SOMETHING LOST SOMETHING FOUND

A girl struggles with grief over losing her mother in this picture book from debut author Paruzel-Gibson.

Ella has trouble sleeping. She misses her mom, and she feels “like a balloon without air. Or like noodles gone cold on a plate.” When she sees a classmate acting happy, she asks her to sneeze on her, thinking it might be contagious, but all she gets is a cold. After she hears her grandmother say that money can’t buy happiness, Ella throws her piggy bank out the window. She later dresses up as a witch for Halloween and makes a happiness potion, and she tries to catch a star. Nothing works until she visits an apple tree that she and her mother had often visited, and the memory makes her happy. Many children’s books about grief deal with immediate loss, but Paruzel-Gibson engagingly allows Ella to take some time before reconnecting with happy memories. The digital, cartoon-style color illustrations by Catrinella (Chin Up, 2019, etc.) have a mixed-media feel, particularly in the apple tree’s beautiful texture. Some transitions feel jarring, as when the tree is introduced with an unusual phrase: “Ella had a much-loved friend.” However, the accessible vocabulary and very understandable behaviors will resonate with young readers. Ella is white, and her neighbors have varying skin tones.

A touching exploration of long-term grief with charming illustrations.