The cycle of death, told very nicely – calmly, poetically, and in really simple sentences for the youngest of readers. This way we see what happens when someone leaves us behind, whether it be a grandparent or a dog – we mourn, we grieve, but we don't forget, we do what we would have done were they there, and life continues along its merry way. I think this is so simplified and junior-friendly the young target audience would still need someone to explain things, and answer those awkward, unwanted questions – but I've certainly never seen the discussion of life after death being expressed for such an age bracket. The art is fully race-inclusive, too, for those for whom this matters.

A nice book to introduce grief to children and losing a dog. Pictures were clear and text was concise. But the overall tone fell flat

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I felt that this book does a wonderful job at explaining grief in age-appropriate terms. The pictures also do a wonderful job of illustrating the loss- both human and pet form; the illustrations also show the different losses that occur for humans. I really like that it recognized all the emotions that come with grief not just the sadness. I felt like this book displayed ways to cope with the loss such as celebrating their birthdays and talking about them with others or by yourself. It also acknowledge the hard moments that might come up such as feeling like we have forgotten about the person we lost.

The art in this book was also very diverse which I really appreciated.

A book full of questions and wonderings of dealing with the grief after a loved one dies. A beautiful book for dealing with a tough time and helping young children learn to understand and cope with a death. Recommended for those who may need it in grades K-5

What Happens After? is a gentle and thoughtful children's book that explores the complex emotions surrounding grief and loss. With its tender storytelling and beautiful illustrations, the book provides a compassionate space for children to begin understanding what happens when someone dies.

The narrative offers comfort without being overly simplistic, acknowledging sadness while also making room for healing, memories, and hope. It's an ideal tool for sparking meaningful conversations with children about death, helping them process difficult feelings in a safe, age-appropriate way.

The artwork is especially striking—warm, expressive, and deeply emotive, adding another layer of connection for young readers. Whether used at home, in classrooms, or by therapists, What Happens After? is a valuable resource for guiding children through one of life’s toughest topics.

I love that this book takes a difficult and hard subject, but makes it easy for little ones to understand. It doesn't shy way from the hard emotions and allows children a way to understand that feelings of sadness and grief are ok. I also love how it helps them grieve in a positive way. Oh, and the srtwork is stunning.

This is an absolutely amazing and perfect book that is such a good tool for little ones trying to navigate grief. The first thing in this book that I want to applaud is the amount of diversity that is shown visually. There were many different types of families in this book, and that makes this book feel so much more special for readers, because they might be able to see a family that looks similar to their own.
As for the core message of this book, it was written in such a way that is gentle yet effective for young readers. The author acknowledged that it will be hard, but there are things that families can do in order to keep memories alive and cope with the loss.
In a nutshell, this book is perfect in every way, and I think that everyone should read this book, because loss can come in all shapes and forms and most everyone goes through grief. Bravo all-around!

A gentle book for children about how to cope with grief. This book was simple enough to get the message across in a way young children can understand. I loved how it explained that grief can look different with many emotions and that grieving can last a different amount of time for everyone. I appreciate that religion was not a focus point in this work. It really puts the focus on emotions and validating that every emotion felt and question asked while grieving is correct and understandable.

The illustrations were very telling. They tell different grieving stories (losing a mother, a grandfather, a sibling at a young age, a pet). All these scenarios are realistic and can occur to anyone. The illustrations also tell the story of the possibility of continuing on living while still remembering those lost.

This was a very heartfelt book that honestly made me tear up.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Age appropriate and sweet to help walk through emotions with our little ones after loss to initiate harder conversations.

What a beautifully written and illustrated book! A very tough topic to tackle but the book approaches it gently with simple words and reminders that grieving takes time and the amount of time can vary. The books guides us through all the different emotions we may experience. It touches on things we can do to cope with loss and describes how over time we continue to go on. In just a span of 25 pages, this books takes you through all the emotions. I am amazed at how on point this book is, in such few pages. I would definitely recommend this book to help young kids understand and cope with loss.

Thank you for sharing this eARC with me!

What Happens After? is a sweet and thoughtful book that helped me understand how we can gently talk to children about the loss of a loved one. Death is a difficult topic, especially for young kids, but this book approaches it with care, honesty, and compassion. What I appreciated most is that it doesn’t try to explain everything—it simply creates space for children to feel, ask questions, and find comfort. The beautiful illustrations add even more warmth to the story, making it a calming and reassuring read. It’s the kind of book I believe every family should have during tough times.

A huge thanks to NetGalley, the author & the publisher for the opportunity to read this advance copy.

This book is perfect to help kids through the very difficult experience that is grieving a loved one. I appreciate so much that it doesn't mention any religion but simply the experience that those who are still alive will experience. My children have not experienced grief yet but I will be saving this book for when they do.

This book is a sweet story about life after the loss of a loved one. It offers a real-life heartwarming look at the sadness and hope after loss. It shows multiple losses, not just the typical grandparent loss. I thought it would be great to share with any age elementary student.

A children’s book focused on grief and how to deal with the loss of a loved one (animal and human). This was such a beautiful way to approach a difficult topic. The artwork was lovely with diverse representation. There are simple but helpful coping mechanisms taught and I really loved that it included things that are super relatable for kids going through this. Including animal loss is a great part since that’s so common for kids and often the first introduction to grief. Such a hopeful and helpful book for hard topics.

A really beautiful picture book exploring what happens "after" death. I like that this wasn't about one kind of death, or saying that any one death is harder to handle than any other. They all hit children had, and they should all be talked about. Really beautifully done.

A simple, yet profound look at what comes after a death. This book conveys the varying reactions and phases of mourning a loved one while continuing to live life, helpfully acknowledging the hard and sad while also looking forward with hope and comfort. A well balanced look at grief, presented in an easy to follow format.

Thanks so much to netgalley and publishers for the chance to check out this sweet read! Very cute, well-written, and extremely well done. It is very important subject matter and I think this book approaches the topic of grief very well for kids. Highly recommend!

This is a really thoughtful and helpful book on grief. I especially liked how the book covers loss in various forms, and I think this would be a useful resource to explain loss to young ones and can even be a source of comfort to adults too. The illustrations were beautiful and gentle in style, which fit the tone of the subject. I also really liked how the illustrator chose to represent lost ones as being surrounded by light and love.

This was a charming picture book that can help children gently explore the feeling of grief, not only is ok to feel grief, but it is also ok to move on, and that there are ways to remember the one you loved who is no longer here with us.

This was achieved in this book in a very sweet way and with beautiful illustrations as well.

I was interested in reading this book as my children lost their father when they were 7 and 5. I think this book shares an important message that can be hard to navigate, especially with children- what comes next in life after someone dies? It also highlights the importance of recognizing there is no timeline to grief, and provides examples of things that can be done to remember and honor the loved one they lost.