The Keeper of Secrets: Helping Little Hearts Cope With Grief

The Keeper of Secrets: Helping Little Hearts Cope With Grief

A Gentle Children’s Bereavement Book About Dementia and the Loss of a Grandparent 

When someone you love begins to lose their memories, grief can start long before they die.

The Keeper of Secrets is a gentle, beautifully illustrated children’s bereavement story created to help children understand dementia, memory loss and the death of a grandparent.

Meet Hannah and Nana

Hannah loves her Nana and the stories, memories and traditions they share.

But when Nana develops dementia, things begin to change. Nana forgets things she once knew. Sometimes she even struggles to recognise Hannah.

For a child, feeling forgotten by someone they love can be confusing and painful.

When Nana eventually dies, Hannah must navigate another goodbye while discovering something important: memories may fade, but the love behind them does not disappear.

Helping Children Understand Dementia, Memory Loss and Grief

Through Hannah’s story, children are gently supported to explore:

• The confusion and sadness of watching a grandparent change because of dementia
• Understanding that dementia affects the brain and is nobody’s fault
• Difficult feelings such as anger, worry, loneliness and a “wobbly tummy”
• What it can feel like when someone you love no longer remembers you
• Understanding the finality of death in clear, age-appropriate language
• The grief that can begin before someone dies
• How memories and family stories can help us remain connected to someone we love

Includes The Script-Keeper’s Toolkit

The book includes practical activities and coping tools that children and caregivers can use together.

Children are introduced to:

• The Keeper’s Breath — a simple calming technique for releasing tight, angry or worried feelings
• The Memory Safe — creating a special place to preserve treasured memories and family stories
• The Memory-Mapping Jar — a creative activity for collecting and celebrating memories
• Sharing stories and family traditions as a way of keeping someone's legacy alive

At the heart of the story is a reassuring message: when someone can no longer hold all of their memories, the people who love them can help carry those memories forward.

Who Is This Book For?

Ideal for:

• Children experiencing a grandparent’s dementia or death
• Parents and carers supporting a child through a loved one’s memory loss
• Families experiencing anticipatory grief or bereavement
• Primary schools, teachers and pastoral teams
• School counsellors and child therapists
• Dementia support organisations
• Hospices and bereavement services
• Families looking for an age-appropriate way to talk about dementia and death

The Keeper of Secrets offers children reassurance, understanding and practical ways to preserve the stories of someone they love.

Because even when memories begin to fade, love can remain — carried forward through the stories, traditions and moments we choose to remember.