MISTER IN THE STARS

A child struggles to articulate her grief.

Like most youngsters, Melanie has very particular notions about the world, and she names everything according to her understanding. Her mother, frequently in nightclothes, is Pajama, her little sister is Baby (her sister’s nose is Honk), and her big brother is Mister. Melanie finds satisfaction in identification and is particularly happy in her family’s company, gazing at Twinklers (stars) with Mister and playing video games on Happy Days (weekends). When Mister gets sick, the silence is deafening. Mom imparts the news to Melanie, and a wordless panel sequence of confused gazes follows. No words can capture her worry, but Melanie tries. Doctor visits are Science Experiments; Mister’s cancer, the Bad Worst Meanie. After Mister dies, Karas presents a blank, gray two-page spread. Melanie attempts to express her feelings; she starts to sense her brother in the breeze, in sunlight, and in the stars, and she finds new names for him in her surroundings. Rohana considers a profoundly difficult experience from a child’s perspective, embracing sense-based experiences and emotional logic rather than attempting to encapsulate grief. With that in mind, it’s probably best previewed by a caregiver before read-aloud and will find its most appropriate audience in readers confronting loss. Calm hues, expressive brown-skinned faces, and intentional interplay of activity and stillness make an eloquent, memorable visual impact.

Beautiful, sad, direct, and brave.