The Brave Breath: Helping Little Hearts Cope With Grief

The Brave Breath: Helping Little Hearts Cope With Grief

A Gentle Children’s Bereavement Book About Sudden Parental Loss

Rose’s life used to feel safe and sturdy — Saturday pancakes, sparkly socks and Mum holding the umbrella when it rained.

Then the storm came.

Not thunder and lightning, but sudden, devastating news.

Mum dies in an accident.

Now every slammed door makes Rose jump. When Dad is late, her heart somersaults. The world that once felt safe suddenly feels wobbly and unpredictable.

Even harder, Rose begins to wonder whether she could somehow have stopped it. If she had hugged Mum tighter, could she have kept her safe?

The Brave Breath is a gentle, beautifully illustrated children’s bereavement story created to help children aged understand and cope with the sudden death of a parent.

Helping Children Understand Fear After Loss

Through Rose’s story, children are gently introduced to some of the difficult emotions that can follow an unexpected bereavement, including:

• Grief and big feelings after losing a parent
• Fear and anxiety following a sudden death
• Worry that something bad might happen to someone else they love
• Guilt and the belief that they could have prevented what happened
• Understanding that some things are outside our control
• Rebuilding a sense of safety after loss
• Permission to cry, ask questions, laugh and continue playing

Includes “The Toolkit for Scary Days”

The book includes practical tools that children and caregivers can use together when grief or anxiety feels overwhelming.

At the heart of the toolkit is the “Brave Breath” — a simple, child-friendly breathing technique designed to help children slow down, regulate overwhelming emotions and feel more grounded when scary thoughts appear.

Who Is This Book For?

Ideal for:

• Children grieving the sudden death of a parent
• Parents, carers and families supporting a bereaved child
• Primary schools and teachers
• Pastoral and wellbeing teams
• School counsellors
• Child therapists and psychologists
• Bereavement support services
• Child mental health practitioners

The Brave Breath offers children comfort, practical coping strategies and reassurance when the world no longer feels as safe as it once did.

It gently reminds young readers that although they cannot change what happened, they can learn to breathe through the scary moments, feel safe again and carry their love forward.