A NEW book to help children grieving the loss of a parent to brain cancer was launched on Friday night at Torquay Library.<\/p>\n
Author-illustrator Tracey Newnham realised the need for In the Rainbow while she and her two young sons were grieving for her partner Wes Crooke, who had a recurrent brain cancer and died in 2014, aged 37.<\/p>\n
In hospital, shortly before he passed away, Ms Newnham asked her partner to make his presence felt to the family in the form of rainbows.<\/p>\n
In the months after the funeral she and their sons began to find rainbows appearing in the house where they had never noticed them before.<\/p>\n
After advice from a counsellor, Ms Newnham encouraged the boys to draw rainbows when they were feeling the emotions of grief \u2013 if they were sad at day care, or if they were overwhelmed with anger.<\/p>\n
The book is about this experience, and is intended to be read with an adult carer, counsellor or teacher supporting the child and allowing them to interpret the meanings.<\/p>\n
The book will remind children they are entitled to feel sad, but that they are also entitled to feel joy without feelings of guilt.<\/p>\n
In the Rainbow is available to purchase at intherainbow.com.au for $24.95, with supporting worksheets for primary school teachers now in development.<\/p>\n
Tracey was supported in writing the book by Brittany McGill, a clinical psychologist at the UNSW School of Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A NEW book to help children grieving the loss of a parent to brain cancer was launched on Friday night at Torquay Library. Author-illustrator Tracey Newnham realised the need for In the Rainbow while she and her two young sons were grieving for her partner Wes Crooke, who had a recurrent brain cancer and died […]<\/p>\n