Beyond the Setting Sun
by Sarah J. Dodd, Cee Biscoe (Illustrator)
Lion Hudson Ltd
Lion Children's Books
Pub Date 23 Jul 2021
Lion Hudson Ltd
Lion Children's Books
Pub Date 23 Jul 2021
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Talking about this book? Be sure to tag it using #BeyondtheSettingSun #NetGalley |
Description
A sensitive, beautifully illustrated story about loss and the processes of grief to support young children.
The waterholes of the African Savannah have dried up and there has not been enough to drink for some of the animals. Ekundayo, a young elephant, struggles to understand the loss of his mother, but the support of his family help and guide him through.
Carefully researched about the stages of grief for young children, Sarah J Dodd sensitively portrays this in the response and actions of Ekundayo to help children express and share how they are feeling with those around them. Ekundayo’s aunt and father provide words of understanding, reassurance and comfort, and the message that the love of Ekundayo’s mother shines on, telling of a greater Love that may not see but never goes away and is everywhere.
At the end, Debbie Duncan also provides helpful advice for parents and carers as consider how to talk about death and dying with young children.
A sensitive, beautifully illustrated story about loss and the processes of grief to support young children.
The waterholes of the African Savannah have dried up and there has not been enough to...
Description
A sensitive, beautifully illustrated story about loss and the processes of grief to support young children.
The waterholes of the African Savannah have dried up and there has not been enough to drink for some of the animals. Ekundayo, a young elephant, struggles to understand the loss of his mother, but the support of his family help and guide him through.
Carefully researched about the stages of grief for young children, Sarah J Dodd sensitively portrays this in the response and actions of Ekundayo to help children express and share how they are feeling with those around them. Ekundayo’s aunt and father provide words of understanding, reassurance and comfort, and the message that the love of Ekundayo’s mother shines on, telling of a greater Love that may not see but never goes away and is everywhere.
At the end, Debbie Duncan also provides helpful advice for parents and carers as consider how to talk about death and dying with young children.
Available Editions
EDITION | Paperback |
ISBN | 9780745978437 |
PRICE | US$7.99 (USD) |
Links
Available on NetGalley
NetGalley Shelf App (PDF) |
Download (PDF) |
Featured Reviews

My Recommendation
|
|
What a wonderful book for children dealing with grief. I adore the story and the illustrations. I would love a hard copy of this book. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
Grief is hard to talk about, and this book beautifully talks about it. I like how it also touches on environmental issues. And I'm sure many children would be more careful around animals after reading this cause they'll feel closer to them. I love the illustrations and the colour palette. Great book. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
Beyond the Setting Sun is a beautifully illustrated book which tells the story of a young elephant whose Mother sadly dies. The story is sensitively written in a way that children would understand. It is primarily a children's book but as a 40 year old who lost my Mum 4 years ago I can relate to the young elephants feelings and feel that this book could help both adults and children with their grief. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
This beautiful book is an utter joy. It approaches the difficult subject of parental loss in such a beautiful, engaging way and I can see it becoming a go to book for teachers and those working with young children. My mum who is 87 and has dementia, lost her mum when she was 5 and wasnt told for years what had happened. If only there had been books like this around then. I read it to her and she was visibly touched by the messages of the book and I could see her breathing calmer. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
Such a beautifully sad book that is a great way to show children what grief is after the loss of a parent. Fantastic illustrations too . Great book - would recommend |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
This book deals with the death of a parent, its beautifully done. My heart did break a little for the baby elephant, but it is the circle of life. The illustrations are gorgeous. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
Beyond the Setting Sun is due to be published in July 2021. I received a digital preview copy via NetGalley. In the African Savannah, beautifully portrayed by Biscoe's illustrations, very hot and tired Ekundayo and his mum, along with their herd, search for water to drink. Mum keeps Ekundayo distracted by singing to him. The rains finally arrive, but too late for mum. Ekundayo at first refuses to believe she has died and tries singing to her. As his loss sinks in, Ekundayo refuses help from his aunt and he becomes very sad, angry and frustrated, wandering off on his own. With the support and understanding of his aunt and father, Ekundayo learns to remember his mum through the happy memories and the songs she sang to him, realising her love and influence will always be with him. The end papers are glorious silhouettes of elephants travelling against the backdrop of a stunning evening sky. This is an excellent, sensitive picture book to help support discussions about death, and the emotions surrounding it, with children. There is useful information about grief at the back, as well as some links to support. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
Ohh, this book! It’s so sad but so beautiful. Beyond the Setting Sun follows the grieving process of Ekundayo the elephant after he loses his mother. The language is so simple but so powerful, breaking down our response to loss into something that is easier for a child to process. You can see Ekundayo going through the stages of grieving. This book is definitely essential reading if you need to help a small child through the loss of a loved one. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
