Turtle Tears by Megan Albany illustrated by Paul Seden

"The turtles there cry like we do ... Except when they cry butterflies flutter around 
and drink their tears."
"Turtles live a long time ... because they share their tears."

Grief is a complex emotion and we often struggle to know how to respond. In this book Nan is deeply grieving the loss Pop. She cries a lot and her little granddaughter Ruby is not sure how to help. Then Nan talks about a holiday she went on years ago where she heard that when turtles cry, butterflies drink their tears - such a lovely image to ponder.

I love the way this book openly explores grief and tears and the way Nan is still allowed to cry - the grief has not gone away it has just eased a little. 

Gently ignoring stereotypes, the story ends on a beautifully hopeful note. It also reminds the reader that, even if you or someone you love is very sad, that doesn't mean you can't also have moments of joy and chase butterflies. Reading Melbourne

Blurb from Magabala Books: This heart-warming picture book gently reassures children that it is both natural and healthy for adults and children to cry when they are sad. Narrated from the voice of a child, Ruby, it centres on her no-nonsense Nan who is grieving for her late husband. She tells the child about the turtles she and Pop saw, while on holiday in South America. They cry tears as humans do, and butterflies drink their tears (factual). 

Thanks to Magabala for sending a review copy of Turtle Tears.

I found this information about butterflies and turtles:  Butterflies in the Amazon engage in a behavior known as lachryphagy, where they sip tears from turtles to obtain vital sodium and minerals necessary for their survival. This unique interaction sees butterflies flocking to freshwater turtles, taking turns to land on their heads and drink their tears. The sodium in turtle tears is crucial ... As butterflies drink the tears, they quickly absorb the salt and dispose of the leftover liquid through their rear end. This process allows butterflies to acquire a crucial nutrient that is otherwise difficult to find in their usual diet of plants and other sources. The butterflies’ need for sodium drives them to seek out the tears of turtles, forming a symbiotic relationship where both the turtles and butterflies benefit. While the turtles produce plenty of tears, the butterflies only consume a small quantity, making this interaction sustainable for both parties. Besides butterflies, other insects such as bees and moths also partake in tear-drinking behavior. This fascinating natural occurrence highlights the interconnectedness of different species in their pursuit of survival ...  Butterflies rely on the turtles to provide enough sodium through their tears, ensuring their continued survival, while turtles remain largely unaffected by the butterflies’ feeding habits.  

Read more here. Here is a video of lachryphagy in action (2 minute video suitable for older primary students or background information for teachers).

This phenomena of butterflies drinking tears is probably mentioned in some non fiction books about butterflies - I need to dig deeper in a library to check.

Paul Seden is an author and illustrator of picture books for young readers and he is descended from the Wuthathi and Muralag people of North Queensland. Kick with My Left Foot was a Notable Book in the 2015 CBCA Book of the Year Awards and short-listed for the Speech Pathology Book of the Year Awards – Indigenous Children category. Crabbing with Dad was short-listed in the 2019 KOALA Children’s Choices Award and also for the ABIA Children’s Book of the Year in 2017. Paul loves illustrated text and lives in the Top End of the Northern Territory.

The Shop Train

Megan Albany is a proud Kalkadoon woman. Megan lives in the Northern Rivers of NSW. Her debut black comedy novel, The Very Last List of Vivan Walker (Hachette 2022), was one of four works shortlisted for The Banjo Prize.

Why do you cry? by Kate Klise illustrated by M Sarah Klise

You can cry for any reason. Or for no reason at all.

Today I have watched a few YouTube videos (COVID-19 stay at home) and as usual many of the ones involving music, young children and acts of kindness leave me in floods of tears. I am a crier. I cry over television commercials, I cry when kids sing in school assemblies, and of course I cry in movies.  I was very intrigued by the title of this book - why do you cry?

Little Rabbit declares, aged five, that he is "done with crying."  He has lots of friends who he plans to invite to his birthday party but he decides the friends can only attend if they meet his criteria:

"I'm inviting everyone who's big like me, and doesn't cry anymore."

Little Rabbit heads off to interview his friends and he makes some surprising discoveries.

Squirrel - cries when he is excluded from a game
Cat - cries when she is alone and fearful
Horse - cries for lots of reasons - pain from a bee sting, seeing a snake or if a new haircut looks terrible

It seems no one can come to the birthday party. Even mother cannot attend because she sometimes cries too. "Sometimes I cry when I watch a sad movie ... or when I have a bad toothache and sometimes I cry when I look at you."

Little Rabbit has discovered so much about crying. He is persuaded to change his mind and so he decides everyone is allowed to attend is birthday party and it is a big success.  Only one person cries?

This is a fairly old book (2006) but I think it is still in print.  I would pair this book with Sloppy Kisses.

There are several books about Little Rabbit by Kate Klise:

The Witch's Tears by Jenny Nimmo

"As Theo passed the clock he glanced up at its lifeless hands. 'What's happening?' he asked in a hushed voice. The clock gazed out helplessly, as if to say, 'Someone has stolen my breath."

It is a wild and stormy night. Theo Blossom's dad mends clocks. He has set off to help with a grandfather clock leaving Mrs Blossom, Dodie and Theo to cope alone. It is cosy inside and the ticking of all their clocks is comforting but as the children are heading home from school a neighbour warns them :

"Witches always arrive in rough weather. They lose their broomsticks and they lose their cats. So they come snooping around, trying to steal ours. ... Their clothes may be darker, and their skin more wrinkled from travelling in the wind. And there's always the hat, folded secretly into a pocket, when they don't want to be recognised."

These warnings work like a list for Theo and so when the mysterious Mrs Scarum arrives Theo starts ticking things off and soon concludes she must be a witch. Her clothes are dark and the fabric is strange, she has possibly fallen off her broomstick, she is searching for her lost black cat, but worse, all the clocks in the house seem to be out of sync.

"Just for a second they lost their rhythm. Tick-creak-tock went the wooden clock. Tick-wheeze-tock called the china shepherd. Tick-swish-tock mumbled the ormolu."

Here is an ormolu - this was a new word for me!

Adding to the tension their father has not telephoned tonight something he does every evening at precisely 5pm. Mrs Scarum seems to want to move in. She makes a large decorated cake, demands a meal of sausages and keeps watching the family cat Flora. Theo is terrified that she means to take his precious cat away and he is so worried about his dad who might be caught in the blizzard or worse. His comfortable family seems to be falling apart but only Theo can see the truth.  Or can he?

A friend who is a teacher-librarian has asked me to read a few of her older titles this week to assess if they might still be popular and so worth keeping in her library.  The Witch's Tears is a fabulous story which has stood the test of time. It was first published in 1996 and so is now listed as a modern classic. My verdict is keep this book and buy a new copy. The old cover does look a little dated.

All through The Witch's Tears I kept thinking about an old picture book by Margaret Mahy called The Witch in the Cherry Tree. Both contain a witch, cakes, a warm house, a hospitable mother, a storm and a boy who suspects the witch and her motives. I was excited to read Jenny Nimmo loves the writing of Margaret Mahy.

I first encountered Jenny Nimmo through The Snow Spider trilogy. You should also look at my review of The Stone Mouse which would be an excellent book to pair with The Witch's Tears. A picture book which you could also read along side The Witch's Tears is The Tear Thief by Carol Ann Duffy. The idea of tears turning into crystals delights me.

Here are some reviews with more plot details - Bookbag and Books for Keeps. A close look at the three covers I have included with this post might be useful for discussion with children especially after reading The Witch's Tears.  Which cover do you like? I think The Witch's tears might make a good read aloud book for a Grade 2 or 3 class.