Planting Sunshine

Written by Andrée Poulin

Illustrated by Enzo (Enzo Lord Mariano)

Groundwood Books

978-1-77946-095-0

116 pp.

Ages 9–12

February 2026 

 

As is often the case, Theo's day is normal enough until it isn't. And what changes everything is watching the news coverage of war breaking out far, far away.

Theo's father

turns on the TV— 

     and war arrives

in their living room. (pg. 9)

Theo cannot believe what he is hearing and seeing. Horrified by the sights and sounds of bombs and guns, tanks and drones, and most of all the destruction of people and place, Theo is troubled. He wants to know why this happens, whether they are safe, and asks why humans are so cruel.

From Planting Sunshine, written by Andrée Poulin, illustrated by Enzo

Though the countries involved are never identified, readers might recognize some of the images described as those from the attack on Ukraine by Russia, such as the elderly woman who confronts a Russian soldier with sunflower seeds and suggests that if he puts them in his pocket. . .

At least when you die here

     on the soil of my country

     the sunflowers will grow 

                    around you. (pg. 20)

Theo asks his neighbour Mrs. Lena, an elderly woman who grew up in "the country now caught in this terrible war" (pg. 21), about the war and this incident, and she tells him of the sunflower—soniashnyk, in Ukrainian—being the "flower that feeds hope." (pg. 22) Seeing Theo's continued distress, day after day, she gives him sunflower seeds to plant.

From Planting Sunshine, written by Andrée Poulin, illustrated by Enzo

Each day there is more horrific news from the war, and the details stay with Theo. He thinks about the numbers, about the images, about the losses, and all he can do is wonder why no one is stopping it. Each day Theo asks, "Will the war end today?" (pg. 38) The war may be very far away but it's impacting Theo in the way he sees life. The word "bomb" no longer reminds him of diving board cannonballs. His friends playing war angers him. His dad refuses to let Theo watch the news anymore, so Theo hides his tablet and watches at night. And then the nightmares start, a mix of anger, fear, hatred and more.

 

When he meets a girl drawing doves on a wall as protest, Theo is finally able to share what he's feeling–never wanting to burden Mrs. Lena or his teacher or his father—and feels a little less alone. And he finds his own way to express his anger and his grief. 

From Planting Sunshine, written by Andrée Poulin, illustrated by Enzo

Still, he is unconvinced that the war will end or that things would change, until Mrs. Lena offers him the idea of hope. She tells him, "Hope lives in the after." (pg. 91) And, with a little help from those around him, Theo finds a way to settle his anger, remember what should never be forgotten, work to help a cause, and find "a small way to start building peace." (pg. 110)

I could quote page after page of eloquent text that clutches at the heart of Theo's bewilderment and trauma. Andrée Poulin has always had a knack for telling tough stories lightly—not lightheartedly—for a young audience. Whether it's sanitation (Burying the Moon, 2021), diversity and tolerance (Tickled Pink, 2020), or abandonment (The Biggest Poutine in the World, 2016), Andrée Poulin recognizes that her audience is young, and will be impacted differently about important issues. Theo is just such a child, significantly impacted by a war thousands of kilometres away, and not understanding fully what is happening. He's feeling a lot and needs help understanding those emotions and directing them into activities that help. Andrée Poulin takes Theo full circle, from unfamiliarity with war, to an introduction by media, to immersion in images and sensory overload, to impact and trauma, and finally purposeful attention. And she does so eloquently in words and in verse form. This book will become an exemplar of telling a story with sensitivity and compassion, and awareness of how world events can impact children in powerful ways. 

From Planting Sunshine, written by Andrée Poulin, illustrated by Enzo

Enzo (a.k.a. Enzo Lord Mariano), a Montreal-based illustrator, provides the artwork that frames Andrée Poulin's story. Using Procreate with watercolour textures, Enzo gives us some war images—the ones of a blue tractor in a field of sunflowers that is later devastated by bombs is especially heartrending—but generally it's all about Theo because this is his story. It is not a story of war. It is a story of a boy who struggles with the concept of war and his emotions with the senseless destruction it perpetuates. Enzo helps us see Theo's anguish and his anger, the trauma of his sleepless nights, and his despondency. But Enzo also shows us family, friendship, and community, and how those can soften the suffering.

