Peanut Butter and Donner: Sweet Annie's Grieving Tree

Sweet Annie’s Grieving Tree is a gentle, emotionally attuned picture book about grief,

friendship, and healing—designed to help young children navigate big feelings in

developmentally appropriate ways. Through the eyes of three animal friends—a shy bunny named Peanut Butter, an outgoing and confident parakeet named Donner, and a new friend Sweet Annie the duck—readers are guided through the experience of loss with warmth, empathy, and hope.

When Annie arrives one morning looking quiet and sad, her friends notice something is different. With tenderness and patience, they create space for her to open up—and learn that someone she loves has gone away. Instead of offering quick fixes or cheerful distractions, her friends stay with her in the hard moment, offering quiet company, shared memories, and small acts of love.

Together, they discover that grief doesn’t look the same for everyone and that they each had their own experience with grief and dealt with their emotions differently allowing for it all to be ok. They learned through each other that healing happens in soft, everyday moments of connection and that time allows for the creation of a new normal.

Written by licensed therapist Erin Rosenblum, Sweet Annie’s Grieving Tree draws from her clinical experience, personal loss, and deep respect for children’s emotional worlds. It’s the second book in the Peanut Butter & Donner series, a collection of heartfelt animal stories rooted in empathy, emotional literacy, and relational safety. 

This installment explores the wide range of grief—not just death, but also losses stemming from natural disasters, disrupted routines, big life transitions, or unexpected goodbyes. With soothing rhyme, inclusive emotional language, and expressive illustrations, this book helps children:

• Understand and name feelings of grief and sadness

• Learn that all feelings are welcome

• See how empathy and presence can support someone in pain

• Build emotional resilience and trust in their own healing process

Ideal for ages 5-10, Sweet Annie’s Grieving Tree is a trusted resource for:

• Grief books for kids and preschoolers

• Children’s books about loss and emotional expression

• Parents, therapists, educators, and caregivers looking for gentle conversation starters

about sadness and change

• Community helpers and first responders supporting children through trauma or

displacement after a natural disaster

Whether you are helping a child process a death, a move, a fire, or a sudden change, this story reminds us that being present and loving is often the most powerful thing we can offer.