The Thing About Jellyfish

Have you ever read a book that, besides the compelling plot and characters, employs a tone which just pulls you in? To Kill a Mockingbird is one such book for me, but so is today's featured book: The Thing About Jellyfish, by Ali Benjamin (Little, Brown and Company, 2015).

When I cracked open this book, my kids were up and running around post-dinner, and I still managed to read half of it in one sitting. It is that much of a smooth page-turner!

The premise is that Suzy loses her once-best-friend to tragedy, and has decided to stop speaking as she works through her grief. She cannot understand how people are satisfied with saying "Sometimes things just happen," and seeks a better explanation for her friend's death. While on a school field trip, she becomes convinced that a rare jellyfish sting is what caused her friend to drown, and sets out to prove it. 

Divided into sections based on the Scientific Method, the book follows Suzy as she makes a hypothesis and plans a procedure for proving her theory. But it is the Background of her story that has her consumed: she is plagued with confusion and regret. Through her whole-hearted focus on her investigation, she hopes to makes sense of it all.

This book is inspiring and heart-breaking all at the same time. Suzy's family is incredibly supportive and give her the space she needs to grieve in her own way. I found myself taking notes from these fictional characters on how to love someone where they are. But it also evokes thoughts and emotions of past friendships, broken relationships, regret, and loss. It is powerfully moving.

Written in a graceful and honest tone, with fascinating information about jellyfish and their world, and themes of love, loss, and belonging, it is truly a book you won't want to put down. And it has garnered much praise: it is a New York Times Bestseller, a National Book Award Finalist, and has also been applauded for encouraging girls to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Ali Benjamin has said that this book was born out of a failed attempt to write a nonfiction book on jellyfish. Well, I'm sure glad she pursued this story from a different angle. Enjoy.

~Jen

The Dead Bird

The Dead Bird by the beloved Margaret Wise Brown (author of Goodnight Moon), was originally written in 1938, with text renewal in 1965. Reissued in 2016 with contemporary illustrations by Christian Robinson (award-winning illustrator of Last Stop on Market Street, Leo: a Ghost Story, and Gaston, to name a few), this book tells a sweet story of children who find a dead bird in the park.

The text and story in this book is simple and relatable. I'm sure most of us have had the experience of coming upon a dead animal, and the story is told by someone with an obvious grasp of how children think and process.

Wise Brown gently explains what happens when something living has died, and what people do to honor someone's passing. The things that the children do in the book are playful and sweet -- and also realistic ("And every day, until they forgot, they went and sang to their little dead bird and put fresh flowers on his grave.").

Truly as powerful as the text in this book are the illustrations. Robinson's simple, whimsical and tender pictures depict the children as truly childlike. They have a kite, and a dog, and some costumes, and their lives are pure and innocent. They learn a tough lesson when they encounter death, and Robinson shows their innocence and concern. Even their dog companion shows sensitivity to what is going on. But just as children do, they are able to be distracted by play and joy in the midst of a somber situation.

I think it is the combination of text and illustration in this book that so powerfully hit me. The simplicity and subject of the text set a solemn mood, but the colorful, playful illustrations help to bring levity. And for reading this with children, that is so very important. I highly recommend reading this visually appealing, gentle approach to dealing with death with your children. 

~Jen