French author/illustrator Olivier Tallec compassionately introduces the challenging concept of death to young readers in Is It Asleep?, thoughtfully translated by Antony Shugaar. Tallec's third book starring an unnamed squirrel, after It's MY Tree and A Better Best Friend, opens with two bffs "sit[ting] on the old stump and watch[ing] the birds flash by." Squirrel and mushroom buddy Pock head to the yellow meadow, seeking "the bird we like best," only to discover the blackbird "lying there completely still." No amount of patient waiting, then increased noisemaking, elicits a response. Fetching their mouse friend Gunther doesn't help, except to thoroughly upset the rodent when Pock suggests the blackbird may be dead: "Gunther says no, because anything that sings so well and has such beautiful feathers can't die." But, alas, the blackbird can't be revived. "Even if it is dead, it still needs protection"; together, the trio build a cairn of "yellow, red, and orange leaves" and honor their musical companion.
Using a warm palette of oranges, reds, and browns, Tallec poignantly sets his narrative amid an autumnal woodland, a time when leaves are falling, readying for the oncoming solemnity of winter. "They're dead too," Squirrel comments about the still-colorful leaves, "but we choose the prettiest ones." Tallec's whimsical art deftly captures the deep concern and shock of the survivors--particularly through their expressive eyes--in trying to understand the finality of death. He manages to add comforting humor--tiny Gunther shouldering the weight of Pock and squirrel--as if a reminder that laughter and sadness can co-exist. Inevitable reality finds a soft, welcoming cushion here. --Terry Hong