SuitabookStorm In A Jar
Samuel Langley-Swain
- Reading
- Read it together when there is time to pause, naming the death and anger plainly if helpful. Let your child respond to the pictures first, and stop or revisit later if the emotions feel too close.
- Themes
- Bereavement and remembrance: Arlo learns that Nana has died and keeps her special jar because it helps him feel close to her. A new Sunday tradition develops around remembering her. The book presents bereavement through a child’s attachment to an everyday object and shows remembrance becoming part of a changed routine.
- Anger and emotional expression: Arlo’s sadness becomes anger, imagined as a storm inside the jar, until he can no longer tolerate it and the storm is released. The metaphor frames recognising and sharing feelings as important, while the story uses visual transformation rather than direct instruction alone.
- Visual storytelling and change: The artwork depicts waves and emotions inside the jar, with darker pages at the beginning and brighter colours after Arlo reaches understanding. Colour, facial expression and repeated imagery appear to carry part of the emotional arc, making the pictures important alongside the words.
- Worth knowing
- Nana’s death is central, and Arlo’s sadness develops into anger. He considers smashing the jar, while illustrations show darker emotional turmoil before calmer, brighter images; some children may find the story sad.