SuitabookMichael Rosen’s Sad Book
Michael Rosen
- Reading
- Read it slowly together, pausing after difficult pages rather than rushing towards reassurance. Let the child lead discussion, and return later to the coping ideas or simply the images.
- Themes
- Grief as changing experience: Rosen describes sadness arriving at different times, sometimes wanting company and sometimes solitude, while memories can hurt or comfort. Grief is presented as fluctuating and personal, without a single required way to respond.
- Words and pictures together: The illustrations use scribbled lines, colour changes, expressions, body language, weather and outdoor scenes to reflect mood. The visual language appears to add complexity rather than simply repeating the words.
- Worth knowing
- The central subject is the death of Rosen’s teenage son and the resulting deep sadness. The treatment is candid and emotionally intense.