 

I don't think I can say enough about Planting Sunshine. (A French-language version, Semer des soleils, was published in 2024 by La courte echelle.) Not only does it remind all that there is an ongoing conflict in Ukraine, but that there are children beyond the borders of that war that are struggling with it. Highly sensitive children like Theo can be impacted by what they see and hear in the news and cannot always articulate what they are feeling or recognize how to grapple with those emotions. In a world of strife and public media, children will continue to be exposed to all manner of frightening news. Awareness of their potential struggles and attention to their needs might help them find ways to plant sunshine and to unearth hope.

Bark Twice for Murder (Orca Currents)

Written by John Lekich

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-4598-4148-2

120 pp.

Ages 9-12

RL 3.0

August 2025 

 

There may be a murder and some nefarious actions in John Lekich's latest hi-lo novel but, rest assured, regardless of the title, no dogs are injured, abused, or killed in Bark Twice for Murder. And though it may not be important to many readers, for this reader, it's critical. Instead, Bark Twice for Murder has food, humour, a mystery to solve, and a talking dog. See? Lots to love and nothing to fear.

 

Fourteen-year-old Harry lives with his grandmother Elinor since his parents were killed in a plane crash a few years earlier. His dad was a chef with a food truck named "Pasta Express," and his mom loved to bake. No surprise that Harry finds comfort—maybe a bit too much comfort, says his therapist—in cooking for others. Fortunately, he has lots of people to talk to after Elinor, who took over the food truck business and expanded it, has set up one truck outside of Vancouver's New Day Shelter to provide breakfasts and lunches for the unhoused. A lonely Harry likes getting to know the people there and becomes friendly with Stanley and his dog Waffles. The duo are noteworthy in several respects. First, Stanley was once a chef and begins to teach Harry how to cook and improve service. Second, he has conversations with Waffles who is a dog that hates being a dog. And when Rudy "the Worm" Carelli, a regular at their small takeout restaurant, tells Harry that Stanley has stolen a portrait from Rudy's father, and that Stanley is in danger, Harry gets involved.

 

But when Stanley is murdered, and Harry hears a voice in his head saying, "Somebody murdered my best friend" (p. 29), Harry is compelled to partner with Waffles to find Stanley's murderer and solve the mystery of the missing portrait of Rudy's grandmother.

John Lekich who first provided this reader with great laughs and characters in The Prisoner of Snowflake Falls (Orca, 2012) does so again in Bark Twice for Murder. His young protagonists always seem to get mixed up in some criminal activity but it's generally due to circumstances beyond their control and with them really trying to do good. And with some supernatural elements involving Waffles, both in his origin story and his ability to communicate with Stanley and then Harry, John Lekich surprises readers as well as makes them laugh. Add in characters named Jimmy the Fork, Carmine "the Cobra" Carelli, Shaky Sam, Rudy "the Worm" and, of course, Waffles the dog, and you've got a cast of quirky or unnerving personalities that take Harry out of his comfort zone and make him feel like he belongs.  

 

Don't be surprised if you can't figure out the mystery of the missing portrait or who murdered Stanley. John Lekich doesn't make it an easy solve, but he does let Harry solve it. Bark Twice for Murder may be a hi-lo story written at a third grade reading level, but John Lekich ensures that the story is intricate enough for older middle-grade readers to become invested in Harry's story and in solving the mystery. They might even get wrapped up in learning to cook risotto, lasagna, or minestrone. That's because John Lekich has seasoned this book with so much richness of story that they'll be barking—with laughter—for another. 

Memory Stones

Written by Kathy Kacer
Illustrated by Hayley Lowe
Second Story Press
978-1-77260-421-4
24 pp.
Ages 6–8
September 2025

Kathy Kacer, award-winning author of historical novels and non-fiction as well as picture books, often embeds her stories in the Holocaust. Being the daughter of Holocaust survivors, her stories reflect the courage and trauma of this genocide and its generational impact. In Memory Stones, her latest picture book, which is illustrated by Vancouver’s Hayley Lowe, Kathy Kacer again entwines multiple generations and shows how a child honours a special intergenerational relationship after her grandmother is gone.

From Memory Stones, written by Kathy Kacer, illustrated by Hayley Lowe

“Sophie loved her granny more than she loved stars or books or her hamster.” With this opening line, Kathy Kacer introduces readers to the meaningful ways Sophie and her grandmother spend time together: going to the ice cream parlour, swinging on swings in the park, skipping stones in the ravine, and tending to a vegetable garden. But when her grandmother dies, Sophie is dismayed to see how the flowers she takes to the cemetery wilt and fade so quickly. Her mother tells her of the tradition of laying stones on the grave as a message to the angels that the person buried there is remembered. Sophie takes that tradition and adapts it to reflect the personal attachment she had with her granny.

