The Tale of the Little Mouse and the Star Lantern
- BrainUp
- Aug 10
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 10
Dear parents and specialists,
Losing a loved one is one of the most painful and difficult events to comprehend, especially for a child. How can we find the words to explain the inexplicable? How can we help a toddler or a teenager navigate their grief without leaving them alone with fear and pain, and convey that love and bright memories remain forever?
We have prepared a series of therapeutic tales, "The Tale of the Little Mouse and the Star Lantern." These stories are created to be a gentle guide for you and your child in conversations about loss. Using the metaphor of a light that does not disappear but merely changes its form, transforming into a guiding star, these tales—adapted for different ages (3-5, 6-9, and 10-12 years)—help to understand that the love and warmth of a loved one remain in our hearts forever.
Each story is accompanied by a psychologist's recommendations, questions for deep discussion, and art therapy assignments. Use these materials to create a space for safe dialogue, acceptance, and cherished memories.
Overall Goal of the Tale:
The Tale of the Little Mouse is designed to help children and adults find the right words and images to process grief. Its purpose is to reduce the anxiety and fear associated with loss, to give a child a foundation through the metaphor of transformation and eternal memory, and to help them realize that the love and bright memories of a loved one will always stay with us as an inner resource and a source of warmth.Target Audience:
Children aged 3 to 12.The Tale of the Little Mouse and the Star Lantern
Version 1: For Children Aged 3-5
Young children perceive loss as a sudden and incomprehensible disappearance. Their world, built on consistency and rituals, collapses. The main task at this age is not to explain complex concepts but to provide a sense that love has not vanished, that the loved one has not disappeared forever but has simply "moved" and continues to be near, albeit in a different form. This simple and kind story is created to give a young child a feeling of security and the continuity of love through the understandable image of light and warmth.
The Therapeutic Tale:
Once upon a time, in a cozy burrow, lived a little Mouse. And with him lived his friend—a big, warm Lantern. Every evening, the Lantern would light a golden Flame inside itself. It would become so warm and bright! The Mouse loved to warm his paws by the Lantern and watch the Flame dance.
But one day, the Flame inside the Lantern began to burn very, very softly.
"What's wrong?" the Mouse whispered.
"My light is going on a journey," the Lantern replied quietly. "It will fly high, high up into the sky and become a little star."
The little Flame flew out of the Lantern and, like a firefly, soared upward, straight to the moon. The Mouse ran out of his burrow and saw a new, very bright star light up in the sky.
It became dark and quiet in the burrow. The Mouse felt sad. He went to the Lantern and hugged it. And suddenly he felt... the Lantern was still warm! It held the warmth of its Flame. The Mouse peeked out of the burrow. The bright little star in the sky winked at him. And he understood: the Flame was now shining for him from the sky, and the Lantern's warmth—the warmth of his friend—remained with him forever, in his home and in his heart.
Recommendations (Art Therapy Bridge):
Questions for Discussion:
Where did the Flame fly to?
Did the Lantern stay cold or warm?
From where did the Flame now shine for the Mouse?
Creative Task:
Take a sheet of dark paper (blue or black). Together with your child, use a yellow crayon or paint to draw a bright little star. You can use glitter. At the bottom, draw the Mouse looking at his star and smiling.
Version 2: For Children Aged 6-8
At this age, children begin to understand the irreversibility of loss and ask questions like "why" and "where to." They experience sadness and sometimes fear. A story for them should not only comfort but also provide the first tool for working with grief: memory. This story helps them understand that physical absence does not mean the end of a relationship. Love and memories are the "warmth" that stays with us and warms us from within.
The Therapeutic Tale:
In the heart of an old forest, in a burrow under the roots of an oak tree, lived a curious little Mouse. The greatest treasure in his home was an ancient Lantern. It wasn't just a lamp—it was a true friend. Every evening, its soft Flame would chase away the shadows, and the Lantern would tell the Mouse stories by playing with shadows on the wall.
But as time went on, the Mouse noticed that the Flame inside the Lantern was no longer burning as brightly, and its light had grown pale.
