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Remembering Mrs. Rossi

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By Carla Morris
Remembering Mrs. Rossi
By Amy Hest
Candlewick Press, 2007. 143 pgs. Chapter book.

This is a wonderful little book with simple endearing illustrations about coping with the loss of a family member. Eight year old Annie's mother, Mrs. Rossi, dies when everyone was expecting her to get better. Mrs. Rossi taught school. As a surprise, Mrs. Rossi's students write a collective
book about their memories of her. They present the book to Annie and her father at a school assembly. Annie frequently turns to this comforting book as she faces
her birthday, a visit to the beach, and various school escapades, all without her mother.
The story is both realistic and optimistic, letting the reading know that getting through loss is difficult but possible. The letters written by Mrs. Rossi's students are published at the end of the book.
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