Hello

My name is Dr. Kristie Polk. I teach college psychology, speak publicly about grief, and recently, I became the author of a collection of resource books I call "The Bereavement Buddy Collection". I'm most proud of my 32-year marriage and being a good mom to my kids; my adult son and my daughter, who passed away in 2021.

The Need for Sad Panda

The year following my daughter's death, we lost 3 family friends - all dads leaving behind stay-at-home moms of multiple kids. I knew how hard my own grief journey was despite my deep education, extensive experience in leadership, and strong support system of dedicated friends and family, and I immediately thought of my friends who, not only didn't have those advantages but were also grieving while also trying to meet the needs of small children.

I had been researching grief and loss for several months already and after the third loss I was inspired to start writing - not a typical children's story about loss, though. I wanted to create something that would equip adults without any prior knowledge to come alongside small children and grieving families to help them navigate their grief in a meaningful way; I call them "Bereavement Buddies". That is what inspired me to write this collection of books.

Sad Panda

Sad Panda, intended for children ages 2-6, centers on a simple character, Sad Panda, who is sad because someone he loves has died.

Illustrations are intentionally sparse to provide plenty of white space for children to draw their own details, to project their feelings onto Panda without any guilt or fear of how a parent might react, and to guard against further feelings of isolation through details in pictures that may not reflect their life or experience.
Simple prompts and lined writing pages are provided throughout to help a child process their own thoughts.
The 3-fold purpose includes:
- an opportunity for a child to connect Sad Panda's story to their own in a non-threatening way
- a meaningful way to create memories for the child to be able to look back on over time and healing
- a written record for a loving adult/therapist to refer to (whether the child is old enough to write or the adult writes for the child) as needed.

A Companion Guide to Sad Panda

A Companion Guide to Sad Panda: For Parents and Other Bereavement Buddies, intended for adults, is a quick reference guide to introduce a parent (or another caring adult - a Bereavement Buddy - ideally) to all the ways a child can present grief.

It explains what a "Bereavement Buddy" is and is not, and details appropriate language and critical ways to communicate along the way to allay fear and rebuild security.
It includes a plan for telling a child that a loved one has died, walks through a child's stages of development, discusses how grief may appear in each stage, and even reviews how loss affects a child's development moving forward.
Reflection prompts and lined writing pages are provided throughout to help the Bereavement Buddy to plan, prepare, and process their personalized navigation "plan" in a natural way.
The 3-fold purpose includes:
- confidence-building based on knowledge and preparation
- a "culture" of assessing and adjusting without judgment to best meet the child's needs
- support to ensure that a Bereavement Buddy maintains appropriate mental health to continue assisting well.

Sad Panda: The Journal

Sad Panda: The Journal, intended for pre-teens, includes pages with ample space for writing

thoughts,
feelings,
inspiring quotes (either from their loved one or others they find encouraging),
questions they have,
what they're learning on their own grief journey, and
contact information to keep track of their support system along the way.
Ample space is provided to include pictures, drawings, and other special memories to help young grievers find ways to connect and bring their loved ones along without fear of "forgetting".
Pages are purposefully not dated to avoid any compulsion to write or guilt for not writing.
The prompts are repeated cyclically throughout the journal in the hopes that growth will be evident as the user looks back on previous writings.

Contact

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