"If you were here, we would smell
the damp mushrooms and moss
deep inside these woods,
see the pine trees like towers so high,
and hear whispers in the needles on the ground."
The child who narrates this book seeks solace in natural surroundings as a loss is mourned. We don't know who is missing; we do know they are keenly missed. Wandering through nature, all the sights and smells remind the child of what another day would be like if they could just be together again.
Wandering through a green and sunny meadow into the darkness of the deep forest and then out onto the seashore, where all senses are fully engaged by the smell of the ocean, the sight of items washed up by a storm, the feel of sunshine on cool skin as it pokes through cloudy skies, and the sound of waves washing over seashore pebbles, are moments the two would savor together.
The final double-page spread shows the joys found in the wander through nature ... a lovely collection of child-like colorful and heartfelt images of the two together doing what they loved to do. Readers are left to consider and decide what may have happened to the loved one. Did they move away? Why are they no longer where the child is? This heartfelt story leaves space for open discussion of grief and loss, while also considering the peace found in nature.
Gorgeous digital images of the Pacific Northwest environment where the artist lives accompany this quiet story of love and loss. The details are truly lovely, and offer perspective shifts that are sure to hold attention and offer opportunity for further conversation.
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