"Are you tired?" the Mouse asked with concern.
"My light is finishing its earthly journey to begin a new, celestial one," the Lantern answered wisely. "I must let it go so it can become a star and shine for the whole forest."
"But I don't want you to go!" the Mouse squeaked, a shiver running down his fur.
"I am not leaving," the Lantern's glass rustled gently. "My light will simply be in another place. But all my warmth, all our stories and memories—they will stay with you."
The little Flame gently fluttered out of its glass house and soared up into the dark velvet of the night sky. There, it burst into a new, wonderfully beautiful star.
The burrow was plunged into twilight. The Mouse felt lonely and very sad. He pressed himself against the cooling Lantern. But even through the cool glass, he could feel a faint, deep warmth. It was the warmth of their friendship. The Mouse lifted his head and saw his star in the window. It twinkled as if to say, "I am here. I am with you." And the Mouse understood that as long as he remembered his friend, his light and warmth would always live in his heart.
Recommendations (Art Therapy Bridge):
Questions for Discussion:
Why was the Mouse scared and sad at first?
What did the Lantern leave for the Mouse to remember him by?
How do you think the Mouse felt when he looked at the star?
Creative Task:
Suggest that your child draw or sculpt the Lantern from clay or plasticine. Then, ask them to draw their best and warmest memory associated with the loved one who has passed on a separate piece of paper. Tell them that this is the "warmth" that remains inside forever.
Version 3: For Children Aged 9-12
At 9-12 years old, children have a deep understanding of the finality of life, and their grieving can be complex and multifaceted. They may feel not only sadness but also anger, a sense of injustice, and emptiness. A story for this age must acknowledge this pain while offering a path to healing through meaning-making. This story is about legacy—not a material one, but a spiritual one. It's about how the light of a loved one doesn't just disappear but becomes our inner strength and guide.
The Therapeutic Tale:
There once lived a Mouse who had already seen much of the world. His home was a cozy burrow, and the heart of this home was an old bronze Lantern. It was not just an object but a keeper of wisdom and warmth for many generations. Its steady flame was a symbol of stability and protection for the Mouse in the vast world.
But nothing lasts forever. The day came when the flame inside the Lantern began to fade.
"Your time is coming," the Mouse whispered, feeling a knot of approaching pain tighten inside him.
"Every flame must one day make the great journey," the Lantern responded in its quiet, rattling voice. "My light must join the eternal fire of the sky. But this is not the end. It is a transformation."
"But what will I do without your light? Without your warmth?" Desperation was in the Mouse's voice.
"Light does not disappear. It becomes a guiding star. And the warmth... the warmth I gave you all these years has been absorbed by you. It has become a part of you. Now, you carry it inside yourself. It is your strength and your memory."
With these words, the Flame, flaring up one last time, detached from the wick and silently streamed into the infinite heights to take its place among the myriads of stars.
The silence in the burrow became deafening. A wave of emptiness and bitterness washed over the Mouse. He sat down, wrapping his paws around his knees, and for the first time, felt truly alone. But then, in that echoing silence, he listened to himself. And he felt that deep, steady warmth inside his chest. It was the Lantern's legacy.
The Mouse went to the window and found the new star in the sky. It shone with a steady, calm light. And the Mouse realized that his task now was to learn to live with this inner warmth and to shine it for others, just as his wise old friend had once shone for him.
Recommendations (Art Therapy Bridge):
Questions for Discussion:
What did the Lantern mean when it said, "the warmth has become a part of you"?
How do you understand the phrase "to learn to live with this inner warmth"?
How can we keep the memory and warmth of people who are no longer with us?
Creative Task:
Create a "Box of Warm Memories" together. This can be any beautiful casket or box. Invite the child to decorate it. Then, fill it with things that symbolize the "warmth" of the departed loved one: you can write down funny stories or kind advice they gave on slips of paper and roll them up; put in photographs; draw pictures; find small objects (a stone, a shell) connected to good moments. This box will become a tangible embodiment of that very "Lantern" that keeps the warmth inside.
Comments