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The Scar
“Yesterday, my mom was still alive.” During the night, a little boy’s terminally ill mother has died. Over the course of the coming days, the boy is filled with anger, sadness, and questions. “I know very well that dying means that you’re never going to come back ... How will Dad know how to make my toast the way I like it, cut in half with the honey in a zigzag?” He’s worried about forgetting his mom, he’s worried about taking care of his dad, and he’s worried his Grandma will think he’s crazy after he cries and screams when she opens the windows he closed for fear his mother’s smell would disappear. “She’s there,” his grandma tells him, “in your heart, and she’s not going anywhere.” A skinned knee that starts to heal provides an understandable metaphor in Charlotte Moundlic’s raw, honest look at a child’s grief. Illustrator Olivier Tallec’s illustrations are spare, tender, and full of feeling. ©2011 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Olivier Tallec
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-8
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Death and Dying
Grief and Loss
Hope and Healing
Mothers
Worry
Diversity subject:
Physical Disability/Condition
Publisher:
Candlewick
Publish Year: 2011
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780763653415
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Moundlic