Taboo Health presents Mr. Dak: The Tale of a Special Turtle, a family-friendly story-time reading and Q&A by author Dayna Saba.

Saba’s first children’s book, Mr. Dak: The Tale of a Special Turtle, broaches the topic of death through narrative storytelling. After experiencing the insurmountable loss of her beloved grandfather, Saba created the picture-book as both a playful biography and a tool by which to explain his passing to her young nephew.

Written as a reminder that great love endures even after we are gone, Mr. Dak: The Tale of a Special Turtle tackles death as an aspect of familial life. The warm and engaging story is a compassionate introduction to concepts of loss and remembrance and provides an entry point for young children to express and process emotions surrounding the death of a loved one.

‘Dying.” is an event series exploring death through the lens of Art & Design, running alongside the DesignTO Festival January 17 - 26, 2020. The event series will include art exhibits, a symposium and a number of free and facilitated group events across the city running both during and outside of DesignTO festival dates. The ‘Dying.’ series is a collaboration between the Health Design Studio at OCAD U and Taboo Health.

In 2019, the ‘Dying.’ series attracted over 3000 attendees, 14 speakers, including keynote Ivor Williams (Helix Centre, UK), and 12 exhibiting artists and designers over the course of the DesignTO festival. In its second year, ‘Dying.’ will continue to offer the public the opportunity to creatively engage in conversation about death and dying through the lens of art and design.