Bereavement

Michael Rosen writes great poetry and text for young people - but this is a picture book which can be used by both adults as well as children. The text is about Michael's sadness on the death of his son. He writes about happy memories, living a day at a time and how he sometimes feel just awful - then he can appear aggressive " I tell myself that being sad isn't the same as being horrible. I'm sad, not bad" . This is depcited, as with all the words in the book, with apt and often witty drawings by Quentin Blake. Although it is not stated, one can feel his fight with depression "Every day I try to do one thing I can be proud of. Then when I go o to bed, I think very very hard about this one thing". Sometimes he feels he is just looking on at the world "..sometimes I find myself looking at things, people at a window.... a crane and train full of people going past..." ... but he loves birthdays though they can also make him feel lonely.

The drawings also reflect his moods - they are all lively and full of life - but the grey wash that is a background to some of them, reflects the sadness in the author at various times.

And adult picture book! - as well as a children's one

(Published by Walker Books, 2004 ISBN 7445 9898 2)