From Memory Stones, written by Kathy Kacer, illustrated by Hayley Lowe

For many children, the first death they may experience is that of a grandparent. If it’s a grandparent with whom they’ve had a special bond, as Sophie did with her granny, it can be especially distressing. Kathy Kacer ensures that this connection is recognized by Sophie’s mother who gives the child the opportunity to express her grief as she chooses. By guiding her while encouraging her to make it personal, Kathy Kacer has provided a template on how to help a child through their grief. While the death of a grandparent is often tied up with heartache, illustrator Hayley Lowe uses pencil, gouache and digital tools in subdued but heartfelt colours to blend the sombreness of bereavement with the memories of pleasure derived from a special relationship.

From Memory Stones, written by Kathy Kacer, illustrated by Hayley Lowe

For children who will experience a loss, Memory Stones will reassure them that they can be empowered to make personal choices that may offer comfort and even uplift, whether with the placement of memory stones or with reminiscing about cherished moments.

The Rock and the Butterfly

Written by Kathy Stinson

Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-4598-3700-3

32 pp.

Ages 6-8

October 2024 

 

There was a rock and there was a butterfly. Together their story is far greater than the sum of their parts. 

From The Rock and the Butterfly, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Once there was a rock that sat solidly on the ground.

 

And once there was a butterfly that flitted and fluttered everywhere.

The contrast in the rock and the butterfly is best understood when the butterfly tires from too much flitting and tucks itself into a groove in the rock to rest and keep the world from spinning. The rock offers comfort and safety. That is, until one day, the rock is gone.

From The Rock and the Butterfly, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

The butterfly really needs the rock and it is perplexed because a "rock was always where you left it...wasn't it?" Bereft, the butterfly looks for that comfort and safety elsewhere. It tries a hanging leaf and the space between blades of grass, but it cannot find a refuge that replicates that rest and security.

From The Rock and the Butterfly, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Still, relegated to take shelter on the ground itself, the butterfly finds that this last resort offers new possibilities to feel the warmth of the sun and the calm of the moonlight and get just a bit of that quivering joy back into its wings. The rock may be gone but the ground that cradled it can now offer support to another.

Oh my. There's no way a reader would know that this is a story about friendship and support, but also loss and grief and finally acceptance. That's a lot for a picture book. But it's not an "in-your-face" message about dealing with loss. Author Kathy Stinson has given younger readers a lovely story about two friends but, with a little help from an older reader, adult or otherwise, they may be able to see beyond the obvious and see a deeper relationship. They could see sadness and coping, joy and growth. Kathy Stinson, author extraordinaire of everything from picture books like Red is Best, The Man with the Violin and The Dog Who Wanted to Fly to young adult novels like What Happened to Ivy, always finds a way to tell important stories but in discrete plots and, often, with few words that are staggeringly impactful. It may be a story about a rock and a butterfly, but it goes beyond that simple premise, and speaks to the connection that bolsters life.

From The Rock and the Butterfly, written by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Brooke Kerrigan, who illustrated one of my favourite Christmas stories (The Christmas Wind by Stephanie Simpson McLellan), uses a blend of watercolour, gouache, pencil crayon and ink, with digital layering to achieve extraordinarily simple but robust artwork. As the title suggests, there are few characters that progress the story line, but Brooke Kerrigan focuses on the butterfly as it struggles, despairs, and rallies. Her nuance in the butterfly's disposition keeps the focus on that character while placing it in a vast and gorgeous world of land and sea, sky and weather. (Just look at those flowers in the illustration above.)

 

The Rock and the Butterfly released today, and I hope that parents and teachers will grab it for meaningful discussions. I believe that it's a story that encompasses much depth that would make it a basis for numerous lessons, from those about loss and grief to visual literacy–what does the butterfly show in its demeanour?–and speculation about the outcome for the rock. I could even see science lessons about living and non-living things and their relationships, and creative writing about the future for the butterfly, and even the absentee rock. But, most of all, The Rock and the Butterfly reminds us that loss is not limited to humans and that dealing with loss is a natural process that requires self-care, time, and a support system. Fortunately for this butterfly, healing is realized.

Little Moons

Written by Jen Storm

Illustrated by Ryan Howe

Coloured by Alice RL

Lettered by Nickolej Villiger

HighWater Press

978-1-774921074

64 pp.

