Illustrated by Bérengère Delaporte
Translated by Karen Li
3.5 stars
Told from the perspective of a child, this book is a touching story of grief, loss, and recovery. Everyone is excited about the new baby. They all prepare for the upcoming arrival. But when his parents come home from the hospital without his new sibling, the narrator is confused. His family comes together to help him understand what happened and work through the resulting emotions.
Thoughtful and sensitive. A nice way to start talking about death and grief, especially stillbirths and miscarriages. The book uses child-friendly language that doesn’t shy away from hard truths. Includes crucial points such as that death is forever, stillbirths are rare, and what happened wasn’t the narrator’s fault.
The soft illustrations pair well with straightforward narration.
A reflective story that shows facing hardships, how they effect us, and that life goes on. I loved the little ways the narrator hangs on to the sibling he never met. A sweet book on a difficult topic.