A story of the grief of a young elephant losing his mother - a story shared so beautifully and sensitively. This book deals with difficult subject matter through its descriptions of the young elephant's thoughts and feelings but without being overwhelming or dark. Readers also get to see the value of the support of the family when grieving. The illustrations are a pleasure to look at - vibrant yet gentle and so fitting for the tone of the story. I highly recommend this book and hope it will become a book that is found in all school libraries. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
The elephants in this book were absolutely beautiful. It is heartbreaking for the baby elephant to have to experience death. I think it. Gives a great message to kids and they would be able to understand and perhaps feel better about death or the loss of a loved one after reading it, |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
This is a beautifully illustrated book about a young elephant and his mother. It starts by emphasising their loving, special relationship. When the rains stop and the waterhole dries up, there is not enough water to go around and the mother dies from dehydration. It takes a while for the young elephant to realise what his mother's death actually means and explores some of the questions he has. It is a nice story and one which may be useful to read to a child if their pet dies. However, I would not use it with a child who had lost a relative as I don't think it goes deep enough into the complexities of grief. At the waterhole, the young elephant drinks all of the available water, leaving none for his mother. I wonder if children may pick up on this as causing, or at least contributing to the mother's death? It might make an interesting talking point as children often feel guilty when someone dies, wondering if it was their fault. I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
I am in tears as I write this review. This is a sensitive and heartwarming little story about a baby elephant, and his family who help him to accept the death of his mother. It is about deep love, and how support and understanding can help someone to come to terms with, and overcome, grief. The book is very well written and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful. Every parent should read the advice for parents and carers that comes at the end of the book. Truly wonderful – my heart is melting! I’ll be ordering this for my grandchildren. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
A great little read for young learners. It kept mine captivated from the start. Both myself and my children really enjoyed this real. It was a lovely story and I can’t wait to read it to my class when we return to school. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
We all know that elephants are compassionate animals and will mourn and grieve the death of their family members. They have also been known to stay with a dead elephants body for days and weeks at a time. It is no wonder that a book about grief would be so perfectly fitting to these animals. I wasn’t prepared for how emotional this book would make me feel! So incredibly sad within the first few pages and then fantastically uplifted by the last! Ekundayo steps through his grief in many stages, first not believing his mother death, then sadness and anger, confusion and desperation and then with the help of his family a realisation of love and hope. This is an excellently written, emotive and beautiful story. The beautiful illustrations give the elephants such charm. I love the advice for parents and careers and additional resources at the back of the book. Incredibly needed to give the reader information and support. I would recommend this book to schools and libraries providing well being assistance to children and families. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
A very touching story about baby Elephant Ekundayo who due to a drought in Central Africa leads to the Death of his Mother .The Story which is beautifully illustrated by Cee Biscoe shows the various stages of grief a person goes through when there is a death in the family be it a relative or close friend. This Book might help some children , sadly others find death difficult to deal with because Parents don't like to talk about this subject even though it is part of our circle of Life! We watch programmes on TV about Farming & Nature & then afterwards I'm amazed to hear how many people write in & complain that a dead animal was shown , if dealt with forthrightly death is never a hard thing , that person or creature may not be with us physically but they live on in our treasured memories of them , therefore they live eternally within the Circle of Life . Life is not always beautiful it can be hard & even cruel & children need to be told these things so that they can learn how to cope & also how to grow from these things within that circle of life . We are Born ,we live , we die ! #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/c566f42be23a0e25d120e78a3454e2d427c4beee" width="80" height="80" alt="50 Book Reviews" title="50 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>, # Amazon.co.uk, #Waterstones, #Instagram, #FB, #GoodReads, #NetGalley . |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
A story full of love and the bond between mother and child. A gentle way to help children understand death and grief. This is undoubtedly a sad story, but it is filled with compassion and hope going forwards. It is heart-breaking when little Ekundayo doesn’t understand that his mother has died, he thinks she will soon wake up. However, at his mother’s funeral he realises that this won’t happen and begins to cry. We see Ekundayo’s emotions of denial, sadness, disengagement, and anger through the story. With the support of his Aunt and his Poppa they help him to remember his Momma and the special song she used to sing when he was sad, which brings happiness and hope back for Ekundayo. Extremely cute illustrations throughout, and a lovely section at the end with tips about how to discuss death and grief with children and further resources available. Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
