Moving In Forever

Moving In Forever is a true story about love, kindness, grief, and remembering those who pass away. Written from a child's perspective, Moving In Forever is a tender-hearted story about love, loss, and family. It offers understanding and support for every heart that grieves no matter the age

When Ryan and Brandon’s Aunt Carrie comes to live with them, a world of fun opens up. Although she is the coolest aunt in the world, Carrie is also very sick. In her last days, she wants to be surrounded by those who love her.

(A note to grown-ups: Children don’t process death the same way adults do. It is important to support their feelings appropriately as you read this book together. We will be providing additional resources on loss very soon! In the meantime, we host a variety of workshops on how to help support you and the children under your care.)

Learn more about the motivation behind the story.

Purchase book

Peek at the Artwork

Aunt Carrie moves in with her nephews who take care of her throughout her **hospice care journey**.

Meet the Author

Author Rebecca Wu is always open to meet & greets! Whether in a classroom, library, or private venue, Rebecca is open to doing read-alouds, leading art activities, and answering questions.

Dee Dee Jackson Foundation Podcast Interview

Grateful for time spent sharing ways to support each other through grief and loss. Such a meaningful conversation. Thank you, Dee Dee Jackson Foundation for bringing resources to the community.

Stop Motion Animation
by Bri Reads

Animated and read with such care. Thank you, Bri Reads, for taking on Moving In Forever and the sensitive topic of grief and loss, and doing it so thoughtfully! The author cameo at the end was such a lovely touch.

Bilingual Read-Aloud
by Ms. Rebecca

Author Rebecca Wu reads Moving In Forever in bilingual fashion - both in Cantonese and English at the same time. Get ready for some storytelling fun!

Praises for Moving In Forever

Rev. Dr. Martha Brunell
Hospice Chaplain

This honest account is the first I have seen that captures the genuine heart and sacredness of hospice. Both adult and child can embrace the emotions of grief in a way that puts love and hope at the center. There is nothing quite like this. Exquisite.

Shani Thornton, CCLS
Child Life Specialist

I have a huge library to use for my work at Child Life Mommy. I finally found a book that covers the dying stage and helps children to have a place to understand and feel validated. This book gives them tools to cope with those emotions.

Jessica Kimpel, MLIS
Children’s Librarian

The text and illustrations both are great. I appreciated how the actual death was handled within the text. The subject matter is difficult but deftly handled and appropriate. I think it will be a perfect match for many families going through a similar process. I will definitely be looking to add it to our branch collection.

Lisa A. Ferguson, MAT
Early Childhood Education

Joy and kindness permeate through every page. It is a difficult topic that everyone will at some point face. Beautifully written and handled with care. Children can really trust these words.

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The Motivation

When Rebecca’s father-in-law passed away in 2013, he was survived by a three-year-old son, her husband’s half brother. She was on a mission to find resources but to her surprise, not much children’s literature related to the hospice care experience. So, she wrote her own book.

Rebecca remembered when her college roommate passed away under hospice care and used that as the inspiration to write Moving In Forever.

The Inspiration

The characters in the book are based on real people in Rebecca’s life. Carrie was her funny, quirky, fierce college roommate who died of brain cancer under hospice care at her sister’s home in 2010.

Rebecca was fortunate to have spent Carrie’s final ten days with her and even more fortunate to witness the joy and hope that her sister’s family embraced in caring for Carrie. Rebecca saw how well they loved Carrie and how every detail was taken into consideration.

Carrie’s two nephews were a consistent beam of light and innocence. She felt the enormous love and affection the boys had for their aunt even at such a young age. The boys had questions and wondered many things and each issue was always received and addressed with sensitivity and simplicity. Rebecca heard how truthful and open the parents spoke to the boys.

Rebecca was in awe of this family and how they held each other up. She used their actions and attitude as inspiration for how she spoke (and still speaks) with her half-brother about losing his father.

Now, she is using their story as inspiration to start a company and create a much-needed resource for other families going through a similarly difficult time. As she tours with her book, Rebecca feels honored to facilitate workshops to help families cope with sensitive life topics and circumstances.