It’s Still OK to Laugh
It’s Still OK to Laugh is a comforting picture book for children experiencing grief or loss. Through warm language and tender illustrations, this story helps kids understand that it is okay to cry, and it is also okay to laugh and feel joy again. Feelings can mix together, and that does not mean we loved any less.
Perfect for families, teachers, school counselors, child therapists, and anyone supporting a child through the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a big loss. This book gently encourages open conversation and emotional expression.
About the Author:
Julie Devaney Hogan is a Boston-born-and-raised start-up executive turned children’s author and essayist. While leading teams in fast-growing tech companies and raising three young children, Julie was diagnosed with breast cancer. During that time, she noticed many books about grief focused on the sadness and the tears, but not the laughter that still shows up in the middle of everything. When she could not find a story that gave children permission to feel both, she wrote one. Julie’s essays have been featured in Newsweek and TODAY. She loves the ocean, the outdoors, the love of her life Dave, and spending every possible minute enjoying life with her friends and family.
A note from the Author:
As a mother living with stage 4 advanced breast and brain cancer, so frequently your kids are told it’s ok to cry, but rarely are they told it’s also still ok to find laughter, joy and humor. I am dying, and my biggest fear is my kids won’t know how to navigate grief and joy – so I wrote this book for my family, and to help other families with young kids who might be looking for permission to laugh again, even with heavy grief.
This book gets right to the point the regardless of the type of loss you’ve had (your parent, a friend, a pet) – you are still allowed to find joy and laughter in life. We infrequently say these things directly, especially given the cultural norms of how we are “supposed to grieve.” Coming from a traditional Boston-born-and-raised Irish/Italian family, grief in our home was often 1. don’t talk about it 2. after the funeral, we must move on. I want to be a cycle breaker as I anticipate my own death and prepare for how I want my kids cared for.
