We Do Remember You
Steve Butler
Illustrated by Grace Mayfield
www.enheartpublishing.com
ISBN: 0-965-4899-8-1
48 pages (including front and back matter) 

We Do Remember You by Steve Butler is a book written for those who are grieving the death of a child.  Though it is a difficult subject, the author has presented the material in a way that gives readers of all ages help, hope, and an outlet for their emotions.  

As a mother who has lost a child, I shed tears but also smiled as I met the young angelic characters who are enjoying the beauty of Heaven as they share conversations about their lives and deaths.  All but one child explains how his or her family presently expresses their love for them on earth, whether it involves putting flowers on a grave, planting a tree, caring for a rose bush,  lighting a candle, praying, or performing some other personal and meaningful ritual.  This is done to show the children they are missed and remembered.  But what about that one child—doesn’t anyone miss her? Purchase this book and find out how a baby without a name gives and receives joy in Heaven. 

When the author mentions rituals in the foreword, he speaks of them as ways of “Doing” your grief…when they are carried out with love and care.  He also expresses his belief that these rituals allow the spirits of those who grieve touch the spirits of the ones they can no longer see on earth.  Through fictionalized conversations, readers quickly learn from the angelic children how much these acts of remembrance mean to them. This should prove especially beneficial to children who are left behind when their brothers, sisters, parents, or best friends go to Heaven. 

Alexandra, one of the heavenly angels, was introduced to me in an earlier book entitled “A Letter to Heaven.”  As she thinks about the urn in her own home and a special rose garden in her grandmother’s yard, she understands just how much she was and is loved.  She asks God to let her brother Jamie know that she will always love him. I believe the prayer is answered through a ladybug.  Yes, a ladybug! 

I give We Do Remember You my highest recommendation.  It is well-written, beautifully illustrated, and the language is age appropriate.  In my opinion, this book fills a need for a different kind of resource on the subject of grieving.   

Bettie Corbin Tucker
For Independent Professional Book Reviewers
www.bookreviewers.org
January 24, 2010