Lily Hates Goodbyes
“I see hundreds of children’s books a year, since I not only do reviews, I work in the industry. Lily Hates Goodbyes is as good as they get, on par with the best.”
David Broughton
5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure for Children and Parents
If you know a child who experiences separation from a parent for any length of time and for any reason (military or business or illness) this book will be a treasured gift. The wonderful illustrations capture the beauty and heart of little Lily and of Quincy, her ever-present bunny. And the story is touching beyond words. Purchased for my step-grandkids, I first shared it with my two 20-something kids. Remembering their times of being separated, they were moved to tears by little Lily’s story and shared her elation at the end. Wish I’d had this book for them when they were little. I’m so glad I have it to share with our grandchildren. I know this will be a classic in our family.
Sher, Verified Purchase
5.0 out of 5 stars Prepare to cry
My kids read this with my husband the night before he deployed. Hearing them in the other room reading this shattered and warmed my heart at the same time. My kids are 5 and 3. He is currently deployed and now I read it with them often. The way this book is worded has helped my kids understand their feelings about the situation we are going through. It has even helped me when it comes to talking them through those feelings. It’s a great book!
Verified Purchase
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect book for young children facing military separation.
I have found this book to be so helpful for my 4 and 2 year olds in dealing with being separated from their military dad. My 4 year old has had a really hard time, but this is her favorite book (we read it every day!) and I truly believe it helps her understand what is going on and how to process her feelings. My favorite part about this book is that it goes through every emotion a child feels when separated from their parent: anger, sadness, confusion, ‘naughtiness’. It identifies these emotions for the children, and lets them know they are perfectly normal and expected emotions, and that even mommy feels them. Another aspect of this book I loved was that it emphasized how happiness and continuing with everyday life is what will make the time move quicker.
Liz, Verified Purchase
5.0 out of 5 stars The only book we came across that helped my 3 year old!
My fiancé is in the Canadian Armed Forces and our 3 year old daughter was struggling to cope with his recent absence, so I ordered a number of books to try to help her and this one made a HUGE difference. As soon as we started reading it her eyes lit up and as I read every page she would excitedly say “Like me!!” I feel like for the first time she could relate the story and main characters directly to her own life and how happy and relieved she seemed when we finished the book actually made me tear up.
I love that, while the soldier in the story is American, the story doesn’t push that they are in the US – It only says “In the military” in the story and it isn’t centred around the US Army or deployments to the Middle East like some of the other books we looked at. There was enough detail to show that he was an American soldier, but it was subtle enough that, in my opinion, this story could apply directly to any military family, even outside of the US. This was HUGE for us as Canadians.
Lily Hates Goodbyes is more about Lily’s feelings while her daddy is away with ideas on how to cope with it and it has been incredibly beneficial for my daughter learning to handle her emotions. It really helped her understand what she is feeling and now instead of just screaming and tantruming when she gets upset, she is better able to vocalize it and tell me what’s wrong.
This book has made such a difference in our lives and helped my daughter so much! I would 100% recommend this book, especially for anyone with a young daughter who is struggling to cope with her military father’s absences – it was perfect for my 3 year old.
TurtlesPlease, Verified Purchase
5.0 out of 5 stars So helpful
I didn’t know where to start when preparing my two and three year old for my partners deployment. This book has been such a great help. My three year old loves it and he seems to really understand about why daddy is away. I also bought the parents guide by the same author to accompany the book. This gave me some great tips to also do. I would advise other military families to purchase these books.
Lynsey, Verified Purchase
Parent Handbook
“I have been part of the Marine community for over a decade. I love how this book is short, concise, and creative. The author has wonderful ideas that I will incorporate into future deployments, as well as sound advice. I highly recommend this book.”
Rachel H, Verified Purchase
5 out of 5 stars A must-read!
This is a terrific book, full of down-to-earth advice for all parents of small kids who face military deployment separation issues. With ever increasing military deployments, and deployments of longer lengths, children face pain and grief of a parent gone for extended periods. This book gives parents solid advice on looking for signs of distress in kids, and helps them deal with those feelings. The book shows the home parent how kids can maintain connection with the deployed parent with concrete examples of ways to keep children involved and looking forward to a happy reunion.
I wish I had this book before my little 5-year old granddaughter’s daddy put to sea for a seven month deployment aboard a US Navy destroyer. Our family will be much better prepared for the next deployment. Get it. Read it. Pass the word. Your kids (and grandkids) will be much better off for it.
Dan, Verified Purchase
5 out of 5 stars Effective
The advice and tips were immediately effective. Although my 2.5 year old daughter didn’t fully understand Daddy’s absence, we were able to reassure her heart, which ultimately reassured her mind.
Sam, Verified Purchase
5 out of 5 stars Great tips and advice
I bought this along with Lily hates goodbyes. This book gave me the confidence and knowledge of how to prepare my children for my husbands deployment.
Lynsey, Verified Purchase
5 out of 5 stars A MUST-HAVE for Every Military Family!
Everyone hates goodbyes but a child saying goodbye to a beloved parent might be the most heart-breaking of all. Children swirl in emotions that they don’t know how to express and the remaining parent (dealing with their own feelings of loss) find themselves struggling to help their child cope with the pain. FINALLY, a handbook has entered the scene that helps BOTH parent and child. Author Jerilyn Marler brings not only her delightful skill in writing to this wonderful book, but also her heart, her encouragement, and her personal experience as a mom and grandma in a military family. Every parent helping a child cope with deployment will TREASURE this handbook and will refer to it daily. It is chock-a-block full of practical insights, guidance and creative ways to help your child survive and THRIVE. And a wonderful bi-product: it will help you cope with your own sadness in the absence of your partner. It’s a WIN-WIN in an otherwise very difficult time.
Sher, Verified Purchase
And many, many more….
Quincy Companion Books by Jerilyn Marler 