By Arien Ludin
New York: Clavis Publishing Inc., 2024. Picture Book.
Arien Ludin has sensitively created a comforting and loving space for children to address the subject of grief and loss of a parent. The story follows a little girl who is making a plushie bunny with her mom. Her mom falls ill and passes away quickly. The little one unravels like a ball of yarn. Her father listens to her and helps her through all of her feelings. They work together to finish the bunny and create a new "normal" while keeping her mother's memory alive.
I found the inside of the front cover to be incredibly helpful. Ludin included a letter to the adult reading the story outlining helpful scripts and instructions to follow before the book is read. For example, one step is to allow the child to set the pace by having them hold the book and turn the pages when they are ready to continue with the story. It also includes discussion questions about the child's feelings at the end of the book to work through together.
The illustrations are deeply moving. My emotions were stirred while reading this book. The swirly, scribbly style of illustration portrayed the emotional meltdown as a sea of red that felt so real and relatable to me. This special book is appropriate for children ages 5 years and up.
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