"The House in Ollie's Tummy" - Children's Picture Book
This story follows Ollie, Mum and Dad on their journey to navigate a new feeling; one which unexpectedly moves into their tummies after Ollie's baby sister Millie dies. And this feeling sure causes a bit of a ruckus! How can they learn to live with this new emotion that makes everything feel so topsy turvy?
Palliative care nurse Mary Jo Aumann has published a number of papers on childhood bereavement. She argues strongly in favour of supporting children through this difficult time, in order to ensure healthy developmental outcomes following a traumatic event.
Yet after experiencing perinatal bereavement, parents themselves are facing significant emotional upheaval. They may not be in the best shape to meet the often complex emotional and psychological needs of their existing children while struggling with their own trauma. "The House in Ollie's Tummy" supports both parents and children through this difficult time by providing families with an age-appropriate grief support resource that helps parents to explain and children to understand what happened.
Moreover, a comprehensive resource section will help parents gain insight and understanding into the cognitive abilities of children between toddler to preschool age in terms of their understanding of death. Helpful tips suggest appropriate wording, phrases and supportive caregiver behaviours.
Parents, teachers, counsellors and caregivers can use this book:
- with children aged 3 - 7 years old
- to help explain the abstract concepts of death, loss and grief to children gently but clearly
- for tips on how best to phrase answers to difficult questions to promote your child's understanding of what happened
- for ideas about creative and introspective grief activities to do with children of different ages.
These activities provide a further outlet for working through and processing new and confusing emotions together.
This book is currently on pre-sale and will be published on October 1st, 2024. Orders will be dispatched after this date.
About the Authors
Larissa Reinboth holds an MA in Illustration and is the Founder & Director of Possum Portraits, an Australian perinatal bereavement care charity. Having experienced miscarriage herself, she set up our charity to draw keepsake portraits of so-called “angel babies” for bereaved parents. Larissa is mum to a preschooler and loves writing and illustrating for children.
Dr Korie Leigh is a Transpersonal Psychologist and Professor of Thanatology in Santa Fe, USA. Korie is a Certified Child Life Specialist and Grief Counsellor with 18 years of experience in private practice and pediatric palliative care. In supporting families through loss, Korie makes grievers young and old feel seen and heard. She is also a bereaved mum.
Praise for the Book
"As a grieving parent, I often block out my feelings and keep myself busy so that I don't need to really feel them. 'The House in Ollie's Tummy' reminded me that this is not necessarily the healthiest way of dealing with grief. I could 100% relate to the experience of the mother's character."
- Lianne, bereaved mother of two angel babies Ailie and Isobel
"The Authors have done a tremendous job of handling a difficult and sensitive topic with care, compassion and creativity! This book is a lovely addition to a growing number of books on grief and loss and will be such a wonderful addition to so many families walking through grief."
- Kailey Bradley, MA, LPCC-S, NCC, FT