There are moments in life when words feel too small, especially when children are facing loss, illness, or the mystery of death. Chaplain Teddy’s Guiding Light, the first book in the Chaplain Teddy Universe, was written for those very moments.
Authored by hospice chaplain and Project Coordinator of Faith-Filled Families, the Reverend Dr. Missiouri McPhee, this children’s book gently introduces young readers to the role of a chlain and the comforting presence they offer during life’s most tender transitions. Through the ory of Eli, an eight-year-old child receiving hospice care, readers meet Chaplain Teddy, a calm, kind companion who listens without fear, answers hard questions with honesty and love, and helps both child and parents find peace amid uncertainty.
From the opening pages, Chaplain Teddy’s Guiding Light emanates compassion and care for young readers. The story unfolds slowly and intentionally, mirroring the rhythm of real-life moments at bedside. There is no rushing, no minimizing of fear, and no avoidance of difficult questions. When Eli asks the question so many children have asked before him, “Will it hurt when I die?”, the response is not clinical or dismissive; it is instead pastoral, reassuring, and deeply human.
Chaplain Teddy introduces the powerful metaphor of light that carries the heart of the story. Eli’s life, love, laughter, and presence are described as a lantern. This lantern does not extinguish with death, but continues shining in the hearts of those who love him. I find that this imagery provides children (and adults) a way to understand grief without despair.
While written as a children’s book, Chaplain Teddy’s Guiding Light speaks just as clearly to parents, caregivers, chaplains, pastors, and educators. It models how adults can sit with children in their fear rather than rushing to fix it. It offers a framework for conversations many adults feel unprepared to have, especially around death, dying, and saying goodbye.
I think this book would be especially meaningful for
- Families navigating serious illness or hospice care
- Churches and children’s ministries seeking gentle grief resources
- Chaplains, counselors, and healthcare teams supporting young patients
- Parents and grandparents looking for faith-centered language of comfort
At its core, Chaplain Teddy’s Guiding Light is a theology of presence. Chaplain Teddy does not arrive with easy answers; he arrives with time, listening ears, and a steady heart. The story reflects a faith that trusts love to be stronger than fear and light to be stronger than loss.
As the final pages remind us, Eli’s light continues in sunbeams, fireflies, laughter, and quiet moments of remembrance. It is a truth many families know intuitively, and this book gives them a way to name it together.
Grow Christians exists to support faith-filled formation at every stage of life. Many in our community have walked with children through the stages of grief, wishing we had better resources along the way. Chaplain Teddy’s Guiding Light is such a resource, acknowledging that children are not strangers to grief and that they deserve honesty wrapped in hope.
This book does not shy away from death, but it refuses to let death have the final word. Instead, it invites readers of all ages to see love as enduring, memory as sacred, and light as something that is never truly lost. Chaplain Teddy’s Guiding Light is available for purchase online now.
Once you read Chaplain Teddy’s Guiding Light with the children in your care, author Missiouri McPhee offers these reflection prompts as a gentle invitation to continue the conversation. She advises that adults take them slowly, allowing for silence, and encourages both adults and children to share only what feels safe.
For Children (with a trusted adult)
- What do you think Chaplain Teddy was really good at doing for Eli?
- How did Eli feel at the beginning of the story? How did he feel later on? What do you think helped his feelings change?
- Chaplain Teddy talked about a lantern and light. If you had a lantern, what kinds of things would be inside your light?
- When you feel scared or sad, who helps you feel safe? What do they do that helps?
- Have you ever noticed something small, like a sunbeam, a firefly, or a warm memory that made you think of someone you love?
For Parents, Caregivers, and Families
- What emotions surfaced for you as you read this story, comfort, grief, fear, relief, hope?
Where did you feel them in your body? - How does this book model honest yet compassionate conversations with children about death and dying?
- What metaphors or language in the story felt especially helpful or challenging for you?
- How might the idea of “light that continues” support your family’s grieving process?
- What would it look like to intentionally notice and name moments of light in your daily life?
For Faith Communities, Educators, and Ministry Leaders
- How does Chaplain Teddy embody a ministry of presence rather than problem-solving?
- In what ways does this story offer a theology of death that is gentle, faithful, and developmentally appropriate for children?
- How might this book be used in pastoral care, children’s ministry, grief groups, or hospital/hospice settings?
- What fears do adults often carry about talking with children about death and how does this story challenge or soften those fears?
- Where do you see opportunities for your community to become a “guiding light” for families walking through loss?
Closing Reflection or Prayer
- Invite participants to close their eyes and imagine a small, warm light.
- Encourage them to silently name what that light represents, love, memory, hope, peace, or presence.
- Allow a moment of stillness before closing with a prayer, blessing, or shared silence.
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