In her extraordinary debut picture book, Rebecca Cobb creates the perfect approach to a topic no one ever wants to have to tackle: the death of a parent.
Because she makes the child the narrator, Cobb achieves a level of honesty that's rare in books about loss. "Some time ago we said good-bye to Mommy," the child says. "I am not sure where she has gone." The child is the only splash of color amid a group of mourners dressed in black under umbrellas. Mother Nature, too, seems in synch with the narrator, whose father holds the child tight. The narrator searches the house for her and, alongside father and sister, leaves flowers at her gravesite ("I don't know why she hasn't taken them"). Cobb lays bare the range of emotions that such a deep loss exposes: "I feel so scared because I don't think she is coming back. And then I feel angry because I really want her to come back." Deceptively simple artwork in crayon or pastel evokes the immediacy of the child's changing emotions.
Cobb finds lighter moments, too, as the narrator tries to help with the chores, and swings between father and sister. One mostly white image showcases the child in the bottom right corner, facing away from readers: "I really miss my mommy." Cobb allows room for the big emotions, then offers a parting image of hope as the child waters the garden, "But I will always remember her." Sensitively and responsibly handled. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness