You'll Find Me

by Amanda Rawson Hill, Joanne Lew-Vriethoff (Illustrator)

Overview

This lyrical heartful story provides consent and gently encourage readers to move to a place of peace and acceptance despite the absence.  

Loss becomes remembrance in this book that offers tender ways to pay tribute to, and meaningfully incorporate, a loved one’s lost presence into present and future life experiences. Be it departed friends, family, pets, and more, memories can carry us beyond the precious moments we have together to keep the ones we loved before in mind forever.

Throughout the book the omnipresent narrator encourages thoughtful reflection on the empty spaces left by the loss. The gentle scenes portrayed inspire recovery from sadness and honor those who are absent. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433831263
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Publication date:	09/01/2020
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	177,660
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Amanda Rawson Hill co-runs a newsletter called Middle Grade at Heart, which is a book club kit with a new middle-grade book each month. Her debut middle-grade book was published in Fall 2018. She lives in Atwater, California. Visit amandarawsonhill.com andfollow on Twitter @amandarhill32_ and Instagram @amandahillauthor.

Joanne Lew-Vriethoff is an award-winning illustrator who received her BA in Illustration from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. She illustrates for picture books, middle grade novels, early readers, and educational books. She lives in Amsterdam. Visit joannelewvriethoff.com, follow on Facebook @joannelewvriethoffillustrator, Twitter @jlewvriethoff, and Instagram @joannelewviethoff.

Editorial Reviews

09/01/2020

PreS-Gr 2—At a time when many kids are facing the loss of a loved one due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this title offers a reassuring take on the topic. In poetic text, an unnamed narrator describes different ways that people we love remain with us after they die. "I will not always be greeting the morning with you. But you'll find me in the soft sounds of slippered feet." The concepts in this title are a little abstract, and will likely need to be unpacked for listeners with a discussion during reading or afterward. Reflecting the gentle tone of the book, the illustrations are soft and warm and are primarily in pastel colors. These show kids with a range skin tones engaging in various activities—playing the piano, picking flowers, reading, sitting at a beach, sledding. In most of the pictures, the kids are smiling as they appear to be remembering their lost loved one, creating a hopeful vibe. VERDICT Although this title doesn't break any new ground, it is appropriate to give to kids dealing with grief and loss. Recommended for larger collections.—Melanie Kletter, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

★ 2020-07-14
Death is a particularly difficult topic to discuss with children, but this book helps to broach the subject gently and with respect for young people’s sensibilities.

The book opens with the statement “My dear one. Life, like spring, is far too short” accompanied by a picture of a flower with some petals falling off and blowing in the wind. This double-page spread is followed by a series of patterned statements that describe what life will be like for readers when the person they love is no longer alive, both describing reality and offering comfort. “I will not always be…” is coupled with, “But you’ll find me…” in places and moments such as “the flicker of candlelight, the pause between Please and Thank you.” The repeated phrase “I will not always be…” and the ellipsis take on a double meaning, a gentle reminder that one day this person the child loves “will not always be.” The book does not mention an afterlife or make ecclesiastical references; however, birds, butterflies, and candle flames in the illustrations are known to symbolize those who have died in some cultures. As there is no significance given to their presence in the text, this book is beneficial for both children of varying faiths and those who come from homes without a faith tradition. The illustrations are done in a palette of bright but calming pastels, and the children in the illustrations have skin ranging from white to light brown and varying hair types and colors. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 75% of actual size.)

An excellent choice for children who are dealing with the loss of a loved one or just learning about death. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews