Michael Rosen's Sad Book by Michael Rosen & Illus by Quentin Blake

I don't know about you, but this whole coronavirus thing has me feeling a bit out of sorts. I love being home and I love my family, so I didn't think I would mind staying home all the time. But apparently it isn't as easy as all that. There is a difference between doing something because you want to and doing something because you have to. And then, there is the matter of routine--turns out they are handy things to keep around. 

Emotions. They can be sort of messy and unexpected right now. So this seems like an appropriate book for the moment. 

Of course, this book is much more deep than the sadness of "everything has changed and I am not used to it!" 

Michael Rosen lost his son.

And if you think that is a terrible beginning for a kids book, you are right. But kids are much closer to big emotions than adults who have worked hard to bring emotions under control. Their upset/sorrow over things is so much bigger than adults. 

They get it. 

This is Michael Rosen. As you can read, this is him being sad, but pretending to be happy so people won't dislike him for being sad. 

Sometimes sad is very big. It's everywhere. All over me. 

Eddie, his son. Who he is sometimes angry at for dying. 

Eddie doesn't say anything because he's not here anymore. 

I just want to think about it on my own.

Because it's mine. And no one else's.

The unexpected attacks of sad.

Ways he has found to cope with his sadness. 

Then he discusses other people's grief. 

Memories of Eddie

Sad will always be there. 

But there are times when it is not right in front of you--times when you can laugh and have good days. 

And other days when sad seems everywhere. 

I was sort of surprised by this book--such an honest look at grief for a kids book. People tend to paper over the lumps and uncertainties of sorrow for kids, but I think kids can accept things more readily than adults sometimes. This book will definitely prompt some questions and concerns, but those conversations need to happen at some point. Just be forewarned--don't read this book if you don't have time for questions right then. 

I hope your day/week is not as sad as this. I hope there are lovely moments and sunlight and calm. 

Stay healthy! 

Emily of New Moon by LM Montgomery

Since we were talking about magic, I thought I might as well trot out Emily of New Moon. 

LM Montgomery has always tended toward magic and the unexplained. While that tendency is kept in check through most of her books, it peeks out every once in awhile. Emily of New Moon is one of those times. 

(This is a newer edition of the book, but I really like the cover. I think it is my favorite of the ones I own.)

Since Emily is an orphan sent away to live with elderly relatives on a farm, people sometimes think Emily and Anne are pretty similar. But Emily is supposedly more autobiographical, and is definitely a few shades darker than Anne ever got. Situations for Emily were not as sure to end well as they did for Anne. 

(This was the cover that we got when I was a teen--mid 1990's.)

Of course, there are other differences between the two books as well--Emily lived with her father until she was 8-10. So she had sweet memories to sustain her when her relatives didn't understand her and her poetic flights of fancy. Similarly, she also was grieving on a level Anne never got to since Anne couldn't remember her parent's death. 

But similarly, Emily settles into her new life, just like Anne, with a close friend or two; austere older relatives who soften up and love her; and an imaginative, poetic mind. 

The difference is that the ending here has a deeper level of magic than any of Anne's experiences. A fevered hallucination brings a long unsolved mystery to a close. 

I would say I like Anne better, but Emily is more relateable in many ways. So.... both are definitely worth reading! 

Anything by LM Mongomery is worth reading though, so that's not surprising. 

(This cover was the first one I read, probably early/mid-1980's.)

I took these picture last summer (why am I so bad at getting posts up on time?!) and I MISS wildflowers. We have three inches of fresh snow from last night..... Spring IS coming. We had a day in the 50s this week, so we are getting closer! 

The Rough Patch by Brian Lies

As soon as I saw this book, I knew I would love it. I have an unreasonable delight in personified foxes. Plus, it vaguely reminded me of the Fern Hollow Books I read as a kid. Nostalgia. It is pretty hard to beat. 

Evan and his dog.

This won a Caldecott Honor this week. 

They were the best of friends

Doing everything together. 

But especially gardening. 

Evan and his dog spent a great deal of time in the garden.

And then.... the unthinkable happened. His dog died.

For days, Evan did nothing. Then, he destroyed his garden--that reminder of his dog and indicator of life moving on when Evan's world had ground to a halt. 

Weeds grew. And Evan took care of them because these weeds reflected his feelings better than pretty, tidy plants. 

Soon his garden was a desolate, soulless place, just how he wanted it. 

But when a green vine sneaks in, Evan decides to let it stay.

 See the hoe about to chop it out? Love that detail. 

That vine turns into a pumpkin....

...that turns into a trip to the fair. 

When his pumpkin places third, he has the choose of $10 or a puppy. He takes the $10 of course. 

But.....

....somehow, the puppy heads home with him anyway. 

A story of hope and love. Of death and life going on. 

AND of the importance of gardening in living a happy life and healing. 

Gardens and dogs are important. 

Red vintage pickups don't hurt either.