“Is it absolutely certain that I’ll never, ever see him again?” : A studie of how death and grief are portrayed in three picture books

The aim of this study has been to investigate how the death of a close relative is described in pictures and texts through the eyes of a child character in three picture books. The analysis has also considered how the child character copes with the tragedy and how he or she finds support in the grief process. The books analysed here are Resan till Ugri-La-Brek (1987), Farväl, Rune (1986), and Jättebra Olga! (2010). Since these are works of fiction, this study does not assume that they are an accurate reflection of reality, but the way the child characters act and cope with their grief has been compared with the findings of empirical research on how children react in real situations. The material has been examined by means of a qualitative literary analysis comparing the books according to the research questions. The study finds that the child characters receive evasive explanations from people around them concerning what death means, for instance that the person is sleeping. A common reaction among the children is to deny what has happened. To find the way out of the grief, the child characters begin by looking for answers to their questions about death, and by thinking of memories of the dead person. According to empirical research, abstract explanations of death should be avoided for children in grief, since this can cause confusion. Everyone will be affected by grief some time during life, and children can ask questions about this uncertain subject. Another aim here has therefore been to consider any possible benefits the books may have for practical application in the classroom when discussing these matters