The Garden of Lost Balls: A Children’s Picture Book That Helps Kids Cope With Losing a Beloved Item, Pet, or a Person-in a Sensitive, Gentle, and Moving Way

One day, as Anna plays with her big, shiny blue ball, it bounces away into the street and disappears.
Anna is sad that her ball is gone, but her mother calms her down and tells her about The Garden of Lost Balls.

The Garden of Lost Balls, indirectly and sensitively, discusses the issue of loss and saying goodbye. It can be challenging for parents to explain that to their children, since kids often find it difficult to understand. While this story is mostly about “losing” a beloved ball-it opens a discussion beyond that, including an honest dialogue about the cycle of life and death.

With The Garden of Lost Balls, children will learn about loss in a unique, colorful, and age-appropriate way. Using approachable and sensitive language, the book helps parents and teachers talk to children about this subject.

The Garden of Lost Balls is Carmit Rachel Swed’s first children’s book. Carmit is a lawyer, a mother of a 3-year-old girl named Emma, and has a lot of experience in personal empowerment and development.

Having experience loss at an early age, this subject is very dear to Carmit, and could serve as a useful communication tool between parents and their children. This tool allows any child to gain a sense of self-confidence and learn about the world without being afraid.

Licensed social worker Inbar Foyershtein is a family, couples, and individual therapist. She is a trauma expert who has worked in the health system for over a decade. Foyershtein served as the book’s professional consultant, and at the end of the book, she explains how and why you should talk to your child about loss.