Debbie Milam
Bunnies Underwater: A Story of Grief and Hope
"In recognition of outstanding literary merit, impactful storytelling, and meaningful contribution to children's literature."
Debbie Milam is an American children's author, therapist and grief educator whose work sits at the intersection of tender storytelling and evidence-based emotional care. For more than two decades she has helped families navigate loss, and her books translate that clinical wisdom into images and language a young child can hold.
Bunnies Underwater: A Story of Grief and Hope follows a small warren of rabbits who must learn to breathe again after their world is flooded by sudden loss. Written with quiet lyricism and illustrated in luminous underwater blues, the book has become a trusted companion in hospices, schools and paediatric bereavement programs across the United States.
The Author Voice Media Hub Review Committee selected Bunnies Underwater as the No. 1 Book of July 2026 for its rare ability to speak honestly to children about death while leaving the door to hope wide open. It is a book, in the committee's words, 'that will outlive the season it was written in.'
Presented by Andrew L. Whitmore, Chairman, Review Committee · Author Voice Media Hub