“Together they wove story rugs filled with honeysuckle and summer sunshine.”
Laurel and her pa live in a beautiful cottage in the Southern Highlands of the Appalachia. Surrounded by gentle sheep and gorgeous greenery, they are used to people being happy and cheerful.
Then they get a new neighbor.
“He settled in the holler and rarely left his home, high in the hills.”
Laurel immediately recognizes a sadness in the newcomer’s eyes but she’s not sure exactly what happened. But when she and her Pa bring over a welcome rug, she asks him a question.
“Do you have a daughter I can play with?” “I used to,” he said as he closed the door.
Faced with this conundrum, Laurel begins to think – how can she help her neighbor?
Whew! Tears were in my eyes by the last page. This one was such a sweet story with such an amazing message.
One thing that I really like about Familius Publishing is that they aren’t afraid to tackle hard situations.
Kids experience grief and loss every day – sometimes within their own families and sometimes by someone they know. I really appreciate having books like this to help guide and help them empathize with people who are going through tumultuous and emotional times.
Something that really stood out about this book was the core message – at first Laurel tries to solve her neighbor’s problem by showing him pleasant and cheerful things.
But that doesn’t work. She cannot take away his pain by showing him something happy.
It’s only when she takes time to understand him and empathize with his grief that she’s able to reach out to her neighbor. It’s a powerful message – that you cannot bury the grief but by sharing it, the burden lessons.
I truly didn’t expect to pull so much from this picture book but I’m glad that I had the chance to read it.
Also – kind of a side note – but the artist did such an amazing job of bringing these words to life. Incredible work.
With thanks to Familius Publishing for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review
