Where are you Lydie?
It’s Lydie’s birthday today but she’s not here.
In this honest and heartfelt story two brothers go on an emotional journey to find a way to connect with their baby sister.
A true and uplifting story for young children about love, loss and hope.
Featured in…
About Emma Poore, Author and Illustrator
In 2010 when we left hospital without our daughter and only a handful of baby loss leaflets to hand, as parents we struggled to find anything suitable to read with our 3 year old son. There were a few books that vaguely touched on “death” but they didn’t address the death of a baby. We desperately needed a picture book that might help him and, in turn, us all as a family. George could not understand where Lydie had gone and why she had left. Could he go and see her in a rocket and take her his favourite teddy bear? Was she cold and lonely? Who would look after her?
SANDS were able to support us in travelling through this unbearable minefield of grief and specifically George’s childhood loss of a sibling, together, as a family.
Three years ago I attended a book writing course. I didn’t go with the intention to write a book for young children about childhood loss but the words just came pouring out. It’s my sincere hope and wish that it might help other children and families who find themselves walking the same path as us.
Recommended by…
“Where Are You Lydie? is a deeply moving and sensitively written picture book that gently opens the door to conversations about loss, love, and remembrance. By centering on the tender perspective of siblings, it provides children with a safe way to process grief while also helping parents and caregivers guide them through emotions that can be difficult to express. Its honesty and warmth make it not just a story, but a resource for healing and connection.
Through beautifully simple language and heartfelt illustrations, this book creates an atmosphere where children can ask questions, feel understood, and discover that it’s okay to carry both sadness and love at the same time. It’s not only about loss, it’s about remembering, honoring, and finding ways to keep a loved one present in heart and memory. That balance of vulnerability and hope makes the story especially powerful for families facing grief.
Where Are You Lydie? stands as more than a children’s book it’s a bridge between generations, a supportive guide for parents and professionals, and a tender reminder that even in loss, love never disappears. Emma Poore has created a story that helps turn silence into conversation, fear into understanding, and grief into hope.
✨ Highlights readers will cherish:
👶 A gentle way to discuss baby and sibling loss with children ages 3–7
📖 A supportive tool for parents, teachers, and grief professionals
💡 Helps answer difficult questions with sensitivity and honesty
🌈 Balances sadness with hope, showing children how love continues
🎨 Beautiful illustrations that invite empathy and connection
This book is not only healing, it’s a gift to families, offering comfort in moments when words are hardest to find.”
Extracts from the book
A review by SANDS
Where are you Lydie? A book about childhood loss and bereavement
“Where are You Lydie?” is a beautifully illustrated exploration of the death of a sibling for children of all ages. The matter of fact conversations which touch on profound issues and then bounce back to “What’s for tea?”, so typical of children, are beautifully captured and provide a safe and inspiring space for children and adults alike to explore bereavement.
Sands is delighted to recommend this special book, which will support families experiencing bereavement of any type and will have an extra special place for those families who have lost a baby before, during or shortly after birth.
— Jen Coates, Director of Bereavement Support, Sands
Download the Sands Bereavement Support Book or the Sands Bereavement Support App on your device, or by visiting www.sands.org.uk/app Find out about other ways Sands offers support at www.sands.org.uk/support
Sands Garden Day Remembrance Event 2022
“A river of pebbles before me, all different, all placed ever so gently, ever so carefully. As I stood there alone I could feel so much love and an enveloping feeling of being held, of standing with so many, in remembrance, in understanding, in stillness.”
“Only angels can come down and spend time on earth so I want Lydie to be an angel.”
