“Grandma, I don’t like to talk about this very often but I don’t want you to die,” young Duncan blurts out one day while riding in the car. And, rather than dismiss her grandson’s comment or try to gloss over its seriousness, Grandma engages with Duncan’s concern.

What ensues is a beautiful conversation about the human soul, death, heaven, and guardian angels that will bring light and comfort to a hard topic—for adults, as well as children. Inspired by a conversation with her own grandson, author Rev. Karen E. Herrick, PhD, simplifies these complex notions into vivid examples that will engage children’s imaginations.

A great book to introduce young kids to the concept of death, What’s a Soul Grandma? will help calm their fears of losing loved ones, by describing how those who go before them serve as guardian angels watching over them; and, even more importantly, how the lasting power of love connects people from this life to the next.

Both kids and adults will find comfort and joy in what Grandma has to say to Duncan about the afterlife.