One way in which nursing students may build their practice is through reflective learning from stories. Stories in children's literature offer a special source of narratives that enable students to build empathy and to examine and reconstruct their personal concepts around human experience. Illustrated storybooks written for children are a particularly attractive teaching resource, as they tend to be short, interesting, colourful and easy to read. Yet, little has been written about using such books as a reflective learning tool for nursing students. In this article we describe how we use two children's books and McDrury and Alterio's (2002) 'Reflective Learning through Storytelling' model to educate first year nursing students about loss, grief and death.

The care people deserve when their health moves along the continuum from curable to one when death is imminent needs to be personalised and holistic. Palliative care requires health professionals who have a person-centered approach, and a willingness to listen and get alongside people during vulnerable times. As a registered nurse, ‘Bob’s story is describes a palliative care critical incident and also incorporated is the Stroebe and Schut (1999) dual process model of coping with bereavement. The impact that bereavement and loss has can be immense and seemingly overwhelming. However with ongoing integration of the person or event including the past, the present and the future, adjustment and healthy grief outcomes can be achieved.