Pet Grief Inspires Children's Book By Manahawkin Native

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — While growing up in Manahawkin, Amulya Veldanda Vadali was always afraid of dogs. That changed with the adoption of her golden retriever, Cosmo, who sparked her popular children's book series where he helped teach children to be brave and face their fears.

Unfortunately, pets can't live forever. And Cosmo passed last year from hemangiosarcoma, a highly invasive form of cancer that is common in golden retrievers. But Vadali turned her grief into another book - "I'll Be Your Friend Forever."

"It's special to have him live on in these stories," Vadali told Patch.

RELATED: Manahawkin Native And Her Dog Teach Kids To Face Their Fears

The book is from the point of view of the deceased pet, written as a letter to the child to remind them of the journey they went on together and how they'll always be friends.

What makes the book even more special, Vadali said, is the art involved. She reached out to families through the Stafford Parents Facebook group and asked for drawings of deceased pets. So, the book also features almost 60 drawings from local kids in the Stafford and Long Beach Island area.

Naturally, writing the book was difficult for Vadali. But it was also cathartic in a way.

"I just had such a vision in my head already of how it was going to look," Vadali said. Constructing the book was easy. It was the actual writing that was the hard part.

"I cried a lot when I was writing," she said. She would read it out loud to her husband - her in-person live editor - and said that she "bawled."

"It was hard, but it was also one of the easiest things to write," Vadali said.

She said the book is emotional for anyone who's had a pet. "It's a feel-good emotion, though," Vadali added.

Though recently released, she has gotten good reviews from families who've read the book to their kids (and cried a lot, she said).

And though Cosmo may be gone, Vadali doesn't plan to stop writing her books.

"Even though Cosmo's not here, he's always going to be my friend," Vadali said.

You can purchase "I'll Be Your Friend Forever" and other Cosmo books through Amazon (free on Kindle as of Monday) or Vedali's website.