Description
This poignant picture book explores the many faces of sadness and addresses the importance of mental health in a child-friendly way.
A small boy creates a shelter for his sadness so that he can visit it whenever he needs to, and the two of them can cry, talk, or just sit. The boy knows that one day his sadness may come out of the shelter, and together they will look out at the world and see how beautiful it is.
In this timely consideration of sadness and mental health, Anne Booth offers a beautiful depiction of how children (and everyone else) must care for their emotions and give attention to their grief on a regular basis. Stunning illustrations by David Litchfield bring the beautiful concept to life with a manifestation of sadness that the protagonist interacts with throughout the story.
Reviews
★ “Inspired by the writings of a Holocaust survivor, Booth’s graceful, understated text is open to interpretation according to the listener’s experiences, but the fundamental theme of accepting one’s sadness can resonate at any age. . . A beautiful, moving picture book.”—Booklist, Starred Review
“It seems useful and healthy to visualize compassion and acceptance toward one’s own feelings, and these meditative scenes provide gentle emotional prompts in that direction. . . The pair’s final walk into the sunset reinforces the complex, necessary idea that beautiful and difficult emotions can coexist.”—Kirkus Reviews
More Details
F&P: R, Gr 4, Genre F
Lexile: AD500L
Themes: Mental Health, Sadness, Depression, Grief
BISAC 1: JNF053230 JUVENILE NONFICTION / Social Topics / Depression & Mental Illness
BISAC 2: JUV039050 JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Emotions & Feelings
BISAC 3: JUV039030 JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Death, Grief, Bereavement
