Remember the Secret, by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, $8.95, Celestial Arts, 1998 (reprint)

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross has an international reputation for her pioneering work on death and dying. Most people are unaware that she has written an excellent book for children about this topic which is also beautifully illustrated.

This is a story book for children (and adults) of any age. It is about two young children, Suzy and Peter, who are good friends and have fun building sand castles together in the sand box. During the course of the story they develop a relationship with two spirit guides who, unbeknownst to the children, are preparing Peter to die.

"No one knew they were not alone. No one heard them talk with the two very special friends who told them of many things the grownups did not seem to know about or understand, or maybe had forgotten."

One night both Suzy and Peter left their bodies and traveled to the spiritual world with their spirit guides. They learned about God and love and goodness and growing. They visited majestic places with waterfalls and beautiful flowers and happy people of all ages, sizes and colors. They were taught, "What you are is a gift of God.... What you make of your life is the gift that you bring back to God, the Creator of all life."

Later that fall Peter became very ill. The last time Suzy saw him, she slipped some sand into his hand and a bit of honeysuckle. He whispered to her faintly, "Remember the secret?" Shortly afterward he died and at the funeral service Suzy was only vaguely aware of the grown ups crying and the things they were saying. She could only remember their beautiful experiences together, their memories and the assurance that she was not alone and that Peter was happy in a world of love and peace.

This story is so tender and yet such a powerful testimony to the reality of our eternal lives. It gives wonderful insight into the realms awaiting us and helps to dispel fear and misunderstandings about death. This past month my father passed away and left many grandchildren who loved him dearly. I gave a copy of this book to both my brother and sister for their children. They deeply appreciated it’s message. I have given this book as a gift on other occasions when a death took place and there were grieving children (and parents) who were struggling to cope with their loss.

But there is no reason to wait for death to occur before purchasing this book. It’s my opinion that it should be in every child’s library. Children begin to grasp the concept of death very young and for most it is a scary thing. Telling them about "heaven" is comforting to some extent yet where heaven is and what it looks like is still vague. There is so little available to educate children about the tangible realities of afterlife that this book indeed fills a serious void. It is perceptive, seems to be accurate (haven’t been to the spiritual world yet, myself) and very uplifting.

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