On Death, Loss, and Grief
The CBC looks for a theme to spotlight in each month’s Hot Off the Press list so that we can alert parents, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and all children’s book enthusiasts to important new offerings from our member publishers.
Part of the magic of books is their ability to take big, serious topics and repackage them into bite-size, age-appropriate, accessible pieces. One such topic that can be difficult to discuss is death. From a self-help book about the grieving process to a picture book about children paying tribute to a beloved pet to a graphic novel dealing with the loss of a sibling, these introspective titles from our September Hot Off the Press list look at the many ways grief changes a person.
At the End of the River Styx, by Michelle Kulwicki (Page Street Publishing / Page Street YA) — LGBTQIA+, Romance, Folklore / Fairytales / Myths, Death / Grief / Loss, Teen.
Before he can be reborn, Zan has spent 499 years bound in a 500-year curse to process souls for the monstrous Ferryman—and if he fails he dies.
In Portland, Bastian is grieving. He survived a car accident that took his mother and impulse-purchased a crumbling bookstore with the life insurance money.
But in sleep, death’s mark keeps dragging Bastian into Zan’s office. It shouldn’t be a problem to log his soul and forget he ever existed. But when Zan follows Bastian through his memories of grief and hope, Zan realizes that he is not ready for Bastian to die.
The boys borrow time hiding in the memories of the dead while the Ferryman hunts them, and Zan must decide if he’s willing to give up his chance at life to save Bastian—and Bastian must decide if he’s willing to keep living if it means losing Zan.
Ghost Writer, by Stephanie Wildman & Cecelia Populus-Eudave; illustrated by Estefanía Razo (Lawley Publishing ) — Holidays / Seasons / Celebrations, Cultural Diversity, Death / Grief / Loss, Family / Community, ages 4-6.
Twins Flor and Roberto and their big brother Luis are back again, just in time for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. But Halloween reminds them of Julio, their beloved Boston Terrier who’d passed away. From conjuring La Catrina for a Halloween costume to decorating the altar with treats that Julio loved, the twins and Luis combine holiday traditions and come back in touch with happy memories of their pet. Bonus content provides directions for creating papel picado, a Dia de Los Muertos tradition, representing the wind and fragility of life.
Grampy’s Chair, by Rebecca Thomas; illustrated by Coco Apunnguaq Lynge (Annick Press) — Death / Grief / Loss, BIPOC Characters and Creators, Social Emotional Learning, Family / Community, ages 4-6.
A heartwarming story about lifelong love and loss told from the perspective of a grandfather’s favorite chair.
Grampy’s chair sits in the middle of his living room and always keeps an eye on My Love. The Chair is the perfect spot for My Love to learn to read, to play games with her friends, and The Chair is always extra soft when My Love is sick. As My Love grows up, The Chair sees Grampy grow older and My Love must care for him. One day Grampy is gone, and The Chair is moved to a space with only a few things it recognizes (and a few spiders too). Will it see My Love again?
In this poignant story inspired by her own grandfather and his chair, Rebecca Thomas invites readers of all ages to explore love, grief, and the important moments in life that take place in our favorite spots. With lively illustrations from Coco A. Lynge and featuring a heartfelt author’s note, Grampy’s Chair takes the readers through loss, and how we can be found again by the ones we love.
It Won’t Ever Be the Same, by Korie Leigh, Ph.D. (Free Spirit Publishing) — Death / Grief / Loss, Mental / Physical Health, Social Emotional Learning, Teen.
Help young people name, express, and give shape to their grief with this book on grieving for teens.
Whether teens are in the midst of their first grief experience or have experienced grief before, It Won’t Ever Be the Same is designed to support them. Reflections, analogies, and suggested activities within the pages guide teens in working through and making sense of their personal and complex grief experiences, and words and artwork from other grieving teens help them feel less alone and more connected.
It Won’t Ever Be the Same is a validating and reassuring book that speaks directly to teens experiencing grief, providing them with tools to understand, express, and cope. Written by grief counselor Dr. Korie Leigh, the book touches upon big milestones in the grief journey, starting with new grief and continuing through the days, weeks, months, and years after. Each chapter ends with a Give It a Try activity idea to help teens build an understanding of what they’re going through. Other moments throughout invite teens to reflect on a specific question or experience, tune in to what they’re feeling, or try out a new way of viewing or being in their grief.
John the Skeleton, by Triinu Laan; illustrated by Marja-Liisa Plats; translated by Adam Cullen (Restless Books / Yonder) — Death / Grief / Loss, Family / Community, Places / Travel, Kindness / Generosity, ages 4-6.
