Welcome to Perfect Picture Book Friday!

First, before I forget!, I want to announce the winner of last week’s giveaway copy of THE WISHING MACHINE!

And the randomly selected lucky winner is. . .

HEATHER KINSER!

Congratulations, Heather! Please email me with your snail mail address and I’ll get the book out to you ASAP!

Now, onto our regularly scheduled programming!

With everything going on in the world right now, I find myself wanting to review books that are funny, happy, or uplifting. But because October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and because, unfortunately, loss of a sibling is something children sometimes have to cope with, I am sharing a sweet and tender book today in the hope that if there’s a child in your life who needs this book, perhaps it may help them.

Through the publisher’s generosity, I have a copy of this book to give away, so I will choose one lucky winner at random from the comments on this post (US addresses only please.) Please comment by Thursday October 26th at 3PM Eastern to qualify.

Title: Always Sisters

Written By: Saira Mir

Illustrated By: Shahrzad Maydani

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, fiction/SEL, August 22, 2023

Suitable For Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: coping with grief and loss, loss of a sibling (miscarriage), sibling love

text copyright Saira Mir 2023, illustration copyright Shahrzhad Maydani 2023, Simon & Schuster

Opening:
“I’m going to have a baby sister!

Her name is Nura.

Mama says “Nura” is Arabic
for “beautiful light.” She’s not
here yet, but she’s already
my little sunshine.”

Brief Synopsis: [From the publisher] “Raya can’t wait for her baby sister to arrive. She’s already got a name—Nura—and Raya is certain they’ll be best friends. She’s got all kinds of plans for things they’ll do together like run through the sprinklers, play dress-up, and give piggyback rides. But one day, Mama returns from the doctor with tears in her eyes. Nura won’t be coming home after all. “

Links To Resources: the back of the book contains an author’s note with some suggestions for helping children cope with loss; activities to help children manage grief including creating a memory box, making a memory bracelet, matching emotions, and more

text copyright Saira Mir 2023, illustration copyright Shahrzhad Maydani 2023, Simon & Schuster

Why I Like This Book: As much as we all wish we could protect our children from every hurt and heartache, there are times when we can’t. It is important for us to support them through those difficult times, and also teach them how to cope. This sweet and lovely book does just that. Raya has been eagerly looking forward to the arrival of her little sister, filled with love for her, and excited for all the things they will do together and all that they will be to each other. When her mother comes home without the baby, Raya doesn’t know what to do with all the love that has nowhere to go now, or how to cope with the sadness and disappointment she feels knowing that she will never get to meet the sister she had longed for so. Her family, friends, and teacher help her to find ways to ease her heartache and cope with the loss. An author’s note at the back provides information for parents and teachers. Although the book deals with the loss of a sibling, the methods of coping are just as helpful for loss of a grandparent or other family member, death of a pet, or the loss of a friend due to moving away – any situation where children have to find a way to move forward without someone who was deeply important to them. The art for this book, in soft chalk pastel and watercolor, captures the dreamy mood of Raya’s imagination when she’s imagining the arrival of her sister, and blurs on the pages when she initially faces her sadness and confusion – beautifully done, and just perfect for the story.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊 And don’t forget to leave a comment if you’d like to qualify for the giveaway!