Michael Rosen's Sad Book

Picture books that help children deal with death tend, by and large, to be about animals. There's, "Dog Heaven" and "The Tenth Good Thing About Barney", and other books along these lines. "Charlotte's Web" even comes to mind. But try coming up with a children's book that'll help kids deal with the death of another child and the well begins to run dry. Even if you do find something, it'll tend to be along the lines of books like (I kid you not), "Sad Isn't Bad (Elf-Help Books For Kids)". Credit Michael Rosen with penning a deeply personal and moving book to help children that springs from his own personal loss. Books that deal with death almost never are so well-written that they win awards. But here is one sad book that proves the exception to the rule. You open the book and there's the picture of a man grinning from ear to ear. The words say, "This is me being sad". And right off the bat kids begin to understand that being sad isn't just a face with tears or a downturned mouth. Reading on we see how occasionally Michael Rosen is consumed with sadness over the death of his son Eddie. We see pictures of Eddie growing up, with a final blank one where his life was at an end. Mostly, though, this book is about dealing with the loss of someone young. Michael talks about how he discusses his pain with friends or just thinks about it by himself, "Because it's mine. And no one else's". Sometimes Michael feels like doing crazy things because he's sad and sometimes depression will hit him in the middle of a sunny day out of the blue. From here, the book tells the reader how to deal with being sad. "I tell myself that being sad isn't the same as being horrible. I'm sad, not bad". He does things that make himself feel better and talks about how misery can hit anyone anytime. Then, there's a gradual lightening to the pages. Michael can think about the people he's lost, the good parts of Eddie's life, and birthdays. The final images of the book are Rosen's thoughts about lots and lots of candles lit and glowing. It ends with a two-page spread of Michael staring at a beautiful glowing flame and finding a kind of peace in its beauty. No, it's not exactly a great read-aloud for large groups of kids. "Michael Rosen's Sad Book" instead works on a very intimate level. You feel privileged that the author chose to include you in his grief. For kids that are dealing with the death of a friend or sibling, Rosen's book works because he's feeling the same thing that the reader is. He understands how awful it is to be swamped by grief. Best of all, the book doesn't end on a slap-happy note that's out of synch with he rest of the story. There isn't some cheesy image of Eddie waving from heaven and Michael doesn't suddenly become "cured" of his depression by the book's end. Without directly discussing it, he just shows how this sadness won't necessarily go away. Just that its bite may lessen over time. Illustrator Quentin Blake can undo

This book should be in every school library and in the hands of every counselor who helps people deal with grief and/or depression. Michael Rosen has given us the words and Quentin Blake has given us the visuals that describe clinical depression as well as grief and mourning. Talking about these profound feelings can be difficult for adults. Children and teenagers are given the voice and visuals to help them understand their feelings and to know that others have experienced what they are experiencing. In times of crisis, this book has been priceless.

"When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me Speaking words of wisdom Let it be." --The Beatles Nearly ten years ago, back when I was the new Children's and YA buyer at Copperfield's, I had a business meeting with RDR Books publisher Roger Rapoport. The most significant aspect of that meeting with Roger was his leaving me with a sample copy of the utterly delightful, Quentin Blake-illustrated, THE BEST OF MICHAEL ROSEN (Wetlands Press, 1995, ISBN: 1-57143-046-6). And the most significant aspect of THE BEST OF MICHAEL ROSEN (which is overflowing with Rosen's funny poems and tales) is a story titled, "Eddie and the Birthday." "Eddie and the Birthday (Eddie is my second son) When Eddie had his second birthday he got lots of cards, and he had a cake and all kinds of presents and we sang Happy Birthday, 'Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday, dear Eddie...' and all that. He liked that very much So he goes: 'More. Sing it again.' So we sang it again. 'Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday, dear Eddie...' and all that. And he goes, 'More. Sing it again.' So we sang it again. 'Happy Birthday to you da de da de da, dear Eddie da de da to you...' And he goes, 'More. Sing it again.' It felt like we sang Happy Birthday about Two hundred and twenty-three times. And the candles. On the cake. He loved them. 'Eddie, blow.' He blew. And the moment he blew it out he wanted more. 'More candle.' So we light it. 'More Eddie blow.' Eddie blew. 'More candle.' We light. 'More Eddie blow.' 'More candle.' That felt like two hundred and twenty-three times as well. And he loved the cards. Everyone who sent him a card seemed to think he'd like one with pictures of big fat animals. Elephants and hippos. He got about ten of them. Imagine. Your second birthday and everyone sends you pictures of hippopotamuses. Maybe they think he is a hippo. Anyway he had a nice birthday. Next day he gets up comes downstairs and he looks around and he goes, 'More happy birfdy.' So I go, 'That was yesterday, Eddie.' 'More happy birfdy.' 'But it isn't your birfdy--I mean birthday...' 'More happy birfdy.' Now you don't cross Eddie. He throws tantrums. We call them wobblies. 'Look out, he's going to throw a wobbly!' And the face starts going red, the arms start going up and down, the screaming starts winding up he starts jumping up and down and there he is-- throwing a wobbly. So I thought, 'We don't want to have a wobbly over this one.' So we started singing Happy Birthday all over again. Two hundred and twenty-three times. Then he says 'More candles.' 'We haven't got any,' we say (Lies, of course, we had). 'More candles...' So out came the candles and yes-- 'Eddie blow.' He blew. 'More candle.' And off we go again-- Two hundred and twenty-three times. And then he says, 'Letters. More.' Well, of course no one sent him any more, so while I'm singing more happy birfdys, my wife was stuffing all the cards into envelope

This is a sad book, a very sad book. It is aptly titled. Yes, it's unlike the majority of books intended for young readers. There aren't any rhymes or happy endings. It's a story, more of a journal really about the way Michael Rosen is trying to cope with the death of his son, Eddie. Why give a sad book to children? Because there are times when we are sad, life is sad. However, this book is also about love and how very much Rosen loved his son. It's also a book about possibilities. All the things you can do when your life seems bleak. Maybe we can't be too young to learn these lessons. Rosen talks about trying to look happy because he thinks people won't like him if he looks sad, and he mentions trying to do one thing he can be proud of every day. Then, when he goes to bed he tries to think about that rather than the fact that Eddie is no longer with him. He doesn't sidestep the anger he feels at Eddie's death or the memories that flood his mind. Quentin Blake has won numerous awards for his illustrations, deservedly so. He illustrates this book not just with watercolor and ink but also with empathetic awareness. This is a very honest book that cannot fail to touch hearts, and it may perhaps teach young ones to be kind and relish every day. - Gail Cooke

When I opened this book, I figured it was just going to be one of those books along the lines of "when mommy goes to work, I'm sad until she gets home" or "I'm sad when I stub my toe," but no, this book isn't about little sad, it's about big, big grown up sad: the author's exploration of his own grief upon losing his son. When I opened the book to the last wordless page I burst out crying (both times I read it), and initially felt very strongly that this was not a book for children. But on further reflection, this may very well be a book for some children, and more than that it is a great piece of art: honest and beautiful even though it is very painful to read. Really, it is the epitome of a marriage between writer and illustrator...the words tell what the pictures can't always say, and the pictures tell what words can't always express. Anyone who is interested in the power of a book needs to have a look at this one. And thank you to this team for being so brave...I am very sorry for the author's loss, but grateful for this and other books both he and Quentin Blake have given to the world.