Pop Still Plays With Me - Paperback

by Amanda Wertz (Author)

Gerard has a friend named Pop. They play cards at the kitchen table, kick a ball across the yard, and dance when Pop's favorite song comes on. Pop keeps Gerard company during homework and watches every skateboard trick-even the ones that take a few tries to land. At the end of the day, Gerard has plenty to tell Mom about the fun he and Pop had together.

There is something unusual about their friendship: Pop died two months before Gerard was born. Gerard never got to sit on his lap or hear his voice the way his family did. But he knows Pop's name because it is his name, too. He knows the stories Mom tells, the picture she keeps, and the song that makes everyone remember how much Pop loved to dance.

To Gerard, Pop is part of the little moments he wants to share. He leaves room beside him on the steps, rolls the ball across the grass, and holds out his fist after a good play. Mom doesn't interrupt or try to explain those moments away. She listens when Gerard tells her about Pop, answers his questions gently, and lets him show her what their connection means to him.

Sometimes Mom wishes Pop could have met the boy who carries his name. She wishes he could have heard Gerard laugh, seen his tricks, and joined one of their card games. Watching Gerard play brings that longing close, but it also reminds her how many memories and stories she can still share with her son.

Pop Still Plays With Me is a warm, playful children's picture book about grief, imagination, family stories, and enduring love. It makes room for the different ways children experience loss and connection. Some children ask questions. Some hold tightly to a photograph or a favorite story. And some invite a loved one into their games, finding comfort and joy in a relationship all their own.

For families navigating grief together, Gerard's story offers a gentle reminder: a child's way of remembering may look like playing.