Michael Rosen explores sadness and grief in a picture book that validates the intensity and unpredictability of emotions that every child has known to some degree, for one reason or another. In his highly personal narrative, sensitively illustrated by Quentin Blake, Rosen shares how he felt after the death of his son, Eddie. Sadness makes him do crazy things sometimes, or bad things. Sometimes sadness makes him feel bad about himself. Sometimes he wants to talk about his sadness. “Sometimes I don’t want to talk about it. Not to anyone. No one. No one at all. I just want to think about it on my own. Because it’s mine. And no one else’s.” Rosen’s quietly charged text plumbs the depths of his sadness before turning less somber when he reflects on happier memories, like playing catch with his son. It is courageously honest, and children and teens will recognize that honesty, and find reassurance in knowing that others, too, have felt overwhelmed by the power of difficult emotions. (Ages 6–15)

In this deeply personal picture book, Michael Rosen writes about feeling sad, particularly the deep sadness he feels over the death of his son. In simple, direct language, he describes the way sadness feels and how it affects him. He details the anger and anxiety he experiences and reveals the memories that offer him comfort. He also connects his own experiences with the sad ness everyone feels from time to time. The emotional journey experienced in the author’s ruminations and the illustrator’s art is an honest, often lonely one, but it also includes glimmers of hope and even humor. It is a reassuring journey for readers of all ages who have known sadness in their lives. 2006 USBBY-CBC Outstanding International Books List, Exceptional Award for the Best Children’s Illustrated Books of 2004 in the 4–11 Age Range from the English Association. smv

Originally published by Walker Books Great Britain, in 2004.