By: Julieta Torres

#Hazclakconestedato

The first of November is a holiday. A day to remember those we love and who are no longer with us, to remind us of the meaning of death and above all, that it is a natural and common process in every living being, which should not be so difficult to understand, assume, and above all , teach.

The answer to why we avoid talking about death is quite obvious. However, by avoiding it, we forget the fundamental thing: if we talk and remember, if we laugh and cry, those who are no longer with us always remain with us. As we grow up, this seems pretty obvious, but understanding it is not always a reason to understand it. So, how can we educate about it?

It is a complex question. But luckily, literature is at the service of teaching and gives us the best tools to show the little ones realities that are so difficult to explain.

Here is a small recommendation:

 

1. The Tree of Memories, by Britta Teckentrump: A fundamental book for grieving and understanding that loved ones will always live with us.
2. The Duck and Death, by Wolf Erlbruch: With a simple and friendly text, it helps us understand that death has been with us since the day we were born.
3. I Am Death, by Elisabeth Helland Larsen: It shows us the inseparable union of life and death, with poetic language it explains why we have to die.
4. The Ballad of the King and Death, by Koos Meinderts: A rhyming book that addresses the subject from another perspective; The wise know how people die, but no one really understands what death is. The king will have to find out.
5. Grandfather's Island, by Benji Davis: A very nice album book that helps to understand the absence of grandfathers and grandmothers.
6. Grandfather's Angel, by Jutta Bauer: A song to life without detracting from how difficult it can be. It teaches us to respect the value of memory.
7. It's like this, by Paloma Valdivia: A book album that teaches us how simple and natural the cycle of life is.
8. Vivo, by Andrea Franco: Through nature and its cycles, we can understand and have a first approach to the naturalness of death.
9. A Hollow, by Yael Frankel: This book tells us about absence, how it can mark us and transform us.
10. The Heart and the Bottle, by Oliver Jeffers: It tells us about the pain of loss and how, sometimes, when we immerse ourselves in that pain, we lose the meaning of certain things.

Culture and traditions go hand in hand, and there are traditions that are worth celebrating, not just once a year, but constantly.

About the author:

Julieta Torres is the owner of the literary café and bookstore specializing in children's literature, located in Puerto Varas.

Follow her on her social networks! @librerialamaga