OUR SPOT

A child lovingly honors the memory of a late parent.

Each week, Papa and the young protagonist take a walk to a special spot where Mama, “the best fisherman around,” would catch “fish after fish.” Now that it’s just the two of them, they quietly immerse themselves in memories of Mama, breathing in the smell of the lake and listening to the “sound of the water slappin’ back and forth, back and forth.” They bait their hooks, each motion a tribute to Mama, and as they wait for fish, Papa repeats an oft-told story about how Mama once landed a huge fish. They return home with a bucket of fish, still looking, still listening, carrying sounds into sleep, where the protagonist dreams sweetly of Mama and the fish. Scenes of Papa, Mama, and the child depict a family filled with love—literally connected to one another through touch. In the present, as Papa and the child experience the world without Mama, her memory remains. The world is bathed in warm pink light, reminiscent of the jacket Mama wore, and the flowers, trees, and water have a comforting, otherworldly feel. The atmosphere seems to swirl and move, alive with her memory. Both heart-filling and heartbreaking, this book is a reminder that tradition and love keep memory alive. Mama is light-skinned and blond; Papa and the child are dark-haired and slightly darker in skin tone.

A warm and tender tribute to the traditions that help us hold our loved ones close.