Lost But Found: A Boy's Journey of Grief and Recovery by by Lauren Persons (Author), Noah Hrbek (Illustrator) {Children's Book Review}

Read our review of Lost But Found, a short, rhyming read for children, that will open the door to a child’s curiosity on the loss of a loved one.

Disclosure: I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books, I have volunteered to share my review and all the opinions are 100% my own.

Lost But Found: A Boy’s Story of Grief and Recovery deals with one of the toughest issues a parent may ever have to face–explaining to a child that a loved one has died. Often, to protect them, children are left out of the grieving process. This book allows adults to travel with a young boy as he works to make sense of his loss–and, in turn, their own.

I wrote this book to allow children to ask questions, and talk about their fears and feelings. What I have found is that often children have better insights on these hard life questions than the adults in the room!

Reviews for Lost But Found: A Boy’s Story of Grief and Recovery

“The endearing simplicity and musicality of Lauren’s words burst with unspoken emotion, leaving room for every child’s experience. Noah’s illustrations portray tender human contact, comforting young readers and the families who love them.”
— Pegi Deitz Shea, award-winning children’s book author

“Lost But Found is a sweet book with beautiful pictures that tackles grief at a developmental level for a very young child. The ambiguous term “to lose” somebody is demystified, as a young boy comes to understand what happened to his father, and how their connection lives on.”
— Laurie Zelinger, PhD, ABPP, RPT-S, Board Certified Psychologist and author, former Director of New York Association for Play Therapy

“Lost But Found is a brief story that faces a difficult and important topic–the loss of a parent. The story provides a two-pronged approach a caregiver can use as a starting point to approach this delicate topic with a child: a sense of perspective and hope for the future, and the idea that we, as children, can find “pieces” of our parents around us and inside us. I appreciate the incentive to reflect on and remember who the lost parent was and how he lives on through his child.”
— Isabella Cassina, MA, TP-S, CAGS, PhD Student, Project Manager, Trainer and Continuing Education Program Administrator (CEPA), INA International Academy for Play Therapy studies and PsychoSocial Projects

“The story of Lost But Found is written to help children understand the loss of a loved one. It is never easy to talk with a child about this subject, and the author provides a tender, truthful and believable story. It is written from the heart and will serve as a conversation starter in assisting a child’s understanding of the grieving process. In addition, the beautiful illustrations provide the reader a sense that they are embraced and one with the story. I highly recommend this book for children and adults.”
— Linda Cohen, Elementary School Principal

“At any age, understanding death is confusing and complex. It is especially so for children. In Lost But Found, author Lauren Persons gently removes some of the mystery around loss and invites children into a comforting conversation around lasting belonging and hope. Illustrations by Noah Hrbek enrich this tender and much-needed children’s book.”
— Holli Kenley, author of Power Down & Parent Up and Pilates For Parenting

“Knowing Lauren Persons for over 20 years (and happily counting) this children’s book reflects a genuine heart full of emotion and love. If all people faced with difficulties had the courage and the dignity and the grace that Lauren Persons has, our world would be a better place for our children to live.”
–John Mascia, elementary school teacher

“With simple, accessible words and drawings, Lost But Found perfectly captures the experience of loss, and the power of memory and love.”
— Amy N. Ship

Available to buy from…
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk GPlay Barnes and Noble Paperback Hardback Audible

Also available in audio!

Enjoy these beautiful excerpts…

This book is cute, short, easy to read, rhymes, and has super cute illustrations.

The story follows a little boy who lost his dad, but not in the store or under a rock. It goes on that while he is lost, he is there. The boy finds him around him.

The storyline is cute, but I expected so much more from the story. I was really hoping it would go a little deeper into how he was feeling, how it was explained to him that his dad was gone, maybe even mentioned some questions a child (or that particular child) may have had.

That is not to say it is not a good book (I’m just someone who wants immediate answers to all of life’s problems at the tip of my fingers!) Rather than providing me with the answers, I feel like the book opens up a channel of communication for a conversation to be had with the child. It creates a path for a child to ask questions or to share how they are feeling.

I think it is an excellent book to have for kids, especially when there is a loss of a loved one, that will allow them to explore their feelings, their thoughts, and hopefully open a conversation for them with someone they trust. I feel like the type of conversation this book could start would be quite healing and helpful to a child of any age who has experienced loss. Definitely a great resource for parents to keep in their arsenal!

Lauren Persons and Noah Hrbek
I did not start talking until I was two, and once I started talking, I never stopped. Making up for lost time, I had much to say with great gusto. For my verbal skills, the title, Sarah Bernhardt, the famous French actress, was bestowed on me by my family. From that time on, I played many roles, on and off stage-actor, newspaper columnist, teacher, writer, drama coach, director, playwright, wife, mother. Of all the parts I have had a chance to play, the role of grandmother is the best. This role puts me front and center to write, create characters, tell stories and act!