of life's most difficult challenges, the death of a parent. She goes from experiencing a normal childhood with a normally present mother and father to almost instantly having to accept and assume the role of a child being raised solely by her mother, now a single parent. Jack the husky dog serves as her friend and coach as she finds her way through the many stages of grieving. This book is meant to be read with parent and child together and can serve as a talking aid for parents and children to discuss and understand the emotions felt before, during and after the death of a parent as experienced by and from the child's perspective. With the additional love and support she receives from her husky dog Jack she is able to find the courage and understanding to accept her new life circumstances difficult as that may be.