Ages 12–18

September 2024

 

Little Moons is a story of great loss. It's also a story of family and connection, even after loss. Sadly, it's also a story based too much in reality.

From Little Moons, written by Jen Storm, illustrated by Ryan Howe, coloured by Alice RL, lettered by Nickolej Villiger

Reena lives on the reserve with her mom, Andrea, 15-year-old sister Chelsea, young brother Theo and grandmother Koko. The kids' dad, Anthony, also lives there though Mom and Dad are not together anymore. Mom works tirelessly at traditional bead work which Chelsea learned to do, beading her own regalia after her woman's ceremony. 

 

And then Chelsea does not return from going shopping after school. Even with a community helping in the search and getting news out via social media and with involvement of the police, she is not found. The seasons come and go and still no Chelsea. 

From Little Moons, written by Jen Storm, illustrated by Ryan Howe, coloured by Alice RL, lettered by Nickolej Villiger

But what changes is the family. While Reena tries to connect with Chelsea, wearing her regalia to a Pow Wow, beading, and watching flickering lights that may mean Chelsea's spirit is around, Mom has gone beyond her depression and has headed to the city. First, it's just for a break but then she decides to move there. 

"I don't want to live and die on the Rez." (p. 23)

From Little Moons, written by Jen Storm, illustrated by Ryan Howe, coloured by Alice RL, lettered by Nickolej Villiger

Mom may think this will work to alleviate her grief, meeting new people, getting a non-Indigenous boyfriend–who is both a jerk and racist–and getting a job away from the Rez but Dad convinces her to let the kids remain with him. And Theo reveals to Reena that he sees ghosts that look like little moons, and that "Sister" has told him that she's sorry.

When Chelsea's bag is found buried in the forest near the highway, the family finds a way to connect with each other and to follow their traditions "to light her way to the other side." (p. 52)

From Little Moons, written by Jen Storm, illustrated by Ryan Howe, coloured by Alice RL, lettered by Nickolej Villiger

Little Moons may be another story of another missing or murdered Indigenous woman but it's not just another story. Jen Storm, an Ojibwe writer from Couchiching First Nation, has put her own experiences with a loved one who went missing and was later found dead into her story. She witnessed the range of expressions of grief and guilt and coping that family and friends showed. Most just do their best with what they have available and with what is familiar. Running away, looking for answers, insulating from others, these are just some ways, and Jen Storm does not judge. She just shows what it can be like. But she always shows that there is solace in spirituality and in traditions. Theo, based on Jen Storm's own son, is reassured when he connects with Chelsea who approaches him via his toys and the orbs that he sees. Reena buries medicine pouches, burning her cut braid in the sacred fire, and more. We all know there is no one way to grieve but it all changes when it is a missing and then presumed murdered Indigenous woman. Connecting with their sacred traditions and each other worked for this family.

From Little Moons, written by Jen Storm, illustrated by Ryan Howe, coloured by Alice RL, lettered by Nickolej Villiger

A lot of talent went into the creation of the graphics for Jen Storm's story. Saskatoon's Ryan Howe has created people and places that reflect the reserve on which this family resides, as well as the city to which Andrea moves. He gives us a family of a wise elder, a young and playful child, a forlorn Reena, and a restless Andrea, as well as a present but reserved Anthony. We see a community that sits around a fire but will take to social media when needed. He's given us the traditional and the urban, and his concepts of people and place evoke both the familiar and the less familiar. Ryan Howe's artwork is brought to life by the colouring of Alice RL, a non-binary Ojibwe artist living in Winnipeg, and the lettering of comic book artist and illustrator Nickolej Villiger of Lethbridge. Without these, the book would not be the graphic novel that is both heartrending and uplifting. There is no happy ending but there is still family and traditions that bind and elevate.

Plague Thieves

Written by Caroline Fernandez

DCB Young Readers
978-1-77086-732-1
208 pp.
Ages 9–12
May 2024

 

It's 1665 and twelve-year-old Rose lives with her parents and sixteen-year-old brother Lem above their spice shop in London, England. Though Lem hates working in the shop, instead sneaking off to join his delinquent friends, Rose loves helping her father out, learning about spices for cooking, medicines, and cleaning. And then "the sickness crept into London." (p. 5) When Mother comes back from the market with flea bites and takes to her bed, Father closes the shop and sends the children to stay there. Via notes, he instructs Rose to collect ingredients for him so that he might create a medicinal oil to heal Mother. But his efforts are to no avail and Mother dies. Before Father also succumbs to the illness they should not name aloud, he gives Rose the recipe for an oil he believes will protect them. He tells them all the ingredients but one, though Rose knows what it is. They are instructed to place the oil on a handkerchief and set it over their noses and mouths as a mask. His last warning is to not to tell anyone about the oil and to do whatever they must to survive.

