The River of Birds

Winner of the 2021 Gold Moonbeam Award for Health Issues

A moving and beautiful tale about a family, a loss, and the natural world that binds us all together. With exquisite tenderness, Moore reveals the persistent, transcendent power of love. -Lily King, bestselling author

A gentle, honest story of a child who learns about the enduring force of love in the face of grief.

A young child and a grandmother share a love of birds. Every day after school they watch the birds outside her window and draw them with colored pencils, the scent of ginger tea hanging in the air. When they find a dead goldfinch outside the window one day, the grandmother teaches her grandchild about the enduring strength of love that continues even when a body is no longer living. This lesson returns to the child in a powerful dream after the grandmother dies-a dream that becomes a healing gift for the child’s grandfather.

Gorgeously illustrated by wildlife artist and illustrator Michael Boardman, Libby Moore’s The River of Birds is a gentle story that looks honestly at grief and love. The beautiful themes and lush illustrations will bring comfort to readers of all ages. The book includes a guide put together by clinical psychologist Mary Plouffe, PhD, that provides practical resources for adults who are supporting grieving children.