Tim said: February 6th, 2013 7:22 pm
What a wonderful book about Aunt Carole. Teaches ALL of us about heaven and visiting loved ones there. Beautifully presented and illustrated.
Sophie Age 11 said: January 26th, 2013 9:15 pm
I LOVED your book!!!!! It makes me vision Aunt Carole in my head because of your book and what my dad has explained to me and I can't wait to meet her when I go. I love your book once again. Bye
Saralyn Corbett Gillikin said: January 26th, 2013 6:56 pm
All I can say is how much I love you and I can't wait to order these books for my own daughter. scg
Deanna Wallace Bullard said: January 26th, 2013 2:09 pm
Mary Lou, I had no idea that you had published two childrens books. I am so happy for you and so proud at the same time. I can not think of a better way to honor Carole. I am sure that she is smiling down from Heaven. Growing up, you were such an inspiration to me and such a great role model. Thank you for all of the wonderful memories. Good luck with your books! Love you.
J. Woody Faircloth said: January 14th, 2013 3:00 pm
Mary Lou. What a beautiful and thoughtful remembrance of Carole...she has a very special place in my heart and to this day is often in my thoughts. Your book is a beautiful lesson for children and adults. Heaven is a better place with Carole there....she is surely missed here and we will all be blessed to see her again someday.
Kim Fann said: January 3rd, 2013 11:39 am
Thank you so much for providing a wonderful story that will help children deal with the subject of death in a special way.
Distant Echo (from a review posted on Amazon) said: December 19th, 2012 11:29 pm
Dealing with the subject of death is something that most parents dread, and explaining that people die and outlining complicated beliefs for young minds is a difficult task. However, When Will I See Aunt Carole? deals with the subject in a very positive way that will be easy for young readers to understand. The colorful and beautiful illustrations by Michael Ray give children a visual representation of the story, enabling them to further process the idea of what may happen after death. An excellent book for any parent to read with a child, When Will I See Aunt Carole? is sure to spark important discussions among many parents and their children.
Soulful rendering - comfort for children - Nicole Adler, January 21, 2013
When a beloved family member or family friend dies, explaining the concept of death to children for the first time can be both intimidating and painful. As in all serious discussions with children, parents need every tool possible to help them convey the concept. When Will I See Aunt Carole? is the perfect tool for explaining death to children, offering parents a gentle, positive spin on a dark topic.
The story is one to which children who are going through a loss can easily relate: a child misses and thinks often of a loved one who has passed on. Children can see themselves in Mina, and in her story, they are able to find hope and peace.
Mina’s mother has the words that many parents going through a similar situation with their children do not have: she tells Mina that Aunt Carole is still able to watch over her. By realizing that their loved ones are still able to be a part of their lives and that they are still in their loved one's thoughts, children are consoled. Mina’s mother also tells her that in heaven Aunt Carole is still able to do the things that she loves to do. Through these simple words and this simple story, children are able to understand a very difficult concept: though a soul might leave a body, that does not mean that the soul ceases to exist.
M.L. Faircloth offers her words and Michael Ray's beautiful illustrations to guide both parents and children down the path to understanding and acceptance. While the experience is no less painful, Faircloth’s words take some of the sting out of the loss that children are experiencing. When Will I See Aunt Carole? is a story that children will want to read again and again, providing them with a renewed sense of comfort every time they start to miss their lost loved one.
Heavenly hopes for children! - Tracy-Whitney, January 20, 2013
Children often have trouble understanding and coping with the harsh realities of the world. For parents, the death of someone close to the family is traumatic enough, without compounding it with the difficult task of helping children to understand what is going on. M.L. Faircloth’s When Will I See Aunt Carole? helps parents to initiate a conversation about death with children.
When Will I See Aunt Carole? offers more than just understanding: it also offers comfort to grieving children. The young girl in the story, Mina, thinks of her Aunt Carole often. Mina’s mother explains to her that, in heaven, Aunt Carole is still doing all of the things that she loves to do, and she is watching over her family. For children, this is a powerful message, letting them know that they are still in the thoughts of their lost loved ones and that, while earthly life may be over for them, their heavenly lives have just begun and are is just as fulfilling as the lives they led before their deaths. Knowing that, one day, they will be able to see their loved ones again helps children to realize that in loss there is also hope.
By seeing death through the eyes of Mina and her mother, children will gain a new perspective on death. The concepts of death, heaven, and the afterlife are tough topics to breach, but with Faircloth’s help, they become incredibly simple. Parents who read this book to their children will, no doubt, find relief, both in their mission to explain these topics to their children and in their own grieving process. Reading When Will I See Aunt Carole? together is an incredibly therapeutic bonding experience that will, no doubt, make the parent-child bond even stronger than it was before, which is especially important in times of trauma that threaten to destabilize the dispositions of otherwise happy, healthy children.