 Steal. Trade. Survive. (p. 18)

When they have left, Father burns the shop, and the two young people are truly homeless. With but a few coins and some silver spoons to trade, Rose and Lem each take one of the three bottles of oil she has made from Father's recipe and bury the third beneath a bridge where they also find shelter for themselves. And so begins their lives on the streets of London, finding any means to survive, including becoming thieves. That is, until Lem does not return one night. Now Rose is alone, evading anyone who recognizes her as the daughter of the spice merchant who was rumoured to know the cure for the Great Plague.

Rose builds a new life on the street with others who have lost jobs or homes because of the plague and are now struggling as she is to survive. Among these displaced persons are Elizabeth and her five-year-old daughter Clove; Amon, the son of a trader from Shanty Town; and two former farmhands Cinn and Cal. Rose doesn't know whom she can trust but she does know to avoid the black-clad man with the strange bird mask whom she calls the beast and who always seems to be around plague houses. 

From the mundane life of household chores, working with her father, and the drudgery of life in 1665 London, Rose's life becomes one of a dubious nature, never knowing whether there will be food, whether there will be shelter, who might be dangerous, and, worse of all, if they will be able to evade the plague itself. Accompanying Rose as she navigates arduous roads of grief and fear and desperation, young readers will get a very good idea about the historic hardships of an epidemic of which little was known, during which all actions were driven by fear. Caroline Fernandez tells Rose's story as an edge-of-your-seat read, keeping us wondering the whole time. We know there won't be a happy ending–it is the time of the Great Plague of London after all–but Caroline Fernandez invests us in Rose and other characters, most notably Amon, hopeful that they will survive and find some light out of the darkness. She definitely gives the atmosphere of anxiety and even despair, but she doesn't overdo it, never frightening the reader with the circumstances but instead helps us understand what life would have been like in 1665 London both before and during the Great Plague. With Plague Thieves, Caroline Fernandez has given us a spell-binding read that captivates but also enlightens about a time in which bleakness was almost inescapable.

Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities

Written by Casey Lyall

Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins)

978-0-06-323987-6

288 pp.

Ages 8–13

May 2024

Bringing people back to life is an unusual service for a funeral home, but it is one my family did with great pride. (p. 1)

Twelve-year-old Kimmy Jones knows it's a privilege to have the Jones's gift of Waking those newly departed who have some unfinished business and to grant them one last wish. Her father, Nathan, now passed, had it and so does Kimmy's Grandma Bev on her father's side. In fact, Grandma Bev is training Kimmy now that the child has turned 12. Kimmy's mom Julia and her stepdad Alex know what Grandma Bev and Kimmy can do and allow them to perform Wakings at their Jones Family Funeral Home though they are cautious as Kimmy is still a trainee and everyone insists she honour the boundaries that have been placed on their gift. And though Kimmy is able to Wake, everything changes when Grandma Bev dies. 

 

When Kimmy tries to Wake Grandma Bev, knowing she had secrets still to share with Kimmy, including the recipe for her awesome cookies, all she gets is a nosebleed.

How could she let her spark move on and pretend she had no unfinished business?

She had me. (p. 57)

Worse yet, months afterwards, Kimmy is still having no success in Waking, though the power she used to feel in her chest when she was trying to Wake someone has become a "tug, tug, tug" that never leads to anything. 

When a boy around her age is found dead in the park, Kimmy is convinced that here is a soul who definitely has unfinished business i.e., revealing who murdered him. She breaks into the hospital morgue and, pushing harder than she ever has, Wakes Devon who doesn't know what happened to him. Surprisingly, Devon does not return to dead when Kimmy breaks the connection. Now Kimmy has a bigger problem: she's got a kid who is supposed to be dead but isn't and who can't go home, and she needs to figure out why he's still Awake and how did he die. 

With much humour and sharp investigative skills, Kimmy and Devon and a motley group of family and newly dead work to determine what is going on with the dead in their town of Basbridge, including Grandma Bev, and put things to right.

