The Invisible Leash: An Invisible String Story About the Loss of a Pet

by Patrice Karst, Joanne Lew-Vriethoff (Illustrator)

Overview

From the author of the million-copy-bestselling picture book phenomenon The Invisible String comes a moving companion title about coping with grief when a pet dies.

"When our pets aren't with us anymore, an Invisible Leash connects our hearts to each other. Forever." That's what Zack's friend Emily tells him after his dog dies. Zack doesn't believe it. He only believes in what he can see. But on an enlightening journey through their neighborhood—and through his grief—he comes to feel the comforting tug of the Invisible Leash. And it feels like love.

Accompanied by tender, uplifting art by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff, bestselling author Patrice Karst's gentle story uses the same bonding technique from her classic book The Invisible String to help readers through the experience of the loss of a beloved animal.

Read all the books in The Invisible String series:
The Invisible String Backpack: Your very own tool kit for school—and life!
The Invisible String Workbook: Creative Activities to Comfort, Calm, and Connect
The Invisible Leash: An Invisible String Story About the Loss of a Pet​
The Invisible Web: An Invisible String Story Celebrating Love and Universal Connection
You Are Never Alone: An Invisible String Lullaby

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316524858
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	12/03/2019
Series:	Invisible String Series , #3
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	142,518
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Patrice Karst is the bestselling author of The Invisible String, The Invisible Leash, The Invisible Web, You Are Never Alone: An Invisible String Lullaby, and co-author of The Invisible String Workbook. She has also written The Smile That Went Around the World. Patrice is passionate about spreading her message of love across the planet. Born in London, England, she now lives in Southern California, and is the mother of one grown son. She invites you to visit her online at patricekarst.com.

Joanne Lew-Vriethoff is the acclaimed illustrator of many children's books, including the new edition of The Invisible String, The Invisible Leash, The Invisible Web, You Are Never Alone: An Invisible String Lullaby, and the Invisible String Workbook, as well as Stacy McAnulty's Beautiful and Brave. Born in Malaysia, she grew up in Los Angeles, studied at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, and now lives in Amsterdam. Her website is joannelewvriethoff.com.

Editorial Reviews

10/14/2019

In this follow-up to The Invisible String, heavy-hearted Zack can’t stop thinking about his dog, Jojo, who has just died. His parents try to offer comfort but only frustrate Zack, who struggles to process his feelings. When he confides his sorrow in his friend Emily, she blithely relays “the very best news ever”: “When our pets aren’t here anymore, an Invisible Leash connects our hearts to each other. Forever.” Irritated, Zack retorts, “I only believe in things I see.” After a day of Emily’s evangelizing, Zack feels Jojo’s presence under the gaze of a full moon. Karst’s gentle narrative guides the friends through their shared experience, and Lew-Vriethoff’s digitally rendered, loose-feeling illustrations expertly depict the wide range of emotions therein. An opaque Jojo is depicted in each spread, a constant participant. An empathy-driven resource for children reckoning with the loss of a pet. Ages 4–8. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

12/01/2019

K-Gr 2—This companion to the best-selling The Invisible String addresses coping with a death of a pet. Zack, an elementary school kid, deeply mourns the loss of his dog Jojo, whose ghostly form is pictured on nearly every page. Though his parents and his friend Emily try to cheer him up, Zack is angry and inconsolable. When Emily finds out why Zack is sad, she tells him that she grieved her cat Rexie but felt better when she learned there are invisible leashes connecting the departed pets' hearts "in the beyond" to their owners. Rexie also appears as a ghostly feline, connected to Emily with a red leash. Dubious, Zack questions Emily as to how her cat could have a leash, but she expounds at great length that all pets, not just dogs, have invisible leashes and that seeing is not believing. Ultimately convinced, Zack goes to sleep happy, feeling connected to his departed dog. Lew-Vriethoff's cartoon illustrations lighten the dark mood with bright colors while still conveying the heartfelt emotions of the protagonist. Unfortunately, their impact is lessened by the verbose text that tends to overexplain otherwise well-intentioned ideas. VERDICT This title will likely appeal to the pet-owning fans of The Invisible String and will find a place in collections in need of pet loss books.—Yelena Voysey, formerly at Pickering Educational Library, Boston University

School Library Journal

2019-08-26
This book aims to help young children cope with the loss of a pet.

Zack's dog, Jojo, aged, fell sick, and died; this weekend will be Zack's first without him. Despite his parents' best efforts to make Zack feel better—they buy him a cupcake and promise to adopt a new dog soon—he is sad and angry. The stages of grief are clearly written and illustrated throughout the book, with ghost Jojo appearing on most pages to watch over Zack, who is clearly in pain. When his friend Emily, whose cat died recently, sees him crying, she tells him that the pets aren't actually gone forever because there is an "Invisible Leash" that connects their hearts after the pets go to the place "beyond." Zack is understandably skeptical, but Emily insists that just because he can't see the Leash doesn't mean it isn't there, and if he tries, he will be able to feel it. Emily does her best to convince Zack, and here the writing gets repetitive, until he finally believes and is able to sleep knowing Jojo is always with him. Zack is biracial—his dad is black and his mom is white—and Emily appears white. This is the author and illustrator's The Invisible String (2018) for pets, so readers will not find anything new here. Still, some pet parents might find this helpful for grieving children.

Repetitive—but a potential resource. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews

"I absolutely love The Invisible Leash. I am a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Veterinarian, [and this book] helps children cope with the loss of a pet by focusing on love and connection."

—Dr. Erica Dickie, Black Creek Mobile Veterinary Services

"A wonderful way for children of all ages to conceptualize where their pets are and take comfort in the idea that they are still very attached and will be for life."

—Rita Drake, Veterinary Aftercare Services

"A unique way of helping readers cope. I highly recommend this book be available in shelters, pet stores, veterinary clinics, and grief counseling meetings."

—Stacy Dietrich, RVT, BOE, veterinarian

"A truly wondrous book for all ages [that offers] much love and reassurance that...the love between yourself and your animals creates a bond that can never be broken."

—Carrie Ball, Pet Bereavement Support Network

"Will likely appeal to the pet-owning fans of The Invisible String and will find a place in collections in need of pet loss books."—School Library Journal

"An empathy-driven resource for children reckoning with the loss of a pet."—Publishers Weekly

"The stages of grief are clearly written and illustrated...helpful for grieving children."—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Invisible String:

Over 1.5 MILLION copies sold!
A USA Today Bestseller
An Amazon Bestseller
A Publishers Weekly Bestseller

“A wonderful storybook for children experiencing separation anxiety.” —Today’s Parent

“It’s the most beautiful, beautiful book, and it actually makes me cry every time.” —Sara Haines, ABC’s The View

“Unravel some of the complexities of grief for young children with this bestselling book.” —CNN Underscored

“Delivers a particularly compelling message in today’s uncertain times that though we may be separated from the ones we care for, love is the unending connection that binds us all.” —The American Academy of Pediatrics

“A wonderful way of describing that while someone dies, love never dies.” —The Washington Post

"This book is a beautiful way to begin to try, as parents, to instill in children the impenetrable power of the heart, the energy of love, and the flow that can be felt from the grace in every moment." —Tony Robbins

From the Publisher