Letting Charlie Bow Go

Pets are our best friends. They share our lives with us. Sadly, they don’t live long enough. Told through the voice of a child narrator, this gentle children’s story celebrates our love for pets and explores the death of a pet. It names the emotions we feel. It also offers ideas to help children during the grieving process to heal from this great loss.

A beautifully told, essential addition to any family library to help kids navigate life with any beloved pet. Balanced and lovely.

—Alice Kuipers, best-selling author of several books for young readers

Denise Leduc's Letting Charlie Bow Go is a beautiful and timeless story about love and loss. Leduc's account of the intense love between a child and their dog is expressed simply but powerfully through the voice of the child narrator. Charlie Bow is the little girl's best friend. They do everything together. They are happy together and sad together, but the life of a pet is shorter than the life of a person. When Charlie Bow becomes sick and the vet can no longer make her well, the little girl must say goodbye. Leduc's gentle story of a child's grief and her gradual awareness that the time will come when she'll remember Charlie Bow with laughter, not tears is a gift for all children and for all the adults that love them.
—Gail Bowen, author of the Joanne Kilbourn Shreve mystery series

Anyone who has loved and lost a pet will see themselves reflected in this beautifully written story. More than just a tool helping navigate loss, Letting Charlie Bow Go provides a heartfelt space for adults to touch their own grief at the loss of a furry family member. Every family library should make room for this gorgeous book.
—Jessica Williams, author of Mama’s Cloud