 

Casey Lyall, whose most recent book Gnome is Where Your Heart Is was nominated for a Silver Birch Fiction award, knows how to blend all the right elements for a comedic supernatural mystery, while making sure that readers understand how overwhelming death and grief can be. Still there is a message about life being for the living, except sometimes if you've been dead (!). Young readers on the Silver Birch Forest Kid Committee put this new book on their summer reading list of recommended Canadian titles for middle grade readers and they know great books when they read them. Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities is a fabulous read. It has laughter and magic, mystery and life lessons about death and grief and living. 

Devon stared at the sign. "You live in a funeral home?'

"Yup."

His eyebrows crawled up his forehead. "And you bring dead people back to life?"

"I told you!" I flung a hand in the air. "It's not usually permanent!"

"Terrible business model," he muttered. (p. 108)

For many young readers, Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities will be a can't-put-it-down read, especially once they get invested in the characters, most notably Kimmy and Devon. They'll want to know if Devon becomes a zombie, gets to go home or dies again. They'll want to know why Kimmy can't find Grandma Bev's spark to Wake her for her last few minutes or whether the gift of Waking has died for the Jones family. There is a mystery to solve–remember Devon was murdered–and some family secrets and legacy to sort out. Did I mention there was magic at hand too?

The story in Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities is rich, like Grandma Bev's complex cookie recipe that Kimmy just can't replicate. She tries but it's just so sophisticated that you can't always figure out why and how it works so well. That's what Casey Lyall's writing is like. I don't know how she does it, but Casey Lyall has always done mysteries well (see her Howard Wallace, P. I. series) but what brings everything to life–pun intended–is the way she weaves humour and compassion into her stories. Her books, like Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities, are complete packages that have everything to entertain, to inspire the imagination, and to subtly support middle graders who might be dealing with their own family issues, including grief. Casey Lyall may not purport to provide answers but it's more than enough that she can delight us with her clever plotting, her vibrant characters, and her ability to astonish with the supernatural that is still wholly believable.

Because I Already Loved You

Written by Andrée-Anne Cyr

Illustrated by Bérengère Delaporte

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-973-9

32 pp.

Ages 3-6

August 2023

Reviewed from uncorrected proofs

 

There is often so much anticipation for the birth of a new baby. There are the parents, of course, whose lives will be significantly altered in love and lifestyle, but also for other family members, including young children. But what happens when things do not go to plan and there is no baby to join the family?

From Because I Already Loved You, written by Andrée-Anne Cyr, illus. by Bérengère Delaporte

The young child in Because I Already Loved You knows that a baby is coming, and he is excited. He can touch his mother's belly and feel the baby move. And everyone is preparing for the baby's arrival, from his dad who is painting the room next to his, and his grandmother retrieving stored baby toys and his uncle teaching the child to do magic tricks for his new sibling. The child gets in on all the preparations, drawing his own pictures, and choosing a toy to give to the baby, and practising entertaining tricks.

From Because I Already Loved You, written by Andrée-Anne Cyr, illus. by Bérengère Delaporte

Then Mommy and Daddy announce that the baby is on the way. But when they return, the child doesn't understand why the baby isn't with them. When he is told the baby died, he doesn't understand that the baby will not be coming back. He watches as his family deals in the aftermath of the stillbirth and tries to find a way to remember and cope with his own sadness "because I already loved you!"

From Because I Already Loved You, written by Andrée-Anne Cyr, illus. by Bérengère Delaporte

There are many stories about children anticipating the birth of a new sibling and there are quite a few about death and grief, primarily related to grandparents and pets. But never have I read a story that addresses a family's heartache upon a stillbirth, particularly from the perspective of a young child. Quebec author Andrée-Anne Cyr gives us the full range of emotions for this family, first so filled with longing and hope for a new child, and then the overwhelming sorrow and disorientation when that joyous event turns to one of loss. The child gets caught up in all of it, from the excitement of preparations and expectancy for a sibling to love and teach and play with, to the sadness of missing someone they'd already fallen in love with and of witnessing the pain of his parents and other family members. And though there is healing with time, that absentee baby will never be forgotten because, as the little boy tells it, "I've saved you a place in my heart." While Andrée-Anne Cyr keeps the text simple, conveying ideas and feelings spoken from a young child's point of view, it is also profound in depth of feeling. There is an intensity and authenticity in the child's words and thoughts, from the pleasure of anticipating a sibling to the grief because of their loss, and I'm saddened for anyone who has experienced such a bereavement. 

