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4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
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Stacy Ford
3.0 out of 5 stars Refers to heaven
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2019
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This was a very nice book except that it refers to heaven without the description alerting the buyer to that. Not everyone or every religion believes in heaven, and it would be helpful if the listing were to mention this religious aspect.
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Alexis Greeves
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book!
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2019
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I love this book so much that I buy it to give away at trainings that I do related to Attachment Theory. In my directive play therapy sessions I’ll read this with a child and caregiver and then invite the child to create a large heart attached by “invisible strings” to smaller hearts identifying all the people they are loved by. It’s a powerful technique.

I also want to state that the author reached out to me and I feel a bit starstruck. She’s created one of my favorite therapy books and I’m grateful. Ps. This is also a book I love reading to my own children.
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WDEJG's MomTop Contributor: Coloring
3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful sentiment, less than stellar delivery.
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2016
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I was actually disappointed in this book after a few years of people recommending it. I had hoped to add it to my collection of grief books for children and have it blow me away because I kept hearing such great things about it. Some things are great about it, but if I had flipped through it in a store, I don't think I would have bought it.

It's incredibly important to me that children's feelings are acknowledged, allowed, and assured that their feelings are normal, healthy to express, and that we value their rights to feel them. It's also important to me that children know they have an adult in their life that they can go to for help, to feel safe, that can handle their big emotions, and just to be there for them if they need them.

The first pages of this book immediately belittle, ignore, and tell the kids it's not OK to feel scared during a thunderstorm (it's just a thunderstorm, it's nothing to be scared of - um, I'm mid 30's and thunder still scares me!) and that they shouldn't go to their mom when they're scared, instead relying on this invisible string connection.

I would have loved to see the mom acknowledge their feelings as acceptable and introduced the invisible string as a way to help them when they truly can't get to her as a reminder that they're connected always, even when they can't be together. Instead, it came across as not wanting them to come to her for something as silly as fear of thunder. It was just disappointing and made me feel sad for the kids. If you want that invisible connection when you aren't there, you gotta work on the actual connection first!

In case anyone is curious, there is a mention of an uncle that died and is in heaven, so keep that in mind. I was surprised by that only because people consistently told me the book isn't about grief/connection to the dead. I actually took so long to buy it because it wasn't a book for grief around a death and those are the types of books I need. But I did I buy this book to help a 7 year old with the murder of her previous kindergarten teacher. I loved the idea of this to help her deal with this horrific death and help her sweet little heart heal a little, but I would hate for her to get the idea that fears or other feelings shouldn't be expressed or that she shouldn't seek out help from trusted adults so I haven't let her borrow it yet. Darn those pesky few beginning pages!!!! If those weren't in it, I would like this book a lot more.

The sentiment is absolutely beautiful, but the delivery was unfortunately not so great.
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Karen Ludwig
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2019
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I purchased this to help my grandbabies (who live with me) deal with the loss of their daddy (my son). It is now one of their favorite books and we read it every single night. It does not only deal with the death of a loved one but being separated from those we love. Great book. Highly recommend.
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Jan
5.0 out of 5 stars Comforting and Gentle Story About the Love That Connects Us
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2019
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As a special education teacher the creator of a website to comfort anxious children, I find Patrice's book to be a soothing story which addresses separation anxiety and separation due to loss. The image of an Invisible String which connects us to those we love, whether separated by distance, divorce, deployment or even death, is comforting to all readers, children and adults.
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Amanda
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I’ve ever bought
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2018
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My daughter is five and she is always asking me about death and dying. I’m not sick or anything but she is very curious. I have to say it scares me when she asks and I tell her no matter what even in death I will always be with her even if I am not physically with her. I read so many mixed reviews but I bought this book and I read it to Rachel, then we read it again and it wasn’t until last night when she told me how much she loved the invisible string and asked me to wrap it around her and then she told me she was taking the invisible string to school with her today that I realized how very special and beautiful this book is to a child. This book is absolutely a gift to any child.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I’ve ever bought
By Amanda on October 15, 2018
My daughter is five and she is always asking me about death and dying. I’m not sick or anything but she is very curious. I have to say it scares me when she asks and I tell her no matter what even in death I will always be with her even if I am not physically with her. I read so many mixed reviews but I bought this book and I read it to Rachel, then we read it again and it wasn’t until last night when she told me how much she loved the invisible string and asked me to wrap it around her and then she told me she was taking the invisible string to school with her today that I realized how very special and beautiful this book is to a child. This book is absolutely a gift to any child.
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Nicole Carter
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story!
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2019
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This book is great for any situation where there will be a separation, not just death.
I’ve been reading it to my 2 and 4 year old children after sudden loss of our dog, it has been helpful for them, and has been comforting to me as well.
Highly recommend for any age, even if no loss, separation, or major change in their life has occurred.
The illustrations are also beautiful!
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Kala
3.0 out of 5 stars Missing the words on the last page
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2019
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I'm so disappointed! I've read The Invisible String many times in my work as a therapist, finally purchasing my own copy for my office. I read my copy of the book today for the first time only to discover that it's missing the words "no one is ever alone" on the last page! I actually prefer the illustrations in the paperback version that I bought, and find that the simplicity of the story makes it applicable for children dealing with grief as well as those struggling with separation anxiety and other issues. My only complaint is that the book I purchased is incomplete.
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Top reviews from other countries

AC
3.0 out of 5 stars Nice concept but not for me
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2020
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Nice concept but no good if not religious as it has reference to "heaven", also American so says mommy rather than mummy and "she sure does" americanisms.

Was expecting better given the reviews. Also not ideal if you follow gentle parenting ideas as she tells the twins to go back to bed even though they're scared.
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Rebecca
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Beautiful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 10, 2020
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This story is like a comfort blanket of love, warmth and reassurance. I bought it for my daughter following the sudden and unexpected death of my husband. My 7 year old was struggling at nighttime when all the distractions of homeschool, play, TV, and music were gone and her little mind was overcome with grief. I read this story to her, and it was as though something clicked inside her. It was the last night she fell asleep crying. I highly recommend it to anyone, not just as an aid in dealing with the loss of loved ones, but a reminder of human connection and compassion in general.
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K W
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2018
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The book is really good, it explains that no matter how far away we are from people we love, we are still connected by invisible string made of love. The only issue I had was that it's an American book so it says Mom instead of Mum. But that's not really a big deal. In fact it started a conversation about different languages etc. It's definitely worth purchasing. My daughter is 4 and really enjoyed it and understood it.
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carla allen
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, beautifully written book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2017
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This book was recommend to me to read to my daughter after her brother was born sleeping. She was only 3 at the time but very bright and "old for her years". She struggled with the situation as expected and in turn we often found it difficult to explain things to her. This book has been a godsend for us because kids just "get it". She often talks about the invisible strings between her and her brother (and every other family member at that!) It's been fantastic for us and helped with the grieving process. It's beautifully written and is perfect for children who have lost loved ones or who miss their parents whilst at school/work etc
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Kate
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2019
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Definitely loved by my foster child, would totally recommend this one especially when they are first taken into care. This could work well for children with separation anxiety too and for bereaved kids.
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