Where do we go when we disappear? by Isabel Minhos Martins illustrated by Madalena Matoso

Here are some text quotes to give you a flavour of this book:

"Socks, for example. Where do they go when they disappear? They might go to the dark world under the bed or far away down the back of the sofa. But quite often they disappear completely. If one day we find them again, we might discover they've been to amazing places!"

"And the sun? The sun doesn't go anywhere ... but we do. We spin around on the earth and come back messy and half asleep. We say, without thinking, 'Oh look, the sun is rising'. But to the sun it's us that disappears and then rises again."

This is a book to share with a young child. Yes it is about our mortality but it is all done with a very light touch and brightly coloured, very different illustrations. There are deep questions here but also funny ones, like lost socks, and sure there are no easy answers but this book completely affirms our need to ask the hard questions.

This book subtly approaches the subjects of absence, disappearing and death. It won’t give you answers set in stone, instead it will let your imagination fly, making this subject a bit lighter to approach (even if just for a moment). Planet Tangerina

Striking block colour illustrations by Madalena Matoso are hip and modern yet whimsically retro. They are simple yet drenched in meaning--and absolutely give this text its perfect backdrop. Kids Boook Review

A wise, disarmingly simple rumination on the idea that disappearance is really only change. Kirkus Star

This book was originally published in Portuguese with the title Para onde vamos quando desaparecemos?

See some other books illustrated by Madalena Matoso. Here are two more recent books by Isabel Minhos Martins:

Here is a Pinterest of books about death and grief.You could pair Where do we go when we disappear? with this book (new cover and older cover)