Review: A Letter From Heaven Reviewed by Spotlighted Bettie Corbin Tucker

A Letter from Heaven


Steve Butler
AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978-1-4343-4715-2 (sc)
34 pages

Steve Butler, the author of A Letter from Heaven, has presented the story in a way that will appeal to children; Jamie reads a letter from his sister Alexandra who is in heaven. It is a child talking to a child about her birth, death, love, and the miracle of roses. It provides comfort and satisfies the inquisitive minds of young readers without exposing them to too much too fast. Even the subject of the ashes in the ceramic jar, a difficult subject to bring up to young children, is handled with much skill. The ashes are addressed, but the emphasis is on the important part of Alexandra—that part of her who lives in heaven with God. The author also reinforces how much the living child is loved by his parents, grandparents…and his sibling in Heaven.

In reading this book, I found myself remembering a time in my life many years ago when I suffered multiple miscarriages. For some reason I always found it difficult to talk with my son and daughter, who were born years afterward, about their siblings, now living with God. Mostly, I would remind them that these babies are very much alive in Heaven, even though they did not take a breath on earth. I wish this book had been available to me at that time. I personally feel A Letter from Heaven is a wonderful and much-needed resource for helping parents and health professionals talk with children and explain the loss of a baby sibling who was born before them. It is an issue that has been very much neglected by the book industry.

I highly recommend this book and believe that it should be in libraries across the country.



Bettie Corbin Tucker
For IP Book Reviewers

Review: Guest Reviewer Bettie Corbin Tucker Shares Favorite!

We Do Remember You
Steve Butler
Illustrated by Grace Mayfield
www.enheartpublishing.com
ISBN: 0-965-4899-8-1
48 pages (including front and back matter)


We Do Remember You by Steve Butler is a book written for those who are grieving the death of a child. Though it is a difficult subject, the author has presented the material in a way that gives readers of all ages help, hope, and an outlet for their emotions.

As a mother who has lost a child, I shed tears but also smiled as I met the young angelic characters who are enjoying the beauty of Heaven as they share conversations about their lives and deaths. All but one child explains how his or her family presently expresses their love for them on earth, whether it involves putting flowers on a grave, planting a tree, caring for a rose bush, lighting a candle, praying, or performing some other personal and meaningful ritual. This is done to show the children they are missed and remembered. But what about that one child—doesn’t anyone miss her? Purchase this book and find out how a baby without a name gives and receives joy in Heaven.

When the author mentions rituals in the foreword, he speaks of them as ways of “Doing” your grief…when they are carried out with love and care. He also expresses his belief that these rituals allow the spirits of those who grieve touch the spirits of the ones they can no longer see on earth. Through fictionalized conversations, readers quickly learn from the angelic children how much these acts of remembrance mean to them. This should prove especially beneficial to children who are left behind when their brothers, sisters, parents, or best friends go to Heaven.

Alexandra, one of the heavenly angels, was introduced to me in an earlier book entitled “A Letter to Heaven.” As she thinks about the urn in her own home and a special rose garden in her grandmother’s yard, she understands just how much she was and is loved. She asks God to let her brother Jamie know that she will always love him. I believe the prayer is answered through a ladybug. Yes, a ladybug!

I give We Do Remember You my highest recommendation. It is well-written, beautifully illustrated, and the language is age appropriate. In my opinion, this book fills a need for a different kind of resource on the subject of grieving.

Bettie Corbin Tucker
For Independent Professional Book Reviewers