“Understanding death doesn't necessarily take away our anxieties or fears about our own death, or our sadness about other people's deaths, but it does help us find ways to continue on with our lives.” —Penny Colman

“* A daring and satisfying approach to a difficult subject.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“* Death, the last stage of the human condition, has been underreported and mostly avoided in writing for young people. Colman takes on the task with just the right mix of unblinking realism and sensitivity to varieties of beliefs and practices.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“* This solid, sensitive book answers a wealth of questions young people have but often are too reluctant to ask.” —Booklist, starred review

“The author has a compassionate eye, and she manages to endow her topic with both humanity and humor.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“In death, as in life, it is the personal and particular that is most poignant. In this remarkable presentation of a fascinating subject, Colman uses her own experiences of death, and the ceremonies, rituals and emotions surrounding it, to lead the reader into an exploration of the place that disposal of human remains has occupied both historically and in our time. Colman does not shy away from grisly detail, but presents it to readers young and old, with sensitivity and a solid contextual grounding.” —Children's Literature