The Heaven of Animals

Heaven for Animals is a beautiful, comforting read for anyone who has loved and lost a beloved pet. It’s tender without being overly sentimental, spiritual without being heavy-handed, and filled with the kind of hope that truly soothes a grieving heart. This book gently imagines a place where our animal companions are safe, loved, and at peace—just as we’d want them to be. For me, it brought tears, smiles, and a sense of quiet comfort I didn’t even know I needed. It makes an incredibly thoughtful gift for a friend or loved one going through the heartbreak of losing a furry family member. It says, I see your grief, and I’m holding it with you, in the most loving way. If you’re not sure what words to offer after a pet passes, let this book speak for you. It’s a small but powerful gesture that says they mattered—and they’re not forgotten.

Sweet book we got for our children to help them with the loss of our pet. Highly recommend this book and all the other books by this author, for that matter. Her messages and themes are so well woven into the words on each page that each page serves as its own beautiful moment within the story. The book makes something so abstract into something more tangible and calming for kids to understand. Our kids really resonated with this book and still reference it when we talk about what our pets are doing up in heaven. Always a bonus and what I love about her books- the illustrations are beautiful and calming as well.

I have loved Nancy Tillman’s books for many years, so when I saw this book I knew I would love it. We had two pets die in one week, and it was very emotional. This book was like balm to our souls, just a beautiful way to think about our sweet pets and the life they are hopefully living now. The illustrations are gorgeous and the words are so comforting. One thing to note is that it focuses on dogs and cats, so would not be as relevant if you lost a different type of animal.

I have given this twice to friends who have lost a dog. It is such a sweet and moving book. Anyone who has lost a pet will enjoy this book. It has wonderful illustrations and is written very nicely. I love Nancy Tillman books. I highly recommend for anyone who has lost a pet or as a gift.

Having lost a beloved pet recently, I've searched and researched books about pet loss. Either they are more religious than I would like, or they're trying to sell you an idea or belief in pet mediums, reincarnation, etc. I'm not knocking those books or author/mediums, but none seem to discuss what really happens after the pet leaves us. The titles of the books lead you to believe that, but fall short, discussing more of the "belief" that they crossed over, NOT what was on the other side, etc. In my heart, I know my boy crossed over. I want more info on what happened to him once he arrived there. I find the children's books written (Dog Heaven -- I was given from the oncology dept. with a pix of my baby and the staff's sentiments), did more to support my grief and my yearning to know what my boy's up to. This book, The Heaven of Animals also helped me feel that my boy is okay without me for the time being. Some readers didn't like the images of children portraying angels. To me, that wasn't the major focus of this book. The focus is that our fur children are safe, loved, and having a good time; that they're not alone, but waiting until they see us again. Knowing that, has helped some for the deep emptiness I have, and the knowledge that I MUST find another fur baby to keep me sane at some future date, but also knowing, I WILL see my much loved baby again. I hope this book will give readers some comfort, as it did me.

Beautiful book. Wife loved it.

One of our dogs recently passed at age 14 and we have two young kids (4 and 2). We needed help explaining it to them, especially because we were so sad. I love this author for the beautiful illustrations and easy cadence of the story. I highly recommend this for kids and adults who lose a pet family member.

We LOVE Nancy Tilmen. We own and enjoy many of her books. As a parent, I think she is my favorite young children’s book author. So when we recently lost our 12 yr old family cat (Sausage Paws), and help our two young children (2 & 5) navigate the grieving process, I was grateful to come across this book. I was able to order it the day of our loss, and it was on our doorstep the following day. The story describes what heaven is like for animals. It specifically targets dogs, cats and horses, but includes illustrations of a variety of animals. Offers sweet solace during a loss of a loved pet, and especially helped comfort my 5 year old.

Quite simply a most beautiful book .I am a children's Counceller and this book ,has been so gentle and reassuring to use for them .I love it myself and would recommend.

Unser Kätzchen ist kürzlich ins Regenbogenland gegangen, worauf wir dieses schöne Buch gekauft haben. Es ist dünn, dennoch hat es uns auf seinen wenigen großformatigen Seiten gut gefallen, die Zeichnungen sind wunderbar. Mancher wird es vielleicht als kitschig ansehen, wir fanden sie in unserer Trauersituation als passend.

Livro muito bonito e sensível, ajuda consolar quem sofreu a perda de um pet.

“The Heaven of Animals” by Nancy Tillman. The story begins “With all my heart I believe it’s true , there is a heaven for animals too...” The colourful paintings are whimsical and comforting. There are beautiful pictures of dogs, cats, kittens, a leopard, horses, birds, buffalo, giraffe, brown bear and angels etc. The story puts into words our hopes and wishes for our companion animals who have died. Tillman believes that dogs “welcomed by name, ... race to the corners of heaven and back”. Kittens “...play and they purr...”, while a horse “..& his friends kick up their hooves and they run...”. While this book is geared for children, it is spiritually comforting for all ages.

Merci pour toute cette poésie et ces superbes illustrations... J'attends avec impatience les versions françaises pour faire découvrir l'univers merveilleux des oeuvres de Nancy Tillman.