So beautiful!!! Even though my children are yet to experience loss they still enjoyed this and it allowed us to have natural conversations that will hopefully leave a blueprint in their little minds |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
Good grief! This had me in tears at a few points throughout the book. I had to stop to compose myself before I could carry on. This is a very emotional book, but that is a good thing because this book is all about emotions and tackling the concepts of death and grief with young children. It relays death and grief in a way young children can understand and relate to. I really like the tips and support for parents and carers at the end of the book. It is thoughtful and supportive for those who may purchase this in the event of a death in the family. I really liked that they used elephants in this story. Elephants are well-known for mourning their dead and visiting the bodies and bones of dead relatives, something akin to humans. |
My Recommendation
|
Additional Information
Available Editions
EDITION | Paperback |
ISBN | 9780745978437 |
PRICE | US$7.99 (USD) |
Links
Available on NetGalley
NetGalley Shelf App (PDF) |
Download (PDF) |
Featured Reviews

My Recommendation
|
|
What a wonderful book for children dealing with grief. I adore the story and the illustrations. I would love a hard copy of this book. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
Grief is hard to talk about, and this book beautifully talks about it. I like how it also touches on environmental issues. And I'm sure many children would be more careful around animals after reading this cause they'll feel closer to them. I love the illustrations and the colour palette. Great book. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
Beyond the Setting Sun is a beautifully illustrated book which tells the story of a young elephant whose Mother sadly dies. The story is sensitively written in a way that children would understand. It is primarily a children's book but as a 40 year old who lost my Mum 4 years ago I can relate to the young elephants feelings and feel that this book could help both adults and children with their grief. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
This beautiful book is an utter joy. It approaches the difficult subject of parental loss in such a beautiful, engaging way and I can see it becoming a go to book for teachers and those working with young children. My mum who is 87 and has dementia, lost her mum when she was 5 and wasnt told for years what had happened. If only there had been books like this around then. I read it to her and she was visibly touched by the messages of the book and I could see her breathing calmer. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
Such a beautifully sad book that is a great way to show children what grief is after the loss of a parent. Fantastic illustrations too . Great book - would recommend |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
This book deals with the death of a parent, its beautifully done. My heart did break a little for the baby elephant, but it is the circle of life. The illustrations are gorgeous. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
Beyond the Setting Sun is due to be published in July 2021. I received a digital preview copy via NetGalley. In the African Savannah, beautifully portrayed by Biscoe's illustrations, very hot and tired Ekundayo and his mum, along with their herd, search for water to drink. Mum keeps Ekundayo distracted by singing to him. The rains finally arrive, but too late for mum. Ekundayo at first refuses to believe she has died and tries singing to her. As his loss sinks in, Ekundayo refuses help from his aunt and he becomes very sad, angry and frustrated, wandering off on his own. With the support and understanding of his aunt and father, Ekundayo learns to remember his mum through the happy memories and the songs she sang to him, realising her love and influence will always be with him. The end papers are glorious silhouettes of elephants travelling against the backdrop of a stunning evening sky. This is an excellent, sensitive picture book to help support discussions about death, and the emotions surrounding it, with children. There is useful information about grief at the back, as well as some links to support. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
Ohh, this book! It’s so sad but so beautiful. Beyond the Setting Sun follows the grieving process of Ekundayo the elephant after he loses his mother. The language is so simple but so powerful, breaking down our response to loss into something that is easier for a child to process. You can see Ekundayo going through the stages of grieving. This book is definitely essential reading if you need to help a small child through the loss of a loved one. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
A story of the grief of a young elephant losing his mother - a story shared so beautifully and sensitively. This book deals with difficult subject matter through its descriptions of the young elephant's thoughts and feelings but without being overwhelming or dark. Readers also get to see the value of the support of the family when grieving. The illustrations are a pleasure to look at - vibrant yet gentle and so fitting for the tone of the story. I highly recommend this book and hope it will become a book that is found in all school libraries. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
The elephants in this book were absolutely beautiful. It is heartbreaking for the baby elephant to have to experience death. I think it. Gives a great message to kids and they would be able to understand and perhaps feel better about death or the loss of a loved one after reading it, |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
