“The Invisible String” by Patrice Karst

“The Invisible String” by Patrice Karst addresses the issue of separation by reassuring children that even though they can’t always physically be with their loved ones, there is an invisible string always connecting them to the people they love, even from afar. 

The story begins with twins Jeremy and Liza being awakened by a thunderstorm and running to their mom for comfort. Mom tells Jeremy and Liza to go back to bed, and they protest, telling her they want to stay with her. Mom responds, “You know we’re always together, no matter what.” Liza asks how they can be together when Mom is out in the living room and they are in bed. And that’s when Mom tells the twins about the “invisible string.” 

“Even though you can’t see it with your eyes, you can feel it with your heart and know that you are always connected to everyone you love,” Mom says. She tells the twins that whenever they are missing her, their love travels along the string, and she feels it tug on her heart, the same way they feel it in their hearts when she tugs back.

Credit: gatheringbooks.org

“The Invisible String” is a great tool for beginning conversations about death and for children who are dealing with loss — a gentle, comforting way to conceptualize the continued presence in our lives of loved ones who have passed away. Mom tells Liza and Jeremy that the string reaches anywhere and everywhere. She assures Jeremy that the string would reach him even if he were an astronaut in space, and tells Liza that the string would reach her even if she were a ballerina in France. She also reassures both children that the string reaches all the way to Uncle Brian in Heaven.

Patrice Karst wrote “The Invisible String” for her son Elijah to comfort him when he began preschool and was experiencing separation anxiety. Since then it’s become a best-selling children’s book and an acclaimed tool for helping children deal with loss.