Talking to a 4-year-old about death: is there any good way?

[grandadjmk]

Sorry if this has already been done. (point me to the thread).
This has been forced on the family (by a kid at school saying "your mum is going to die.")
Parents and grandmother are shying back from the topic, has anyone found a way that worked well? Or book, etc.?
I had a memory from childhood o a book that had the line in it "(death is) . . . an awfully big adventure."

Turns out it was from Peter Pan, but it seems to have been my route map for thinking about death.

The top 3 books here are generally recommended. Goodbye Mog, Badgers parting gifts and Always and forever.

It's very difficult. DS lost his grandmother last yr and our cat recently died so he's still asking about death and as we are atheists it is a bit tricky. We've gone with the approach of saying that they have gone away and can't come back, but we'll always have wonderful memories about them, and then I'll remind him of something about them. I also assure him that people don't usually die before they're very old, much older than mummy and daddy.

I do think its much easier if you're religious. The concept of going to another place is easier for a child than just going.

Very thoughtless comment from the child at school and maybe worth talking to the teacher as they could perhaps discuss it in class.