This is a beautifully illustrated book about a young elephant and his mother. It starts by emphasising their loving, special relationship. When the rains stop and the waterhole dries up, there is not enough water to go around and the mother dies from dehydration. It takes a while for the young elephant to realise what his mother's death actually means and explores some of the questions he has. It is a nice story and one which may be useful to read to a child if their pet dies. However, I would not use it with a child who had lost a relative as I don't think it goes deep enough into the complexities of grief. At the waterhole, the young elephant drinks all of the available water, leaving none for his mother. I wonder if children may pick up on this as causing, or at least contributing to the mother's death? It might make an interesting talking point as children often feel guilty when someone dies, wondering if it was their fault. I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
I am in tears as I write this review. This is a sensitive and heartwarming little story about a baby elephant, and his family who help him to accept the death of his mother. It is about deep love, and how support and understanding can help someone to come to terms with, and overcome, grief. The book is very well written and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful. Every parent should read the advice for parents and carers that comes at the end of the book. Truly wonderful – my heart is melting! I’ll be ordering this for my grandchildren. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
A great little read for young learners. It kept mine captivated from the start. Both myself and my children really enjoyed this real. It was a lovely story and I can’t wait to read it to my class when we return to school. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
We all know that elephants are compassionate animals and will mourn and grieve the death of their family members. They have also been known to stay with a dead elephants body for days and weeks at a time. It is no wonder that a book about grief would be so perfectly fitting to these animals. I wasn’t prepared for how emotional this book would make me feel! So incredibly sad within the first few pages and then fantastically uplifted by the last! Ekundayo steps through his grief in many stages, first not believing his mother death, then sadness and anger, confusion and desperation and then with the help of his family a realisation of love and hope. This is an excellently written, emotive and beautiful story. The beautiful illustrations give the elephants such charm. I love the advice for parents and careers and additional resources at the back of the book. Incredibly needed to give the reader information and support. I would recommend this book to schools and libraries providing well being assistance to children and families. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
A very touching story about baby Elephant Ekundayo who due to a drought in Central Africa leads to the Death of his Mother .The Story which is beautifully illustrated by Cee Biscoe shows the various stages of grief a person goes through when there is a death in the family be it a relative or close friend. This Book might help some children , sadly others find death difficult to deal with because Parents don't like to talk about this subject even though it is part of our circle of Life! We watch programmes on TV about Farming & Nature & then afterwards I'm amazed to hear how many people write in & complain that a dead animal was shown , if dealt with forthrightly death is never a hard thing , that person or creature may not be with us physically but they live on in our treasured memories of them , therefore they live eternally within the Circle of Life . Life is not always beautiful it can be hard & even cruel & children need to be told these things so that they can learn how to cope & also how to grow from these things within that circle of life . We are Born ,we live , we die ! #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/c566f42be23a0e25d120e78a3454e2d427c4beee" width="80" height="80" alt="50 Book Reviews" title="50 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>, # Amazon.co.uk, #Waterstones, #Instagram, #FB, #GoodReads, #NetGalley . |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
A story full of love and the bond between mother and child. A gentle way to help children understand death and grief. This is undoubtedly a sad story, but it is filled with compassion and hope going forwards. It is heart-breaking when little Ekundayo doesn’t understand that his mother has died, he thinks she will soon wake up. However, at his mother’s funeral he realises that this won’t happen and begins to cry. We see Ekundayo’s emotions of denial, sadness, disengagement, and anger through the story. With the support of his Aunt and his Poppa they help him to remember his Momma and the special song she used to sing when he was sad, which brings happiness and hope back for Ekundayo. Extremely cute illustrations throughout, and a lovely section at the end with tips about how to discuss death and grief with children and further resources available. Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc. |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
So beautiful!!! Even though my children are yet to experience loss they still enjoyed this and it allowed us to have natural conversations that will hopefully leave a blueprint in their little minds |
My Recommendation
|

My Recommendation
|
|
Good grief! This had me in tears at a few points throughout the book. I had to stop to compose myself before I could carry on. This is a very emotional book, but that is a good thing because this book is all about emotions and tackling the concepts of death and grief with young children. It relays death and grief in a way young children can understand and relate to. I really like the tips and support for parents and carers at the end of the book. It is thoughtful and supportive for those who may purchase this in the event of a death in the family. I really liked that they used elephants in this story. Elephants are well-known for mourning their dead and visiting the bodies and bones of dead relatives, something akin to humans. |
My Recommendation
|