Dying to Ask - by Ellen Duthie & Anna Juan Cantavella Ph D (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Two writers and an illustrator walk into a book and find themselves with thirty-eight questions about death asked by boys and girls between five and fifften years old. How and what will they answer?

For mortal beings of all ages comes Dying to Ask, the result of an international project where children were invited to ask questions about death based on a series of workshops. The result? Hundreds of questions from countries all over the world.

Herein lies thirty-eight questions that best represented the breadth and depth of children's interest in death and related matters, complete with psychological and scientific proofing. Thoughtful, tender, and surprisingly joyful, this illustrated book is an invitation to talk, think, and ask further questions about death.

Some of the questions: Will I die? Where do we go when we die? Will we all become extinct one day? If someone you love dies, how long are you sad for? Why do people say "rest in peace" rather than "rest in fun?"

Review Quotes

"A splendid book that offers a fresh, natural approach to death, breaks taboos, and shares in children's curiosity in a way that helps people of all ages to put words to death."--Araceli Galindo, Psychologist at Vida y pérdida

"A must-have in all school libraries. A book for sparking
conversations about death in the classroom, at home or wherever
you happen to be. We will certainly be reading it for our book clubs
with children. We know from experience how interested and curious
they are about the subject!"--La Casa de Tomasa cultural association

"A wonderful book for discussions, workshops, book clubs, or
perhaps more importantly, conversations between parents and
children."--Lorenzo Soto. Critic. Quoted from review in Canal Lector

"Dying to Ask invites readers of all ages to engage in an exploration
of the enigma and taboo of death, in a way that manages to be
humorous, straightforward, thoughtful and deep.
Starting with children's questions and curiosity, the book is a
fabulous springboard for talking about death and our shared
mortality."--Montse Colilles, child psychologist and education advisor

"Full of imagination, humor, and irony...A title that can be enjoyed at any age and at many different times and not necessarily at the time of grief."----El País "--"

"It's fun, rigorous, tender, unprejudiced, accepting, respectful of
mystery and passionate about questions."--Javier Fonseca, author of children's books and creative writing teacher.
Quoted from review in Adiós Cultural

About the Author

Ellen Duthie was born in Spain to British parents. She holds an MA in Mental Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh. A writer, teacher, blogger, and translator, her interests are focused on children's literature and philosophy for children.

Anna Juan Cantavella, Ph.D holds a Ph.D. in Social and Cultural Anthropology and a Master's in Children's Books and Literature. Currently, she is a lecturer in the UAB's Department of Language and Literature Didactics and collaborates with the Gretel research group and the Wonder Ponder publishing company.

Andrea Antinori is an award-winning illustrator based in Bologna, Italy. He wrote and illustrated the book The Lives of Lemurs and Octopuses Have Zero Bones. Among many other recognitions, he is the recipient of the International Illustration Prize (Bologna International Children's Book Fair), Best International Illustrated Book (China Shanghai International Children's Book Fair), the Andersen Prize for Best Book 6-9 years olds, and the IBBY Honor List.