Transforming Grief Into a Children’s Story of Connection
A children’s story can do more than entertain—it can heal. When Preston Knowles lost his beloved uncle during the early days of the pandemic, grief became the spark for Ollie and Beep, a tender tale about love, loss, and the enduring power of connection. At just seventeen, Preston turned pain into purpose, creating a story that helps children and the adults who love them understand that life keeps moving forward, just like a river. In this heartfelt conversation, host Irene Weinberg explores how Preston’s creative journey brought comfort to countless families and how storytelling can transform grief into something beautifully whole.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL HEAR ABOUT THINGS LIKE:
- How grief can spark creativity and provide an outlet for processing emotions.
- The profound impact of lacking traditional closure during the grieving process.
- The philosophy that life is like a river, and the importance of learning to flow with change and loss.
- The scarcity of resources for children navigating grief and the need for tools for parents and educators.
- The way loss reshapes one’s entire perspective on life and relationships.
- The idea that the beloved characters Ollie the bear and Beep the penguin represent a special real-life relationship.
- The importance of healing grief and living a positive life that a deceased loved one would want for you.
- The tip for finding joy and “magic” by embracing uncomfortableness and new experiences.
SOME QUESTIONS IRENE ASKS PRESTON:
- Let’s begin with the reason that the book was even thought about or generated in your mind. Do you want to tell us about the beginning of this journey you had?
- Let’s talk about the healing powers of storytelling you experienced by creating Ollie and Beep.
- Tell us some of the tough questions Ollie asks people about change, loss and love. What are Beep’s answers and what else would you like our audience to know about this beautifully written and deeply moving book of yours?
- Is there anything you want people to know about Ollie and Beep?
- I know that losses reshaped your whole perspective about life and relationships. Is it about how nothing is permanent?
- What is the Preston message about, why should people heal? Do you have a message about the importance of healing?
- What is the Preston tip on finding joy in life?
Let Ollie and Beep remind you — and the little ones you love — that every goodbye holds a bit of grace, and every moment together is a gift. 🐻🐧 Discover Ollie and Beep by Preston Knowles here: https://bookshop.org/a/93249/9781966786207
GRIEF AND REBIRTH LINKS
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How Preston Knowles Transformed Grief Into a Children’s Story of Connection
I could not be more delighted to have the pleasure of interviewingPreston Knowles the author and illustrator of a wonderful new children’s book, titled Ollie and Beep. Ollie and Beep offers a tender compass for young hearts navigating grief by gently reminding them that life flows ever forward like a river and the bonds we hold dear remain beautifully intact.
When his beloved uncle transitioned during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and many were denied the rituals of closure, Preston, who was just seventeen, began channeling his grief into art, sketching two characters during his college classes, Ollie the bear and Beep the wise penguin. What started as a sticker design blossomed into a deeply moving children’s book about love, loss and the beauty of shared memories.
I’m looking forward to talking with Preston, who is based in the Dallas Metroplex, about his journey through grief. The healing power of storytelling through Ollie and Beep and how loss has reshaped. His perspective on life and relationships. We’ll also explore how grief can spark creativity, how Ollie and Beep inspire its young readers to face change with courage and heart and more. This promises to be a heartfelt interview with Ollie and Beep quietly nestled between the lines, lending their quiet magic to our interview.
Preston, a warm welcome to the show.
Irene, how are you doing?
The Origin and Healing Power of Ollie and Beep
I’m good. This is going to be a fun interview. I love your book. I can’t wait to share with my grandson. I think it’s a really important tool for people to have when stuff happens in life and like, “How do I handle it with the kids?” Let’s begin with the reason that the book was even thought about or generated in your mind and it’s about your Uncle John. You had a really close, special relationship with him. Do you want to tell us about the beginning of this journey you had?
Yes, so this whole thing started during, I guess, March of 2020. That would be the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Before that, I had a great relationship with my Uncle John. He was one of my absolute favorite people and unfortunately, during the beginning stages of COVID, he actually passed away. It was during all of that chaos and the transitioning of the world that all of this, I guess, took shape. Eventually, it found its way here, really.
When he passed with no funeral and you were stuck in lockdown, how long did that grief journey take from there because you had no closure? Were you like really depressed, upset? What was going on?
Children’s Book On Grief: Ollie and Beep by Preston Knowles
Looking back on it now, I think it probably continued all the way until making this book just because like you say, there was no closure and unfortunately, it’s a story that so many people from that time period really can relate to, where they didn’t have that closure. You want to have funerals, you couldn’t really go travel, go see people, go to a funeral, talk about it and we did end up doing a Zoom podcast thing, but it’s not really the same, as you know.
I did that too for someone. I know it’s not the same.
I think it went all the way looking back on it until this book was published that I have next to me here, Ollie and Beep, and having that all finalized that really closed that chapter in a way.
