Автор из Норфолка выпустила книгу о смерти для детей, чтобы помочь им пережить потерю близких

Amanda Kauth’s dream has always been to write a book, but it wasn’t until recently that she sat down and started to write. Kauth operates a daycare out of her home in Norfolk, and she has always been inspired by children’s literature. “I just love how sometimes you can take really difficult concepts and bring it down to their level and make it a little more understandable,” Kauth said. A decade ago, when Kauth’s father died, she remembered talking to her daughter — who was a little over a year old at the time — about death, grief and heaven. It was then she realized that there was a gap in children’s literature about these concepts. “I could see that there was a need out there in children’s literature to take a big concept like death and to kind of make it just not not whimsical, but just to make it age appropriate,” Kauth said. “Tell them the basics, give them hope and comfort and let them know their feelings are OK.” Kauth had always heard that kids are resilient and could handle more difficult concepts, but she wanted to provide parents with a softer way to explain death to younger children. She also wanted to provide a book that aligned with her family’s values, morals and religion but was also a quality book. “A lot of times, books on this topic are... just more factual and... don’t hold their attention as well,” Kauth said. “I wanted it to be like any other book that they would pick up and want to read every night, pictures that were inviting and that they could see themselves in in any of the scenarios throughout the story.” The final printed book, titled “A Place in Heaven,” is set up like many others of its kind, but it deals with death and children missing someone who is no longer with them. It’s a story that had been in her head for 10 years; Kauth would write whenever the mood struck, picking up where she left off. Then, once she turned 40 and her husband was diagnosed with cancer, she decided to sit down and finish the story. From there, her process really sped up. “I did think, ‘If something really does happen, I would want this book to be there for my children and for others as well,’ ” Kauth said. “So, really, about six months from getting a publisher, getting an offer, and then having a physical book, it took about six months.” In August, the book had 400 preorders and was being sold in the mobile bookstore The Plot Twist and other local establishments. Then, on Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 6 to 6:45 p.m., Kauth is holding a meet-and-greet at the Norfolk Public Library. People will have the chance to hear about her process and what it was like to become an author. Children also will have the chance to get creative with a rhyming activity to practice rhyming words and write their own rhyming stanzas. This whole experience has been a dream for Kauth. “I still feel like we’re in the tornado a little bit, but I definitely am so grateful that I just followed a dream,” Kauth said. “I mean, how often do we do that? We all have things that we want to do, and so often we just put it off thinking ‘maybe someday.’” She continued: “I think things like someone passing away or getting sick can be sad, but in a good in a positive way, it can kind of push you into the mindset of ‘let’s be living life, let’s do things now and not wait,’ because what are you waiting for?”