Gone by Michel Streich

When a little boy discovers his bird has died, he accepts that lives can be short or long, but, after burying it, he wonders where it might have gone.

My fluttering, chirping, hopping bird was gone. Its body was still there, a silent, feathery shape, but all life had left it.

As he asks family members, he discovers that each has a different belief - his sister believes in reincarnation as another creature; his mother suggests going to heaven; while his grandfather thinks the end is the end and we turn into soil, returning to become part of Nature again.

Sadly, a friend lost her husband just before Easter, leaving two young children to ponder this very question. Being at a Catholic school they had been learning about the origins of Easter and that Jesus had risen on the third day after having been crucified. So they were convinced that when they went to the church for the funeral their daddy would be there waiting for them, just like Jesus.

This is a gentle, soft-touch exploration of life cycles and life spans and the emotions that are evoked, made more sensitive by the creator choosing autumn to be the time when the bird passes so the illustrations are naturally those warm colours of red, orange and yellow. While the little boy explores his questions and feelings by talking with the loved ones around him, and even though they may have different beliefs and explanations, nevertheless they are united in their conviction that no matter what, it is the memories that are important and that these will live on forever.

Despite trying to shield little ones from such sad events, nevertheless they are going to encounter death and dying in their lives whether that be a pet or a family member so this is a story that has a place but perhaps one that is shared at an appropriate time with adult guidance. We can never know all the things that are happening in a child's life beyond the school bell and thus what could be comforting to one may be confronting for another.

Themes: Birds, Pets, Death, Afterlife.

Barbara Braxton