By Jerilyn Marler
Quincy Companian Books, 32 pages, $6.95
Help is Here for Military Kids
Anyone with a loved one in the military knows the difficulty of saying goodbye on deployment day. For children, understanding the feelings that accompany such a departure is extremely confusing. In Jerilyn Marler’s book Lily Hates Goodbyes, a young girl learns to cope during the absence of her father. Marler wrote the story for her four-year-old granddaughter who was experiencing pain and fear while her dad served in the Navy. Lily and her mother find ways to work out their feelings together. Punching a feather pillow helps on days when Lily is mad. Coloring pictures and putting them in a “memories for Daddy” box helps when Lily wants to share with her father. Putting stickers on the big calendar visually shows Lily when Daddy will come home.
The book is filled with ideas that can help any child with an absent loved one. Nathan Stoltenberg’s beautiful illustrations warm the heart. An especially important message that Marler subtly highlights is how important the at-home parent/family are when helping a child cope with their feelings. Marler has created a special book that is guaranteed to help the families of the men and women who bravely and selflessly serve our country.
Reviewed by Elizabeth Franklin,
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