 

French artist Bérengère Delaporte conveys that full range of emotion in her illustrations, whether it's the joy and wonder of children or the gravitas of weighty circumstances as grief. With sensitivity and  acumen, Bérengère Delaporte ensures that the family remains the same at their core but changes the atmosphere around them. Their sorrow is seen as a pall, a dark cloud that hangs over the family, something that can, with time, dissipate.

From Because I Already Loved You, written by Andrée-Anne Cyr, illus. by Bérengère Delaporte

I've learned that stillbirths are not as uncommon as I'd thought, occurring about once in every two hundred births, depending on location and other circumstances. As such, a lovely picture book like Because I Already Loved You will be a valuable bibliotherapeutic resource for helping young children comprehend never meeting a sibling whose arrival they'd been expecting. And they can be assured that the love for that baby will not disappear, just be held forever in memory and in heart.

• • • • • • •

The original story is a French-language edition titled Je t'aimais déjà (Les 400 coups, 2021).

• • • • • • •

Granny Left Me a Rocket Ship

Written by Heather Smith

Illustrated by Ashley Barron

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0552-8

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

June 2023

 

This is a story of what is left after a grandparent passes. Many think of the tangible bequests. This child's inheritance is so much more.

From Granny Left Me a Rocket Ship, written by Heather Smith, illus. by Ashley Barron

When Granny dies, there was a hole in our family.
Remembering her helped us fill it.

After a boy's grandmother dies, his family deals with their grief in different ways. There's the sharing of stories and photos, and there's reminiscing about the items she bequeathed them. But what did she leave him? It wasn't one thing. She's left him an abundance of memories of adventures that they'd created together. 

From Granny Left Me a Rocket Ship, written by Heather Smith, illus. by Ashley Barron

Whether it's the memory of creating a tent with blankets or a flying broomstick, a knight's sword on which marshmallows were roasted, or a rocket ship, often using Granny's blue cane, this child has a lifetime of memories of fantastic exploits.

Grief and loss are handled differently for everyone and will definitely vary between adults and children. The adults in this household must get on with the task of sorting out Granny's home and cherishing unique gifts bestowed on them, as do the two older children. But what the narrator gets is far greater and this child knows it. Heather Smith, author of everything from picture books like Annie's Cat is Sad to middle-grade novels in verse (e.g., Ebb & Flow) and YA like The Agony of Bun O'Keefe, always gets into the heart of feelings. She finds a way to see something positive and uplifting even in the challenging times. Here, a child is dealing with the loss of a beloved grandparents, and he finds a way to be grateful for the experiences he had with his grandmother. We've all heard of or experienced how a family loss can become a struggle of disputes with who got what, but this child sees beyond the material things his parents and siblings got and knows that he got so much more. He didn't get the tuba or the record collection or the microscope but he got everything he wanted in adventures and time and imaginative play with an elder he loved. In few words, Heather Smith lets us feel the adoration and gratitude.

From Granny Left Me a Rocket Ship, written by Heather Smith, illus. by Ashley Barron

From Ashley Barron's cut-paper collage with watercolour, and acrylic and pencil crayon, readers will never experience the grief that is the reason that the child was left something at all. There is no somberness to Ashley Barron's illustrations and that's because, while this boy and his family have experienced a loss, they are grateful for the gifts and time and  relationships they've had with their mother and grandmother. For the narrator, the gift of time and connection takes him from Granny's very real living room into his imagination with palm trees and teal waters to dragons and owls.

When Granny died,

she left me a world of adventure...

that I can take with me wherever I go.

What a gift.

The Remembering Stone

Written and illustrated by Carey Sookocheff

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-589-2

40 pp.

Ages 3-6

March 2023

Sometimes a stone is more than a stone. Sometimes it's a memory, sometimes it's a connection, and sometimes it's an opportunity.

Alice has brought a stone for show-and-tell. Of course, her classmates see it as a stone. A rock. A piece of earth. Though she has lots of stories about using it to trick her dad or as a shape for tracing, it's the memory of skipping stones with her grandpa that is most important. Her grandpa knew how to skip stones and pick out the perfect ones. When he'd found this perfect stone, Alice had kept it in her pocket, probably for their next outing but perhaps because she didn't want to give it up to the water.

From The Remembering Stone by Carey Sookocheff

But when her grandpa got sick and passed away, the stone became something more.

From The Remembering Stone by Carey Sookocheff

The response to her show-and-tell stone may not have been what Alice expected but, when she realizes she's lost her stone on the playground, her classmates understand how important it is to her and they all start looking. They find a lot of stones, though not her special stone. Still, her new stones become something more too.

