Violet the Snowgirl: A Story of Loss and Healing - Hardcover

by Lisa L. Walsh (Author), Wendy Leach (Illustrator)

This versatile story gives children permission to grieve and helps them develop positive coping skills.

When third grader Jerzie wakes up the day after her birthday, she feels grumpy. Her birthday cheer is gone, and she knows today is going to be nothing but boring--until she hears a knock at her door. Grandma's here! Grandma, Jerzie, and her little brother, Josiah, spend all day outside building and playing with Violet, a snowgirl that becomes a pilot, a teacher, a vet, and even their late granddad throughout the day. But when a warm day comes and Violet melts, Jerzie must learn to cope with her grief and develop positive coping skills.

The stages of grief are complex, but using the simple analogy of building a snowman, Violet the Snowgirl is accessible and versatile. It helps children develop positive coping skills so they can process change, like moving to a new school. It also offers strategies for dealing with more difficult loss, like divorce or death. At the back of the book, you will find conversation prompts and resources to support children experiencing grief.

Author Biography

Lisa L. Walsh is a school social worker with more than twenty years of experience in counseling students from preschool to high school. She is the author of a young adult novel about a family affected by addiction and has done local TV and radio interviews as well as readings and other events. Her students inspired Violet the Snowgirl--it was a real-life discussion of loss in a classroom of eight-year-olds who were empathizing with a classmate whose father had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Walsh has two adult daughters and lives in Gifford, Illinois.

Wendy Leach was born in the heartland of the United States and has very stubbornly stayed put. Her love for picture book illustration grew while earning her BFA and working in the children's department of her local Barnes & Noble. Her favorite subjects to draw include cute kids and their pets, city landscapes, and lush garden spaces. She is a proud member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and was honored to be a featured illustrator on their website. She lives in Kansas City.