Two interesting books, but not enough for me to find the word limit for each solo, therefor I am going to do “two books one review” for these little numbers. The connection I find with both titles is that they both have a somber theme and/or feeling to them.
I’ll Be the Water: A Story of Loss, Greif, and a Grandparent’s Love is obviously about the loss of a beloved grandparent. However, it is also a hopeful story. We see all the wonderful things that a grandfather gives to their grandchild. The lessons and love that are given and how these things will live on after the grandfather is no longer with us. This modern take on grief and death by Alec Aspinwall is comfortable, new and thought provoking. The amazing illustrations of Nicole Wong capture the feel of the love a grandchild has for their grandfather. They are soft but intense, detailed, crowded, but not overwhelming. They move the story along.
Crying is Like the Rain: A Story of Mindfulness and Feelings by Heather Feinberg, is a metaphor for understanding and processing anxiety and sadness. But I never really “got into it” as I had hoped. What finally made the book is the art. It made a so-so story go from a two to three. The story is modern, sentimental and solidly telling you the authors feelings and belief system. They have a message and chose this path as their way of expression. Nothing is wrong with this book, other than I am not the right audience. This is something you experience due to your own biases, beliefs and needs. Chamisa Kellogg is an illustrator I plan to investigate more. The somber look was not depressing, but not overly “sugary” as well.
Falling in to the “books that need to be read before you find the right reader” category, there are several layers to each story allowing them to be adapted to most ages. However, I’ll Be the Water does lend itself to the older 5 and up crowd.
