Synopses & Reviews
One day Mamma came early to get me from school. She told me Daddy was in the hospital. I knew that would happen.
Indeed, the young narrator and her parents have talked about the fact that Daddy has cancer and is dying. Mamma has explained that as the leaves are changing color, Daddy is changing inside. And just as the leaves will fall, he will die. The three of them have cried together. But they have also lived and loved together, and they have many rich, funny, wonderful memories. Enough to make into a book with words and pictures. Enough for you to savor, to laugh over -- and perhaps enough to make you cry. This is a book about death, but it is also a book about life -- and love.
Synopsis
Letting go of a loved one is a painfully defining moment for a child, but in the pages of Donna Jo Napoli s compelling picture book, it is also a time to celebrate life. When the young narrator s father dies of cancer, friends and family gather to grieve and to remember. What this young girl discovers, though, is that in the face of loss memories can heal, treasured mementos provide solace, and creativity open a door to the future. Illustrated with vibrant and thoughtful three-dimensional collag art by Cathie Felstead, here is a groundbreaking picture book about dying . . . and living.
About the Author
Donna Jo Napoli is a highly acclaimed author of both novels and picture books. Her many award-winning titles include
Stones in Water, winner of a Golden Kite Award and the Sydney Taylor Book Award;
Zel, which was named a Best Book by Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal;
Sirena, an ALA Best Book;
Beast, a School Library Journal Best Book; and, recently,
The Great God Pan. After writing
North, she discovered that a good friend of hers actually owns Matthew Henson's snowshoes.
Donna Jo Napoli earned both her B.A. in mathematics and her Ph.D. in Romance languages and literatures from Harvard University. She is a professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College, where among her courses she teaches workshops in writing fiction and poetry. She lives in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.