This book written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Quentin Blake deals with the grief of losing a loved one. Rosen said that the idea for the book came about when he discussed the death of his son with a group of children when they spoke to him about it in a very "matter-of-fact" way. The book talks about grief and pretending to be happy when you're sad. The text and illustrations often portray contrasting narratives to communicate complex emotions, something that takes great understanding and communication between the writer and illustrator. Reviews from The Guardian and the Daily Telegraph point our some interesting reactions that tie into previous research I have carried out.
The Guardian said "Sad Book doesn't hide the darkness. It doesn't try to pretend that suffering and sadness are easy to bear. But it does at least show that it's okay to feel bad sometimes."
The Daily Telegraph questioned whether the book was appropriate for children which is the main problem faced by writers and illustrators of these kinds of books. interestingly they go onto to say that they think parents should use the book as a stimulus for discussion and would need to explain some of the ideas in the book to their children.
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