Dead Serious #003 (MP3 – 12.8MB – 36min)
LISTEN HERE

“Jelly Bean’s Secret“, my childrens book that follows the story of a family, a death, relationships, grief and the importance of remembering is read live in this the third episode of Dead Serious.
It may sound a bit like nepotism, however a number of listeners requested I read the book on the podcast so they could feel more comfortable about approaching the subject with the kids they love. This book took years to perfect and just as long, if not longer to find a courageous publisher who was committed to treating the topic of death in a realistic and sensitive way without resorting to the usual euphamisms such as “passed on”.
During my career I have struggled with people continuing to avoid using the “d” word and yet feeling that by ‘dancing around the subject’ that they were protecting their kids.

“Jelly Bean’s Secret” is about letting people know that saying someone died, is OK. It’s also about reinforcing that kids are not stupid, they know something significant is going on, and by including them in the process we are actually protecting them…………..excluding them isolates them and makes them feel like somehow the saddness that surrounds them is theirfault.
So, grab a coffee (and maybe a tissue), sit somewhere quiet and listen to the story of Abby, Zac, Mum, Dad and Jelly Bean and when the story is finished, think about how you can talk about this most important issue with your kids, your neighbors, your grandkids, the kids at your school, your brothers and sisters and ……………..your friends, partners and the people you care about.
“Jelly Bean’s Secret” is about all of us, how we live, how we die and how we wish to be remembered.

And….if you want to purchase a copy of this fully illustrated book, it is
$AD 13.00 and can be purchased in Australia and internationally at selected bookstores or purchased via the web or post from the publisherInnovative Resources (click on publisher for the link)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 28th, 2005 at 11:43 pm and is filed under General, Podcast. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.