CCBC Booklists

CCBC Review:

My Brother is a somber exploration of saying goodbye and accepting the finality of death. A father and child take their boat out on the fjord to fish. The child is excited, the father reluctant. The eager child brings the fishing pole, Father casts the line, and they catch something. Something big. Father pulls and pulls … and out comes the child’s brother. He is so cold, but he is back! Without any acknowledgement of the unbelievability of Brother’s return to life, they row him home, where the child runs him a warm bath, and the father makes supper. Brother is back, but he is restless. He runs into the woods, playing and hiding in the forest. After observing him for a while, Father says to the child that they need to go home, and that Brother won’t be coming. The child watches and waits, but something shifts. They know that Brother does not belong with them anymore. Brother wades back into the fjord, where presumably he lost his life. “You won’t need to cry anymore at night, I say, now that we know he exists. Father holds me. I hold Father too.” Black-and-white line drawings with careful, crisp crosshatching effectively convey scenes and emotions. Limited use of color in the illustrations brings focused attention to what the parent and child perceive in their individual and shared grief, while also leaving it open to the reader’s interpretation. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Oyvind Torseter
Translated by Martin Aitken. Translated from the Norwegian. Originally published in Norway.

CCBC Age Recommendation: 5-10
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Death and Dying Fathers Grief and Loss Siblings

On CCBC Booklist: Picture Books for Older Children and Teens: Never Too Old 

Publisher: Elsewhere Editions
Publish Year: 2025
Pages: 60
ISBN: 9781962770026
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Djupvik

Add To My List