For children navigating the profound sadness of loss, this tender story shows how family can find solace and renew hope by honoring a loved one's memory.
A parent might reach for this book when helping a child navigate the quiet sadness that follows the death of a beloved grandparent. It offers a gentle, proactive way to process grief. The story follows siblings Mags and Cody as they spend their first summer on their grandfather's farm without their grandma. The farm feels empty until they decide to honor her memory by building a bluebird house, just like she used to have. This shared project helps the family connect, share memories, and find hope again. For children ages 6 to 9, it beautifully illustrates that it's possible to hold both sadness for a loss and joy in remembrance, making it a comforting and empowering choice for families working through grief.
The book deals directly and gently with the death of a grandparent. The approach is entirely secular, focusing on the universal emotional experience of grief, memory, and healing through connection with family and nature. The resolution is realistic and very hopeful, demonstrating that while sadness remains, joy and life can be cultivated again. It emphasizes remembrance as an active, positive process.
Ideal Reader
This book is for an elementary school-aged child (6-9) who has recently experienced the loss of a grandparent. It is particularly well suited for a child who is processing grief quietly or internally, as it provides a model for channeling feelings into a constructive, tangible project. It will also resonate with families who find solace and connection in nature.
Parent Prep
The book can be read cold. Its tone is gentle and supportive. Parents should be prepared for the story to elicit their child's own feelings and questions about the loved one they have lost. It may be helpful to be ready to share your own positive memories, as the book models this as a healthy part of grieving. A parent has recently lost a family member and sees their child struggling with the loss, perhaps by being unusually quiet, withdrawn, or asking sad questions about the person who died. The parent wants a story that can open a gentle conversation about remembering someone and finding a way to move forward with their memory.
Age Experience
A younger reader (age 6-7) will connect to the concrete story: they miss Grandma, they build a birdhouse, and the birds come back. An older reader (age 8-9) will better understand the symbolism: the quiet farm representing grief, the act of building as a form of healing, and the bluebirds as a sign of hope and their grandmother's enduring presence.
What Makes It Special
Unlike many books about grief that focus on validating feelings of sadness, Bluebird Summer's key differentiator is its emphasis on proactive remembrance. It provides a powerful and accessible model for children: channeling grief into a positive, creative act of honor. This focus on doing, rather than just feeling, can be incredibly empowering for a child feeling helpless in the face of loss.
Read plot summary
Siblings Mags and Cody return to their grandfather's farm for the summer, the first since their grandmother's death. The atmosphere is somber, and their grandfather is withdrawn in his grief. The children notice the absence of the bluebirds their grandma loved. They discover her old bird-watching journal and plans for a birdhouse. Together with their grandfather, they build a new house, a process that allows them to share memories and begin to heal. The story concludes with the hopeful return of the bluebirds, symbolizing the enduring nature of their grandmother's spirit and the family's healing.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
When Mags and Cody first arrive, the farm feels different and sad. Why do you think Gramps hadn't planted the garden or fixed the old birdhouse?
2
Building the birdhouse helps the family talk about Grandma and feel better. If you wanted to do a special project to remember someone, what would you choose to make or do?
3
At the end of the story, seeing the bluebirds makes Mags feel both happy and a little sad. Why do you think she felt both emotions at the same time? Is it okay to feel happy and sad together?
4
Grandma's journal was full of her notes about birds. What kinds of things would be in a special journal about you and the things you love?
