Next Book Review: REVIEW: Lost But Found: A Boy's Story of Grief and Recovery by Lauren Persons, Illustrated by Noah Hrbek

Lost But Found: A Boy's Story of Grief and Recovery deals with one of the toughest issues a parent may ever have to face--explaining to a child that a loved one has died. Often, to protect them, children are left out of the grieving process. This book allows adults to travel with a young boy as he works to make sense of his loss--and, in turn, their own.

I wrote this book to allow children to ask questions, and talk about their fears and feelings. What I have found is that often children have better insights on these hard life questions than the adults in the room!

Reviews for Lost But Found: A Boy's Story of Grief and Recovery

"The endearing simplicity and musicality of Lauren's words burst with unspoken emotion, leaving room for every child's experience. Noah's illustrations portray tender human contact, comforting young readers and the families who love them." -- Pegi Deitz Shea, award-winning children's book author

"Lost But Found is a sweet book with beautiful pictures that tackles grief at a developmental level for a very young child. The ambiguous term "to lose" somebody is demystified, as a young boy comes to understand what happened to his father, and how their connection lives on." -- Laurie Zelinger, PhD, ABPP, RPT-S, Board Certified Psychologist and author, former Director of New York Association for Play Therapy

"Lost But Found is a brief story that faces a difficult and important topic--the loss of a parent. The story provides a two-pronged approach a caregiver can use as a starting point to approach this delicate topic with a child: a sense of perspective and hope for the future, and the idea that we, as children, can find "pieces" of our parents around us and inside us. I appreciate the incentive to reflect on and remember who the lost parent was and how he lives on through his child." -- Isabella Cassina, MA, TP-S, CAGS, PhD Student, Project Manager, Trainer and Continuing Education Program Administrator (CEPA), INA International Academy for Play Therapy studies and PsychoSocial Projects

"The story of Lost But Found is written to help children understand the loss of a loved one. It is never easy to talk with a child about this subject, and the author provides a tender, truthful and believable story. It is written from the heart and will serve as a conversation starter in assisting a child's understanding of the grieving process. In addition, the beautiful illustrations provide the reader a sense that they are embraced and one with the story. I highly recommend this book for children and adults." -- Linda Cohen, Elementary School Principal

"At any age, understanding death is confusing and complex. It is especially so for children. In Lost But Found, author Lauren Persons gently removes some of the mystery around loss and invites children into a comforting conversation around lasting belonging and hope. Illustrations by Noah Hrbek enrich this tender and much-needed children's book." -- Holli Kenley, author of Power Down & Parent Up and Pilates For Parenting

"Knowing Lauren Persons for over 20 years (and happily counting) this children's book reflects a genuine heart full of emotion and love. If all people faced with difficulties had the courage and the dignity and the grace that Lauren Persons has, our world would be a better place for our children to live." --John Mascia, elementary school teacher

"With simple, accessible words and drawings, Lost But Found perfectly captures the experience of loss, and the power of memory and love." -- Amy N. Ship

From Loving Healing Press

Audience : 4 -6 years

Available to buy from...

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I couldn't believe how timely this book is for us unfortunately. It landed in our laps right when we needed it. In December 2020, we lost my 38-year-old husband, my 11-year old's father, to COVID-19. Still saying that is just unreal to me. So, onto Lost but Found: A Boy's Story of Grief and Recovery by Lauren Persons was a sweetly written book. It is aimed at younger kids than my 11-year-old, however, we still read it together. I would peg the age at about 8 years old and under. I do think such a significant loss can make a child act younger so if you find an older child regressing, this might still be helpful. This would be a book for people to have on hand to tackle some of the grieving process.

I found the book to really focus on the positive side of grief, the healthy side. I really appreciated that for younger children to see healthy ways to process grief. This book is only a look at a layer of grief, not the entire process. It's a perfect book for those struggling with ways to remember their loved one. Lost but Found really focuses on the fact that yes, they may be gone but they are still surrounding us in our lives. It'll be a hard concept for younger children to grasp but again, still a good read.

My only really negative from the books is the illustrations. I wish the people were a bit more generic so every child could see their family in this family’s shoes. It goes over a specific man and I just wish it was more generic in that sense. This is; however, a perfect conversation starter and I'd recommend it for anyone who lost someone important but specifically a father figure.

Enjoy these beautiful excerpts...

Lauren Persons and Noah Hrbek

I did not start talking until I was two. and once I started talking, I never stopped. Making up for lost time, I had much to say with great gusto. For my verbal skills, the title, Sarah Bernhardt, the famous French actress, was bestowed on me by my family. From that time on, I played many roles, on and off stage-actor, newspaper columnist, teacher, writer, drama coach, director, playwright, wife, mother. Of all the parts I have had a chance to play, the role of grandmother is the best. This role puts me front and center to write, create characters, tell stories and act!

Noah Hrbek, the illustrator of Lost But Found, has been the perfect pARTner. Besides being wildly creative, he is a devoted dad and uncle. He can tap into his exuberant, child-like innocence, tempered with the vagrancies of life, and create spot-on, touching, memorable images.

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