A stopwatch from Grampa
(Book)

A sensitive portrayal of loss and grief, told through a grandchild's inheritance of a stopwatch that belonged to Grampa. In this touching debut picture book about the loss of a beloved grandfather, author Loretta Garbutt explores the stages of grief with a delicate hand. The story opens with our narrator inheriting a stopwatch. For the grandchild, the object carries many cherished memories. "Grampa used to time everything. He timed me when I ran to the end of our street and back. Best speed, 24 seconds." As the year passes, and the seasons change, our narrator slowly moves through the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance). At first, the stopwatch is a painful reminder of Grampa. But in time, our character finds a special way to honor Grampa and carry forward his traditions.