by rachel lawson, publisher-at-large
One of the best books we’ve published at Gecko Press is All the Dear Little Animals by Ulf Nilsson and Eva Eriksson. Three children start a funeral business to bury the dead animals they find in their neighbourhood. This book takes me instantly to my own childhood garden and to important ceremonies for various cats. It goes right inside me every time I read it, and it’s very very funny.
We are publishing a kind of cousin to that book this year with Is It Asleep? by Olivier Tallec. Three friends find a bird on a path in the woods. After much debate, they realise the bird has died, so they set about giving it a magnificent send-off.
Is It Asleep? is very funny too and has an important question about funerals and ceremonies at its core, which the author articulates as “Have we done enough?” (Watch his video talking about the book here.)
I see these books as cousins because they are both told wholly from a child perspective. The death in these books is part of a story, characters look straight at it—and they get on with their play, as children do. Both books have uplifting endings.
For me these books aren’t “about” death. They are about being children, having friends, thinking about what happens in life, and not being afraid to ask a question.
The Bear and the Wildcat is more explicitly about grief. It too has an uplifting ending, after a searing view into the bear’s time of being alone after his friend dies.
And Duck, Death and the Tulip, of course.
It seems that the four Gecko Press books on this subject feature the death of a bird. There’s probably a thesis in that. For now, I recommend them all as thoroughly good stories. And if you need it, wise and warm starting points to talk with children about grief and death, how to remember life, and what happens tomorrow.
Is It Asleep? by Olivier Tallec
Squirrel and his silent friend (a mushroom) discover the cycle of nature and of life in a down-to-earth and moving picture book that beautifully pays respect to a friend who has died—then birdsong brings a new beginning.
“Simple, to-the-point language brings the abstract topics of death, grieving, and carrying on into focus for children in this comforting picture book.” Foreword Reviews
“A laudably candid yet child-friendly examination of life and death.” Kirkus Reviews
The Bear and the Wildcat by Kazumi Yumoto, illustrated by Komako Sakai
When the little bird dies, bear is inconsolable. How will he face life now? This two-color picture book shows a way through paralyzing grief and simultaneously tells the story of a hopeful new friendship.
“Quietly contemplative, mingling hope and healing, this is a book that will offer comfort to many.” starred, Kirkus Reviews
“Elegant, understated spreads over scumbled black backdrops by Sakai divide the story, the first half dark with Bear’s misery, the second half dawning with light. . . . a touchstone for talking about loss.” starred, Publishers Weekly
All the Dear Little Animals by Ulf Nilsson, illustrated by Eva Eriksson
A funny, illustrated chapter book about three children who decide someone must bury all the world’s poor dead animals. A gentle and unsentimental story about death in the context of play, from a child’s perspective.
“The story cleverly—and tenderly—pivots near its end, giving it a touching depth (with a twist). . . . Dark and hilarious.” starred, Kirkus Reviews
“A sly, thoughtful, many-layered story.” starred, Publishers Weekly
“Reverent, winsome, and matter-of-fact. . . . this pitch-perfect book shows children dealing with death in their own ways and then moving on.” starred, Booklist
Duck, Death, and the Tulip by Wolf Erlburch
In a curiously heart-warming and elegantly illustrated story, a duck strikes up an unlikely friendship with Death. Duck and Death play together and discuss big questions. Death, dressed in a dressing gown and slippers, is sympathetic and kind and will be duck’s companion until the end.
Voted one of the 100 greatest children’s books of all time by the BBC
“The gold standard of picture books about death is Duck, Death and the Tulip… this extraordinarily tender book manages to be both heartbreaking and comforting.” The New York Times
“The most extraordinary picture book I’ve seen in many a year. A duck becomes friends with Death, and it’s the most natural thing in the world. Trust me, adults get far more weirded out by this book than children ever do. Amazing.” Patrick Ness
“I can’t think of another book that tackles so huge a subject with such simple, heartbreaking eloquence.” Meg Rosoff
“Warm, poignant and witty.” Anthony Browne
