THE DAY SWEETIE PIE DIED

Sharp offers an illustrated children’s story about schoolkids coping with a classroom pet’s demise.

The story opens on Maggie, a young girl looking forward to seeing Sweetie Pie, the class guinea pig. The previous night, Ms. Lamms, her teacher, took the guinea pig home because the animal wasn’t feeling well. When class starts this morning, Ms. Lamms instructs the students to take a deep breath. “Did you know that when it is time for us to leave this earth, we take our last breath?” she asks them. She then informs the kids that Sweetie Pie took her last breath that morning. When the children realize that Sweetie Pie has died, they are full of questions: “Where is she now?” “Can we see her?” “Does she look scary now?” Maggie cries, and Ms. Lamms affirms that death is sad. She encourages the students to share memories of Sweetie Pie, and they recall the guinea pig’s penchant for putting her paws on the sides of her cage, snacking on organic carrots and lettuce, and chewing Kleenex boxes. Then Ms. Lamms suggests burying Sweetie Pie in a shoebox, and the students create art to add to the box: “We’re still sad, but we feel better after making art for Sweetie Pie and sharing our love for her,” Maggie says. Sharp provides children and their parents with an emotionally intelligent blueprint for discussing death. Maggie expresses a range of genuine emotions about Sweetie Pie’s passing, from confusion to sadness to nostalgia. Ms. Lamms compassionately guides the kids’ grieving process, but also allows them agency in coping with the event. Sharp evokes sensory memories of Sweetie Pie, including her unique call, twinkly eyes, soft fur, and veggie-scented breath. Pritchett’s soft, warm illustrations capture the characters’ sadness with teary eyes and sad frowns. However, the depiction of grieving is somewhat speedier and more linear than it is in real life, and although Maggie and Ms. Lamms are sufficiently developed as characters, others receive little attention.

A gentle and respectful introduction to the grieving process.