Review of A Last Goodbye by Elin Kelsey

How do we say goodbye to a loved one after they die?

This book broaches a difficult topic in a heartfelt way by exploring the beauty in how animals mourn. From elephants to whales, parrots to bonobos, and lemurs to humans, we all have rituals to commemorate our loved ones and to lift each other up in difficult times.

New from the award-winning team behind You Are Stardust, Wild Ideas, and You Are Never Alone, this book gently recognizes death as a natural part of life for humans and all animals. Written in spare, poetic language and illustrated with stunning dioramas, it draws out our similarities with other animals as it honors the universal experience of mourning. The touching and uplifting book ends on a hopeful note, showing how we live on both in memories and on the planet, our bodies nourishing new life in the Earth and the oceans.

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**My thoughts**

This is not a book that you are just going to randomly read for fun or leave out in your classroom. It's designated for those who are preparing to say goodbye to a loved one. The story was inspired by a young girl who was there when her dog had to be put down, but it also applies to people. I had a hard time getting through it, because it took me back to those final moments with each of my parents as they passed. I think I actually uttered some of those words to them.

It's also supposed to show how animals deal with death and grief, which I think too often we forget they also go through. 

I think maybe because of my own personal experience going through this relatively recently with my parents, it was harder for me to read the book from the perspective of animals. I think I know what the author's intention was. And I also had moments of remembering being there when my elderly pets also died recently and how the younger ones reacted. But the part about "I will watch our children grow up. I will watch our grandchildren, too," kind of threw me off a bit. I don't know how children will relate to that part. I felt like I was getting mixed stories from this one book. Is it people or is it animals? I think minus that little bit, I may have appreciated the story more.

Nevertheless, I think it could potentially be a starting point for conversation with children when you know that a pet or beloved relative or friend is going to pass on, how you can say goodbye and grieve as you remember them after they're gone. We never know how we are actually going to react as adults, let alone how the kids are going to react in these situations.

I will say that the illustrations are absolutely beautiful and do compel all kinds of emotions when you look at them. I could feel the sadness and the pain of the animals saying goodbye to their loved ones.

Thank you to the publisher for fulfilling my review request via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review of The Shared Room by Kao Kalia Yang

A family gradually moves forward after the loss of a child—a story for readers of all ages

When someone you love dies, you know what doesn’t die? Love. On the hot beach, among colorful umbrellas blooming beneath a bright sun, no one saw a little girl walk into the water. Now, many months later, her bedroom remains empty, her drawers hold her clothes, her pillows and sheets still have her scent, and her mother and father, brothers and sister carry her in their hearts, along with their grief, which takes up so much space. Then one snowy day, the mother and father ask the girl’s older brother, “Would you like a room of your own?” He wants to know, “Whose?” They say, “Your sister’s.”

Tenderly, and with refreshing authenticity, beloved Minnesota writer Kao Kalia Yang tells the story of a Hmong American family living with loss and tremendous love. Her direct and poignant words are accompanied by the evocative and expressive drawings of Hmong American artist Xee Reiter. The Shared Room brings a message of comfort and hope to readers young and old.

Book Links

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**My thoughts**

Please note that while this is a picture book, it is not appropriate for very young readers. It is the story of a family coping after their daughter passed away in a drowning accident, leaving behind her parents and three siblings. Understandably, there's a dark shadow that covers everything. And then one day, months later, the parents ask their one son if he would like to have his sister's room after having been sharing one with his brother all of these years. You can feel the pain of the parents as they are cleaning the room. One particular picture of the father really pierced my heart. So it's a small snippet of how a family tried to move on after such a horrific tragedy.

It's a very moving story and the pictures in particular really elicit a lot of emotion. I can't help but think that it is based on a true story. It captures some of the confusion and conflict that her older brother must have been feeling. But I felt like something was still missing. It felt like such a small snippet of the story that I wanted more from it. My cousin lost his son at a very young age in a tragic accident, so I know there would be more to the story that could be told. And yet reading it multiple times, I know that it was about how the family found a bit of peace while moving on. 

It's not a book that I would just randomly read to kids. I think it would be best for an older child who is dealing with loss in some kind of way, most likely also the death of a sibling. There's a lot to unpack in its simplicity. And this book is going to just barely scratch the surface. There's still a lot of discussion to be had. I gave it 2.5 stars. Beautiful, emotional pictures and a good concept that just fell a little short for me.

Thank you to the publisher for fulfilling my review request via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review of A Stopwatch from Grandpa by Loretta Garbutt

"When summer started, I got Grampa's stopwatch," a small child says. "I don't want his stopwatch. I want him." Grampa used to time everything. A race to the end of the street and back: 24 seconds. Eating bubblegum ice cream: 1 minute, 58 seconds. But now, Grampa's gone. "There are no more Grampa minutes, Grampa seconds," the child says. "Time just stops." As the seasons come and go, the stopwatch becomes a cherished symbol of remembrance, and the child uses it to carry on Grampa's favorite pastimes and traditions.

Loretta Garbutt uses subtlety and sensitivity to explore the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance) in this moving picture book story of loss. It features a gender-neutral main character (no first name or pronouns are given) making the story universally relatable. This is a perfect choice for fostering discussions with children about their emotions, particularly the feeling of loss. It also offers a poignant representation of an intergenerational relationship between a grandfather and grandchild. Carmen Mok's expressive and thoughtful illustrations employ a limited color palette to convey the character's emotional trajectory. There are curriculum applications here in social-emotional development as well as character education lessons in caring and resilience.

Book Links

Goodreads * Amazon * BN * IndieBound

**My thoughts**
It's a heartbreaking story as the young boy is trying to deal with the loss of his beloved grandfather. The opening lines actually cut me to the core, because I feel this so much: "When summer started, I got Grampa's stopwatch. I don't want his stopwatch. I want him." And I flashed back to losing my own grandparents as a child.

The stopwatch represents all of the fun that he had with his grandfather, because it was Grampa's favorite thing. They timed each other doing all kinds of things. And life just does not feel right. And he is angry. And then eventually, he is able to come back around and find the joy in the stopwatch again.

All of these feelings are completely normal to have. When you think about how hard it is for us as adults to process these feelings, imagine how much more difficult it is for a young child. Perhaps this book could help a child trying to deal with a loss or at least provide a foundation for some conversations.

4.5*s from me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.