A Resource for Explaining Death and Heaven to Children [Book]
A Tale of Loss Grief and the Hope of Heaven | Voyage of the Star Kingdom
One of the most painful things about living in our world is the loss that we all experience. Losing a friend, family member, or even a child leaves a void in our hearts and an aching to be together again. That place of pain is one of the reasons we are so passionate about spreading hope!
For Christmas this year, my grandfather gave our family a book that we knew we needed to share with you. Voyage to the Star Kingdom by Anne Riley is a beautiful resource for explaining death and heaven to children facing these difficult realities, and the stunning illustrations pair perfectly with the words on each page. The book takes you on the moving journey of experiencing the storms of life, yet finding the comfort of God. Of letting go of life on this earth and the indescribable joy and reunion found in heaven.
Inspired by the true story of a family whose two youngest daughters were diagnosed with Batten disease, a rare and terminal diagnosis, Voyage to the Star Kingdom tells their story of suffering, faith, and hope. Set in a fairy-tale land with mythical creatures, this poignant book will take your breath away. As Andrew and I read it together, we were both fighting back tears.
This book would be a great resource for anyone, adult or child, who has lost a loved one. And for those with curious kids who ask questions about death and heaven? It has started many conversations with our girls (ages 4 and 6) about the way God cares for us here and the promise of heaven.
Author Interview with Anne Riley
We are so thankful to Anne Riley for taking a few minutes to chat with us about her journey writing this book:
helloHOPE: Tell us a little about yourself, maybe something most people don't know.
Anne Riley: I was born and raised in Birmingham, AL, and have lived there my entire life except for when I went to college in Tuscaloosa and did a semester abroad in Madrid, Spain. I am fluent in Spanish and taught high school Spanish for 10 years before transitioning to my current career in digital marketing.
I have been married to my husband, Rob, since June 2008, and we have 3 little girls -- ages 6, 4, and 10 months.
I'm a published author of two young adult novels, Pull and Shadows of the Hidden, and my children's book, Voyage to the Star Kingdom. I am working on a new children's series (funny and lighthearted) that I hope to have published one day!
One thing most people don't know about me is that I can say the alphabet backwards just as fast as I can say it forwards. I'm also really good at hanging things on walls without using a measuring tape or a level. Those are both marketable skills, right? :)
HH: What was your favorite childhood book?
AR: So, I kind of scarred myself early on by reading my older sister's copy of Lord of the Flies when I was in 3rd grade. That was a poor choice. But once I recovered, I got majorly into Madeleine L'Engle books. A Wrinkle in Time is my all-time favorite, and it was the book that got me truly obsessed with reading.
HH: What inspired you to write Voyage to the Star Kingdom?
AR: The story was inspired by a real-life family. Two of their three young daughters were diagnosed with a terminal brain disease in the fall of 2014. Like everyone else, I found myself flailing for some way to help. There was no treatment at the time, and no cure (there is still no cure, although the youngest has now entered a clinical trial for an experimental treatment that is supposed to halt the disease's progression). So one day, as I was sitting in church, I remember begging God to give me some way to help. And in that soft, strange way he has, I sort of heard (felt?) him say to me, "You're a storyteller, my love. Tell their story." And so I decided that, whatever that looked like, I would do it. But I would write their WHOLE story -- the part here on earth, but also the bigger part in eternity.
HH: How did you come up with the ideas for the characters sent by the Star King?
AR: I don't remember, really. Amy (the illustrator) provided the great majority of the plot elements, and I think the Angelfish and Luna moths were her idea; I think the owl carrying the bucket was mine, and maybe also the fireflies. Regardless, it was definitely a collaboration, with the majority of the basic elements coming from her very artistic mind.
We wanted to use animals that the girls' parents would see in real life and remember the hope of their story. So for example, whenever they see a Luna moth, our hope is that they remember how the Luna moth was a gift from the King that covered the family in the story.
HH: How much did you collaborate with the illustrator?
AR: A lot! Like I said before, Amy came up with most of the story elements. One way to look at it would be that she was the architect and I was the engineer -- most of the ideas were hers, and then I put them all together, added an element or two of my own, and made them all work together properly.
HH: Who did you write Voyage to the Star Kingdom for?
AR: The book is about the Gieselmann family of Memphis, TN. But the book is written for anyone who has ever lost a child, or lost a loved one at all, or someone who just needs to hear truth and hope.
HH: What did the writing process look like for this book? Were there any scenes that were especially difficult to write?
AR: The book was very difficult to write in spite of its hopefulness because we were writing about our dear friends, and we were looking toward the point in time when the Angelfish would ask them to place their daughters in that little boat. It's an absolutely heart-wrenching story because it does not shy away from the family's grief (which we were very intentional about –– neither Amy nor I wanted a fluffy story that skirted around what was really happening), although it's beautiful at the same time. There was not a single instance that I worked on that story when I didn't weep over it. To this day, more than a year after we started the process, I can't read it without crying.
HH: What did you learn while writing this book?
AR: I learned so much about God. To go into all of it would require much more time than either of us has, but He spoke to me so much as I wrote this story. I have said from the beginning that the Holy Spirit wrote this book, and Amy and I were just vehicles for it. I believe that with all my heart.
HH: Have you heard any particularly impacting stories of families helped by the book?
AR: Dozens. :) It's humbling and inspiring to see how God has used this story to reach so many hurting hearts.
HH: Anything else you'd like to share?
AR: The middle daughter from the story, Milla, went to be with the Star King this past November. She had just turned 6. I was honored to attend her funeral, and it was simply amazing to see how many lives that little girl had touched. They called her "Mighty Milla," and she certainly lived up to that name. As I mentioned before, her little sister, Elle, began a clinical trial for a treatment to hopefully slow or stop the progression of the disease (Batten disease). This was not an option when we wrote the book, so we are looking with hope into the future and praying that God will allow this treatment to work, if that is His plan.
HH: Where can our readers keep up with you online?
AR: I have a very neglected blog at annerileybooks.com, and there is other information there too, like my other books and who I am. I'm on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The illustrator, Amy Grimes, can be found at http://storypaintings.net/.
Additionally, people can keep up with the Gieselmanns on their blog. Dana, the mother of the 3 girls, writes there most of the time, with one or two blogs by her husband. You will find Jesus in her words.
We are so grateful to Anne for taking the time to share with us. If you are searching for children’s books about death, this one will inspire you to love deeply and find hope in the promise of heaven. We hope you will check out Voyage to the Star Kingdom and share it with those around you!
If you are dealing with the grief of losing a child, you may also want to check out one of these inspiring stories of families who have also walked that road: