After Badgers death, his friends come to realise how their lives were enriched by his friendship and over time memories of him will only be good ones without the feeling of sadness. What my dad taught me amounts to more than skills, all because a relationship of love and encouragement was transferred with those teachings.

The Book is about a Badger who knows that he is close to the end of his life but he is not scared about dying. First published in 1984, Badger’s Parting Gifts tells the story of a dying badger and his wonderful friends that he would leave behind.

One of the closing paragraphs says that "whenever Badger's name was mentioned, someone remembered another story that made them all smile. Their grief seems endless to them and never ending, until they begin to remember all the great memories they have of their time with Badger. Sometimes, we adults need to be creative in helping children understand the complexity of Life and Death.

A suggested lesson idea may involve the class teacher initially reading the story to the class of children and then discussing the themes that are explored in the book through a circle time approach. Facebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.As Badger's friends remember all the things he taught them, I was reminded of everything my dad taught me. Badger's Parting Gifts is a wonderfully laid out book which deals with bereavement in such a way that it is easily understood by children. I think this is a really lovely book to help children begin to cope with any losses they may have had. However in time they remember the valuable moments they spent with Badger and the pain begins to be surpassed by fond memories.

The story then continues to explore the ideas behind how Badger’s friends come to terms with the loss of a dear friend. A good way of reminding people that when you lose someone, it is important to remember the good times we had with them. The lead up to the Long Tunnel is marvellously told as Badger watches two young friends, Mole and Frog, frollicking about and he remembers when he was able to do just that. However the dated appearance of the book seems to award it weight and authority on the issues it confronts so tenderly.

He carries on running with no difficulty and when he falls head over paws there is no pain and he feels free. Initially Badgers friends are extremely upset and distraught by his loss but as time passes by they realise that it’s better to focus on the happy memories that they shared together. It is suitable for KS1 and lower KS2 classes and would be an excellent resource to use during circle-time. This is a poignant and touching story about a Badger who is very old and has accepted that he will soon die.