A children’s reading book looking at the role loss and grief has to play in shaping us as we grow older is not often a first pick for parents when we are adding to our kids’ book collection but read on to find why we think this Ivy and the Rock book should be.

From Welsh based author Ivy and the Rock children’s reading book has been written to help children understand how it feels to lose something you love so much in life. Full of a pretty woodland adventure it touches on what love means and how it is a part of us all, as much as is losing it inevitably in the end.

We were recently gifted a copy of the Ivy and The Rock children’s book in return for us sharing our honest thoughts with our readers.

The Storyline of Ivy and the Rock

Ivy and the Rock tells the story of a little girl who grows up in the woods with a beautiful rock who as she gets older spends less time with the rock, but still visits and even moves into her own home but still even less she still does visit the rock she loves so much.

But then sadly one day the rock is no longer there. Explaining Ivy’s sadness in its rhyming tones the storyline pushes focus onto the positives and how Ivy will still love the rock even though it is no longer physically in the woods.

The Illustrations in Ivy and the Rock

This book has been illustrated by Heather May Williams a Welsh based artist who gains here inspiration for her artwork from her love for wildlife, bugs, pets, fantasy and magic. We can really see this come through as in the pages of Ivy in the Rock and the little ones reading this book really loved the images.

Only pages in all the kids passed comment on how pretty the pictures were and they loved the rock, this was one of the favourite images of the rock they liked.

They also loved how all the colourful flowers grew around the rock and how the picture made them think the rock was sparkling.

The kids also loved the wood picture with all the pretty flowers and tall trees and it made them want to come across a rock like this when they are next playing in the woods.

About the Author of Ivy and the Rock

Ivy and the Rock is written by Jess Childs, who lives in Wales with her husband and daughters. She is a musician and journalist who has now decided to turn her skills into writing children’s books.

Interestingly Ivy and The Rock, actually has been adapted from a poem that the author wrote to read at her own father’s funeral, and it has been the kickstart to move her real desire of using the power of storytelling to help children get their heads around the complexity of life’s realities.

Jess has also created a website Big Issues for Little People to support this children’s book, which is full of many other resources for kids.

Would we Recommend Ivy and the Rock Book for Your Child?

We read this book with a lot of children to see what they thought of it, with ages ranging from five up to ten and the first thing that every single child said at the end of the book was….. that’s such a sad book.

And we are not going to tell you that it isn’t, because it is. However please don’t instantly think well why we would want our kids to read it if its that sad. That sadness started the conversation with the kids, and in our opinion, that’s exact why we would totally recommend that your little one reads this book.

This book is very pretty visually and written in such a clever way that exposes kids to the sadder parts of life, but in a child friendly way. The little kids reading it had loads of questions over where the rock went and why and if it would ever come back and some of the older kids could see through the story and liken it to the loss of someone.

Having been in a position before where we have had to explain to a child that their grandparent has passed away or the family pet we get this book and can totally see how even though its sad it can be a real benefit for families, because talking with kids about loss and grief can be difficult at times, but too is massively important.

You can get your copy of Ivy and the Rock from WHSmith and you should really check out the supporting website for free pintable’s that kids can also benefit from.

Book Giveaway

As an extra little treat, we would love to offer the chance for some of our readers to Win their very own copy of Jess Childs’s New Ivy and the Rock Children reading book. If you are interested, then simply Click Here to Visit our Competition Section and Enter this Book Giveaway for Free – Good Luck!

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