For this newly retired classroom skeleton, life is just beginning. When Gramps and Grams bring John to their farm deep in the woods of South Estonia, each day becomes a new adventure: rescuing snails, making snow angels, even sitting in a closet at an art exhibit. Award-winning author Triinu Laan weaves death and grief into the bright fabric of life, crafting a tender, humorous portrait of what it means to care for one another, grow old together, and appreciate the little things.
The Language of Flowers, by Shyala Smith; illustrated by Aaron Asis (Lantana Publishing) — Death / Grief / Loss, Cultural Diversity, Science / Nature, ages 4-6.
Juhi loves helping her Appa sell flowers to the local community. In Appa’s flower shop, Juhi knows the language of love – lilies for adoration, irises for hugs and kisses. She knows the language of faith – frangipani for full moon days, red hibiscus for the temple. But when her Appa tells her that her favorite customer has passed away, she does not know the language of grief. While Appa makes a bouquet of lilies and orchids to bring to Mr Potter’s funeral, Juhi decides to make him one final bouquet of her own. What flowers will she choose to remember a man who was always so full of life? A moving story about grief, self-expression, and finding reasons to celebrate even at life’s toughest moments.
Little Moons, by Jen Storm; illustrated by Ryan Howe, Alice RL, and Nickolej Villiger (Portage & Main Press / HighWater Press) — BIPOC Characters and Creators, Death / Grief / Loss, Cultural Diversity, Family / Community, Teen.
In this moving graphic novel, thirteen-year-old Reanna grieves the loss of her older sister. Can she find comfort through her family’s Ojibwe traditions?
It’s been a year since Reanna’s sister, Chelsea, went missing on her way home from school. Without any idea of what happened, Reanna and her family struggle to find closure.
Driven from her home by memories, Reanna’s mom moves to the big city. Left behind on the reserve, Reanna and her little brother go to live with their dad.
Reanna is hurt and angry that her mom has run away. She feels lonely and abandoned…but she is not alone. Lights turn on in empty rooms, and objects move without being touched.
There are little moons everywhere.
A Second Chance on Earth, by Juan Vidal (Holiday House) — Coming of Age, BIPOC Characters and Creators, Death / Grief / Loss, Family / Community, Teen.
A father, a friend, and a favorite book help a teen boy understand love and loss in this moving and vivid YA novel in verse.
Have you ever encountered a book that KO’d you, Iron Mike Tyson style? One that hit you square in the face and heart like some abracadabra casting a hex from an unknown planet?
For sixteen-year-old poet and b-baller Marcos Cadena, that book is the beat-up copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude he finds among his late father’s possessions after Papi is killed in an accident.
Marcos’ papi has always loomed large in his eyes. So, when Marcos travels to his parents’ childhood home of Cartagena, Colombia to spread Papi’s ashes, he brings his father’s book with him, convinced that Gabriel García Márquez’s masterpiece holds the key to understanding Papi’s life and accepting his death.
In Cartagena, Marcos befriends eighteen-year-old Camilo, a taxi driver and fellow García Márquez fan who appoints himself Marcos’ unofficial tour guide. Together, the two boys explore the landscape of Cartagena, from the picturesque streets of Old Town to the poor neighborhood where Camilo grew up. But when Camilo reveals a troubling secret from his past, Marcos must ask himself whether everyone deserves a second chance.
Woven through with themes of friendship, family, and forgiveness, this poignant novel in verse is also a love letter to Colombia and to the books of Gabriel García Márquez.
Such Lovely Skin, by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne (Page Street Publishing / Page Street YA) — Horror, Death / Grief / Loss, Coming of Age, Family / Community, Teen.
Viv isn’t known for telling the truth, but she’s not lying about having an evil doppelgänger.
After spending the summer wracked with guilt about causing the accident that killed her little sister, ambitious gamer and chronic liar Viv returns to Twitch streaming. She never told her parents the truth about the accident, but she hopes that maybe making it big in streaming and giving the money to them is penance enough for her mistakes.
The weekend before school starts, Viv finds the perfect horror game to make her Twitch comeback, and during an offline practice run, an NPC asks Viv for a secret. She decides to tell them the truth about her sister’s death since a game could never share her secret—in doing so, she accidentally welcomes a demonic mimic into her life.
No one believes Viv when she tells them about her evil doppelgänger. Viv has lied to get her best friend’s sympathy and has spread rumors for attention, so why should anyone trust her now? The only person who believes her is Ash, a cute social outcast whom Viv once bullied. In trying to clear her name and kill the mimic, Viv discovers that her lies have hurt people who never deserved it, herself included.
For more great book suggestions, be sure to check out the full September Hot Off the Press list!
List compiled by CBC’s resident book connoisseur, Brooke Pisarsky. Check out other Hot Off the Press Spotlight book lists on our blog.