From The Remembering Stone by Carey Sookocheff

Carey Sookocheff's story is as deceptively simple as her illustrations. It may appear only to be about a girl and a stone which connects her to her grandfather. But Carey Sookocheff uses that stone as a bridge beyond that intergenerational relationship and allows Alice to see that it is both something special and something ordinary. The stone's value is what she places on it. It can remind her of her grandpa or help make new connections with her classmates or it can be just a skipping stone. Regardless of what the stone or stones have been or become, they have meaning, even when they're gone. 

The Remembering Stone truly becomes Carey Sookocheff's story because she illustrates it. Using acrylic gouache and graphite, she embeds the story in reality. Her art is clean and smooth and gives a calmness to being with others. It's the reality of going to school, participating in show-and-tell, spending time with a grandparent, and losing a grandparent. It's all about what a child might experience so it will speak to many children. But, while the story connects with young readers, it will also give them an opportunity to see that there are opportunities beyond the obvious. A skipping stone becomes a memory first but then it transforms both in its presence and in its absence. It's a remembering stone even when it's not.

Otis & Peanut

Written by Naseem Hrab

Illustrated by Kelly Collier

Owlkids Books

978-1-77147-496-2

80 pp.

Ages 6-8

April 2023

Otis is a long-haired guinea pig. Peanut is a naked mole rat. And they are as different in their personalities as they are physically. Yet, they are the best of friends, being for the other what they are not easily themselves. Together, they will touch your heart and remind you that diversity gives the world a soul.

From Otis & Peanut by Naseem Hrab, illus. by Kelly Collier

Told in three graphic stories, author Naseem Hrab, recent finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for Weekend Dad, introduces us to her unlikely friends Otis and Peanut. In the first story, The Haircut, the two set off for the barbershop to get Otis a much-needed haircut. Unfortunately, their fears about the process and what they might look like causes them much anxiety. As Peanut tries to help Otis embrace change, Peanut realizes that they too would enjoy change. While that could be a new hat, a new coat, and new shoes, it might include a new friend. Fortunately, with a haircut, Otis becomes that new friend!

From Otis & Peanut by Naseem Hrab, illus. by Kelly Collier

The Swing is the second story in the book and focuses on Otis missing their friend Pearl. As Otis tries to subdue the sadness that keeps him from enjoying a swing, Peanut recognizes that recalling the good memories of Pearl is important, as is accepting that grief and joy can coexist.

From Otis & Peanut by Naseem Hrab, illus. by Kelly Collier

In the final chapter titled The House, Otis is decorating their new house to make it a true home. 

"Well, I want to feel like my heart is here. So I'm painting it my favorite colors. And putting special things inside of it and outside of it."

From the front door to the lilac bush, Otis has reminders of friends that make the house truly his. But when there still feels like something is missing, Peanut becomes the solution.

There have been many comparisons of Otis and Peanut to the celebrated Frog and Toad as a duo of friends that learn from their interactions with each other and others. But I think Otis and Peanut are far more diverse both in their appearance and their demeanors. Naseem Hrab has made Peanut the confident and extroverted character, eager to take on change and challenges, while Otis is more sedate and thoughtful, more sensitive to their feelings and surroundings. But both are capable of expressing themselves beyond those personalities, with Peanut showing compassion and insight beyond what might be expected of an exuberant extrovert and Otis able to enjoy things beyond self and feeling. Through their self-expression and Nassem Hrab's storytelling, Otis and Peanut have loads to teach young readers about friendship, grief, change and self.

Those important lessons come by way of a lightness of text and art. Kelly Collier–whose Steve the Horse series was reviewed here–illustrated this early graphic novel digitally and yet it has the delicacy of ink and watercolour. Surprisingly, the economy of her palette brings a boldness to the illustrations. While Otis and Peanut are essentially black and white with only the barest hints of pink for ears and nose and such, Kelly Collier saves the chartreuse yellow, pale turquoise and bright pink for backgrounds and large swaths of coats and furniture and such. It is a limited palette but it's fabulous to highlight Otis and Peanut, the stars of the stories.

It's tough to write an early reader that doesn't talk down to kids while addressing big issues like grief and friendship and home. But Naseem Hrab has done so with her words and, with Kelly Collier's graphic novel illustrations, Otis & Peanut is sure to be a hit. And, since this is only Book #1, there will be more stories with which we can visit Otis and Peanut, and I look forward to all of them.