Dance like a Leaf by AJ Irving illustrated by Claudia Navarro

Dance like a Leaf (2020)

Using the framework of the seasons we meet a little girl and see her spending time with her precious grandmother. The two share time among the autumn leaves and enjoy warm cups of tea. By October it is clear Grandma is beginning to fail. She no longer waves to the trees and even making a cup of tea has become difficult. By November Grandma stays in bed and sadly by December Grandma is gone. 

"Grandma's bed is empty. Our teacups sat in a tidy stack. Our scarves hang like a rainbow, quiet but vibrant. Winter turns to spring, spring turns to summer, and summer turns to autumn."

When Grandma is gone it is wonderful to see the little girl continuing their shared traditions of leaf dancing, tea drinking and waving to the trees. You can see some art from this book on the Barefoot Books web site.

If all the World were ... (2018)

This book begins in Spring. A little girl enjoys long walks hand in hand with her Grandad. The little girl wishes she could stop her Grandad growing old by rewinding his birthdays. In summer they play with a set of toy racing cars. In Autumn Grandad gives his grand daughter a blank notebook - a place to write and draw her dreams. In Winter Grandad shares the stories of his childhood. Sadly the next time they visit his chair is empty. His tales have become silent. As the family pack up the house the little girl finds treasures which work as memory triggers - dried flowers; a toy racing car; a ball of silver foil from the sweets they shared; and a packet of rainbow pencils. "A kaleidoscope of memories".

You can see some art from this book here.

This is a book which addresses the difficult issue of loss gently and with understanding. Books for Keeps

Allison Colpoys is an Australian illustrator. You may know her books Under the Love Umbrella and All the Ways to be Smart.

These two books deal with the sad topic - the death of a grand parent. Both handle this gently and focus on the very precious and important relationship children can have with an older family member. It is interesting to see that both use seasons as a way to mark the passing of time and the sadness of their loss occurs during Winter. With the topic of death and bereavement I think it is better to have read a book like this long before the actual life event. I have mentioned this previously. If you would like to read other books written for young children about death and grieving take a look at the Pinterest collection curated by my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything.

In the library where I worked today the Teacher-Librarian talked to the children briefly about the loss of two famous illustrators which happened just last week. The Teacher Librarian wisely told the young children that while these two people - Eric Carle and Lois Ehlert - were old and had reached the end of their lives we are so lucky because we will always have their beautiful books which we can read and revisit any time. We have a lasting memory.

This post is dedicated to the memory of Eric Carle (1929-2021) and Lois Ehlert (1934-2021).