4 out of 4 stars
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Have your children ever experienced the loss of someone dear to them? Have they ever questioned you about life and death? Dr. Kathleen Carter Martinez has written an informative book which explains these delicate subjects in a way that youngsters can easily understand them. Her book is entitled Where Do We Come From? Where Do We Go?
It depicts the conversation between a little girl and her mother. Esakoi has some interesting questions that she needs to be answered before she can go to bed. For instance, where do people go after they die? Esakoi’s mom explains the significance of the sky world while reassuring her daughter that love is eternal among family members regardless if they live on Earth or in the sky.
I liked that the author chose a unique approach to writing this book. Instead of writing a story, she centered the book on a conversation between two main characters. Her style of writing was very poetic so this added a whimsical feel to the characters’ dialogue. In addition to the things they said, the characters’ thoughts were included. This made them seem more realistic and relatable.
I really enjoyed looking at the illustrations in this book. Polina Hrytskova’s unique style of illustrating perfectly captured the love between Esakoi and her relatives. In the pictures, the characters displayed affectionate body language like hugging and smiling. The intricate illustrations of flowers, stars, swirls, and leaves which decorated the pages also enhanced the author’s whimsical style of writing.
I think this is a great book to help children cope with the loss of a loved one. The information that the author provided was simple for children to understand. More often than not, explanations of death and the afterlife can be religiously intertwined so it was a relief that she did not take a religious approach to describe them. Instead, she spoke about how the beauty of nature can remind us of our deceased loved ones. I appreciated this because this book can be useful to every parent and child who have experienced loss in their lives regardless of their religious beliefs. Moreover, I would recommend this book to terminally ill children because I think it may provide comforting answers to questions they might have.
After careful observation of the layout and the text, I am certain that this book was professionally edited because I only saw two minor typographical errors. The author’s unique style of writing together with the book’s imaginative illustrations and its ability to comfort a wide range of readers make it a valuable addition to any child’s bookshelf. It definitely deserves 4 out of 4 stars.
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Where Do We Come From? Where Do We Go?
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