Death is hard to talk about, especially for children.

When a child is faced with the death of a loved one, experts say, they are often confused and are unable to verbalize their emotions.

Liz Covey of Hope House, a counseling and education service in Astoria, said children do not process grief by talking, but by other outlets such as drawing or reading.

“Kids who are going through trauma really need help understanding what they are going through,” Covey said. “Not just through words, but through pictures and stories and the experience of being read to. Kids need help accessing those emotions.”

Renowned children’s author Petra Mathers, of Astoria, is giving children that outlet in her latest book, “When Aunt Mattie Got Her wings.”

Mathers’ book, published earlier this month, follows Lottie, a chicken, and Herbie, a duck, as they experience the death of Lottie’s 99-year-old Aunt Mattie.

The book — the sixth and last in Mather’s “Lottie World” series — is different from other children’s books about death because it follows the characters through the process, not after the fact, Mathers said.

It also shows the importance of accepting the fact, Mathers said, since Aunt Mattie makes arrangements, writes a letter to Lottie and Herbie and assures them of her love.

Most of all, the book lets children know it’s OK to be sad.

“It’s our fear and awkwardness to deal with it, which makes it so terrible for the children,” Mathers said. “They need the rituals and closure. That’s why we invented them. We need to include our children in this.”

Sarah Von Colditz, a social worker for Lower Columbia Hospice and Columbia Memorial Hospital, said she has found books about grief are extremely beneficial in helping children through the process.

Since children often asked an abundance of questions that make parents uncomfortable, Von Colditz said, a book helps put answers in language children can understand.

“Our society has a tough time talking about death as it is. A book is able to help guide parents or children through their emotional symptoms,” Von Colditz said. “Kids are usually very intuitive and can tell something is wrong. Letting kids know it’s OK to talk about their emotions is a great message, and one I promote to parents.”

The colorful illustrations in Mathers’ book also draw in children.

Mathers, a self-taught artist who illustrated and wrote the book, said adding color to a dreary topic was her intention all along. The hardcover book, available at local bookstores, is 24 pages and about 500 words.

“With this book, what is easy on the eyes and heart is the pictures,” Mathers said.

Mathers started work on the book about two years ago. She did not let anyone know about the book, including her editor and publisher at Simon & Schuster, until she was finished.

She waited until she had them in tears, she jokes.

As with her previous books, totaling more than 40, Mathers said she prefers using animals as the main characters rather than people. By using a chicken and duck in her latest book, Mathers said, it avoids people’s race, politics and religion.

“It makes everything neutral,” Mathers said. “I have done books with people and I don’t feel as at home. People are hard for me to bring to life.”

Mathers, a native of Germany, started her illustrating career in Long Island, N.Y. She has since lived in Portland and in Astoria for the past five years with her husband.

She is a four-time winner of the annual New York Times prize for Best Illustrated Children’s Book, and has won the Ezra Jack Keats Medal for her first book, “Maria Theresa.”

While creating her children’s books, Mathers always starts with the words and then follows with the illustrations.

“Every word counts. You have so little space and the story has to move forward,” she said.

Her latest book is the first that solely focuses on death and grieving. Ideally, Mathers said, she wants her book to be seen as any other children’s book. However, she recognizes the topic of death and grief will impact young reader’s differently.

At Hope House, Covey said, such books are a great service for grief-stricken children, who are struggling with their emotions. It offers them a universal feeling, she said

“It’s a process of total confusion more than it is sadness,” Covey said. “A book would give a story of how this happens to others, and that there is a template in the world for what you are going through.”