Zander Young is a first grader at Sherwood Elementary. Last year, Zander learned to cope with a family loss by writing book about some pretty big feelings.
When Zander was five, his mother lost a baby at birth and he took the loss of his sister really hard. Zander's mom worked with him to find a way to help him cope with the loss. He had a lot of questions about losing her, but no answer to explain to him that she was born sleeping.
Together, Zander and his mom decided to write the book in his POV with all of the questions he asked. The book, "Hi Rainey," walks through these questions as well as the solutions he came up with in dealing with the loss. His hope is that it will help other kids overcome a loss of a family member.
The grieving process for Zander was difficult, but he was able to manage it with all the love and support of family. At the end of the book, his mindset shifted into a positive one. He found a way to change his "what ifs" into "I know she is okay now."
Zander's book is available for purchase online: