All Shining in the Spring: The Story of a Baby who Died

A book to help children and families cope with the loss of a baby.

Children's Book Council: Spring 2024 Showcase: Reading List: Transformation

Matthew is excited about the new baby. But then, one day, something very sad happens. The doctor tells Matthew's mother that her baby isn't growing properly and it won't be strong enough to live outside her body.

Matthew and his mother and father will always remember their baby. But as time goes by, they will not feel sad so often.

The author wrote this story based on her own experience, to help her son cope with the loss of a baby. This child-centred book is intended to help children and families who experience miscarriage, stillbirth, perinatal death or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

A new edition of the first published book by Siobhán Parkinson, who later became Ireland's first Laureate na nÓg (Children's Laureate). It was writing this book that Parkinson found her voice as a children's writer, a gift she credits to the baby she lost all those years ago.