That gave you the closure. For you, grief sparked creativity in a way. It gave you a chance to release your emotions. Let’s talk about the healing powers of storytelling you experienced by creating Ollie and Beep. By writing it, you were starting to process your grief and feel better.
I think there were many different things that I channeled into when grieving and this is one of the book that we have. Ollie and Beep is one of the later iterations there, but I think grief can spark with creativity and give people different outlets inlets to go into. This ended up being one of them here, writing and illustrating this book.
“Life is Like a River”: Ollie and Beep’s Message on Change and Loss
Let’s talk about Ollie and Beep. Ollie the bear and Beep the wise penguin have been best friends for as long as they can remember, but lately Ollie notice is a Beep, a slowing down and begins to fear the changes that come with time and growing older. Tell us some of the tough questions Ollie asks people about change, loss and love.
What are Beep’s answers and what else would you like our audience to know about this beautifully written and deeply moving book of yours, which inspires its young readers to face change with courage and heart? I just love that because kids don’t understand and that really can be so inspiring for them and helpful to them. Tell us more about the book.
To go through your later statement there, one of the reasons that I wanted to make this book is I was doing some research on grief books for kids and there’s not really a whole lot of them and there’s not really a whole bunch of tools for kids to use to help them navigate this really challenging stuff for them. Probably my biggest inspiration for writing and making this book here is to be able to have a tool for kids to use and for parents to use as well. Nobody teaches kids these things. Unless you experience it, unfortunately, it’s not something really that that kids are going to be able to learn.
I think it’s a helpful tool for parents and educators also because they often don’t know what to say to a child. Reading the book opens up and allows them to start to talk about it. It probably teaches a lot to the adults too. Do you want to give our audience a little bit of a sampling of 1 or 2 of the tough questions Ollie asks Beep and how he answers it?
Of course. One of the probably toughest questions that Ollie asked Beep is why. Why things have to change, why things are meant to continue going, even if you don’t want them to go. Beep answers that life is almost like a river and that you’re supposed to flow down it. You really either have the choice of sink or swim. You can either swim and flow with the river or if you try to stop it all, it doesn’t really work so well and it’s important to just flow with the river. That’s a big part of the book.
That’s a message that kids take away from it. Life is ever changing.
To give you maybe a story about it, one of the story times that I did at a bookstore where I did a reading of the book, right after we finished, one of the parents asked one of the kids, “How do you feel about the book in?” She asked, “Do you like change?” The kid looked and I don’t think he was really expecting that question and so he was like, “No, I don’t like change.” She was like, “I think we need to get you this book to learn about it.” They ended up buying the book. To me, it’s an incredible story of how one book can maybe change how a kid thinks and that just is incredible to me. That’s a beautiful story, in my opinion.
The Secret: Who Are Ollie the Bear and Beep the Penguin Really?
I agree with you. That’s why I’d love to get it for my grandson. He could be pretty stubborn sometimes and very resistant to change. It’s a whole thing. Other than that, of course, he’s my grandson, so he’s perfect. Is there anything you want people to know about Ollie and Beep? We know what the kids are taking away from the message and all. Is there anything else about the journey? I know a lot of people discouraged you from riding Ollie and Beep.
I actually wrote even more so about my uncle in this whole story and so the book, honestly, Ollie is me and Beep is my grandmother. She’s turned 76. Watching her from me being younger and to be able to grow up and watch her change and our relationship change, and that was something that, prior to my Uncle John passing, wasn’t really something I was aware of. Grief completely changed that relationship and made me completely aware of how things are changing in different ways. Another part of the book that I wanted to write and incorporate is that thing and changing relationships, too.
Grief completely changed that relationship and made me aware of how things are changing in different ways. Share on X
Do you want to say anything else about that? I know that losses reshaped your whole perspective about life and relationships. Is it about how nothing is permanent?
Yes. I think it’s something that until you’ve been put in that situation, you don’t really notice that thing. After you’ve experienced grief and you’re going through and battling grief, you have a completely different role view and a different way of looking at things, and you’re aware of changes that you weren’t necessarily aware of before. It’s not really a bad thing. It’s just something that is in the back of your mind that you pick up on and realize whereas before, it was something He wouldn’t have even batted an eye at. It changes all of your relationships, really, in different ways that are completely unique to everybody.
I think you cherish your relationships more, too. How has your grandmother responded? Does she know that she’s Beep and you’re Ollie?
Yeah, and see she loves it. She has told me she wants to get a shirt that says, “I’m Beep,” so when she comes to any events or anything, she can be known. Every event that I’ve done, she goes around and she’ll tell everybody. She’s like, “I just want to let you know I’m Beep, by the way.” All of these people always know who my grandmother is at the events because they always let me know. They’re like, “I met your wonderful Grandma. She’s Beep and I’m like, “You must have met her then.”
For Ollie and Beep, one is a bear and one is a penguin. Why did you choose those animals to represent you and your grandmother? Any particular reason for that?
