My Dad Died: Reflections of a child - Paperback

by H. Meral Tolunay (Illustrator), Lea M. Gorgulu Webb (Author)

This is the story of Jasmin, a little girl who is trying to understand and cope with her feelings after her father dies. Jasmin describes many of the complex emotions that a child might encounter with such a loss, including sadness, anger, jealousy, and guilt. Jasmin is able to find ways to manage her grief with the help of her relationships to other family members, by learning to talk about her feelings, by using creative ways to express her feelings, and by enjoying the things that give her pleasure. This book is intended to help both children and parents in similar situations by describing the emotions that a child might feel at any given time as they go through the grieving process. Furthermore, the book goes on to present ideas to help children work through their feelings and move beyond the grief.

Author Biography

Lea M. Gorgulu Webb is an attorney/solicitor/barrister who has long worked representing children and families after traumatic events. In 2010, Lea's husband died at a young age, leaving her and their two young children lost and traumatized. Lea and her family had a practice of turning to books for guidance, entertainment and relief, and she was disappointed with the books available for grieving children. Lea knew that trauma victims begin to heal dramatically when able to find words to describe seemingly indescribable pains. She had also seen many victims soothed by the realization that they were not alone. Knowing that others have survived the same sort of trauma and pain provides one sort of solace and support. Lea moved, with her children, from the US to the Mediterranean coast, where she began to heal and write the Everybody's Family series. Everybody's Family is just that: A caring family of characters. Jasmin, Jon and their mother are able to support one another, and each of us, through sharing, listening to one another, and providing ideas and space for all of us to share and listen to one another, as well.