Originally, this entire thing started, I was doing doodles on sticky notes during college classes and at work on my lunch and stuff like that. People responded well to it. I started with the bear, Ollie, who originally didn’t even have a name. Slowly, people started wanting more and more of it, and they wanted stickers. They wanted all of this different stuff. I created the penguin character and added it into it and I named Beep at some point. It got named Beep.
Slowly, I started creating the world of them and their relationship and all of that and I wanted to make a book. It just hit me and I started riding it. About halfway through, I was like, “No, this is my grandma and I. This is Ollie and Beep. This is who it is.” It changed the direction of the book in a better way, in my opinion.
Have there been any particular reactions or people contacting you with responses having read it to their kids or whatever? Have you gotten a lot of feedback for it?
After you've experienced and battled grief, you have a completely different world view and a different way of looking at things. You're aware of changes that you weren't necessarily aware of before. Share on X
Yeah, I’ve gotten a lot of really positive feedback. One of my absolute favorite, and anybody that checks out the book or reads it or looks at the illustrations, I had somebody that read it and looked at it and his comment to me, which is probably my favorite and most cherished comment that I’ve received. He said that all of the illustrations are just so calming. He’s actually an art professor in one of the colleges around here. He was like, “I don’t know what it is about it but all of the illustrations just have a really calming, meditative effect.” Honestly, I didn’t even intentionally mean it for that to be that way and so I just really cherished that piece of feedback that he gave me.
Did you always have a thing about bears and penguins?
No. Honestly, my favorite animal is probably a tiger. I don’t know where a bear and a penguin came from, but every kid who reads it really enjoys it. It’s a bear and a penguin. I don’t know why kids really love it, but they really enjoy that juxtaposition between animals. They’re super fans.
Preston’s Message: Healing Grief and Finding Joy in Life
Yeah, I think it’s so adorable. I’m going to ask you, with all of this, what is the Preston message about, why should people heal? Do you have a message about the importance of healing? You did it through your book, to heal their grief and not live with that their whole lives. Do you have a message for our audience about that?
I think the biggest message I can give to everybody, and this is my personal message on all of this and on grieving and changing, is at some point, you have to live the life that the people around you would want to live who would want you to live.
Do you mean the people who have deceased or the people who are still here?
Both. The people who have deceased and the people who are still there, but mainly the people around you that are deceased. They wouldn’t want you to wallow in the free forever and they don’t want to see you miserable. At some point, we have to be able to move on and be able to be okay with things in a way and live a positive life that people around you that are deceased would have wanted to see you. They wouldn’t want you to wallow in grief forever.
Not at all. It’s all about love. They want you to be okay. They’re with you, actually. They’re all around us so I’m sure you’re giving your uncle a lot of joy on the other side.
Yeah, absolutely. I hope so.
I’m sure you are. What is the Preston tip on finding joy in life?
This is a tool that I used especially when writing this. I had never written or illustrated anything before this. This is my first foray into it all. Go out into an area where your feet are touching the ground in a way. Just as soon as your feet can touch the ground, you’re going to do something magical. As soon as you feel a little bit of uncomfortableness and you’re uncertain on what you’re going to be able to do, or how you’re going to be able to do it, that’s whenever I think you make the most magic and I think that’s the way you’re going to be the happiest.
Final Blessings & Next Steps: Where to Find Ollie and Beep
Preston, I just love your book. I want to close this very special interview with this wise quote from Beep, “One day, even our adventures will change. This is the nature of life.” Beep continues telling Ollie that it’s natural to feel sad, but that they should also embrace change because it’s a part of life. Beep goes on, “Much like this river, life is always moving forward. We must take every moment as a gift. Part of living is changing.”
Preston, thank you for bringing Ollie and Beep into the world. It’s a beautiful story that is more than a gift to children facing loss. It’s a lifeline for parents, educators, and caregivers seeking gentle ways to begin conversations about grief. I want to thank you from my heart for the special interview. Many blessings.
Thank you so much, Irene. This has been amazing. Thank you for hosting me and I hope to see you all and anybody that’s reading it, I hope you leave a review. Let me know what you think.
Yeah, give him lots of feedback. As I like to say, to be continued.
Guest’s Links:
- Connect with Preston Knowles on Instagram
- Preston Knowles’ book Ollie and Beep
Host’s Links:
- Irene Weinberg on Instagram
- Irene Weinberg on Facebook
- Irene Weinberg on TikTok
- Grief and Rebirth Podcast on YouTube
About Preston Knowles
Preston Knowles lives in the Dallas metroplex. Like Ollie and Beep, one of his favorite things to do is travel to new places. His desire to explore the world even inspired him to pursue a degree in geography! Preston also loves learning about history, paleontology, and philosophy. When he isn’t writing, you can find him cozied up with a good book or adventuring across the globe in pursuit of new knowledge.
