Where Is My Sister? by Shannon Gibney (Author) and Huy Voun Lee (Illustrator)
This review first appeared on Third Coast Review. Read the Third Coast Review article.
Where Is My Sister?, written by Shannon Gibney and illustrated by Huy Voun Lee, is a heartbreakingly real way to approach the loss of a sibling.
Infant death is an unfortunate reality. Now imagine how hard that reality hits a child who expected a baby brother or sister to come home with Mommy and Daddy...and none does. Heartbroken parents struggle with how to approach this topic with children old enough to know a baby was on the way but young enough to have never encountered death. Gibney and Lee make a caring effort to give those parents a lifeline.
Where Is My Sister? offers readers a glimpse into the life of Salome. She and her brother, Gerald, were waiting for their mom to give birth to their baby sister. But then, the baby, Toni, does not come home with their parents. Instead, their parents are constantly upset and Salome is confused. Where is her sister? Could she be in the room her parents had so lovingly made up for her? With God (Salome’s mom seems unsure)? Could she be in their mom’s tears? In their family’s stories? Or, perhaps, Salome’s sister is everywhere.
Infant death is a nearly impossible topic to approach. It is so painful that most writers and illustrators dare not touch it. But Gibney and Lee have boldly decided to give grieving families a lifeline.
Attempting to explain the death of a baby is understandably difficult. But Gibney and Lee have crafted a great entry point for families to approach the subject with young children. The story of Salome and Gerald provides a way to discuss the loss of a baby by exemplifying ways to think about it.
Salome’s search for her sister is beyond relatable, even to those who have not suffered such pain. The pace of Salome’s questions and the, at times, brutal realness of Salome’s parents’ grief is validating. It gives families an in to discuss their own pain.
Gibney’s words are easy to understand in what they directly mean while prompting readers to examine where they can find space both to both grieve and find the spirit of the loved one they are missing. Lee’s illustrations are soft and gentle, keeping with the overall tone of the picture book.
Overall, while Where Is My Sister? does not have all the answers (nor does it purport to), it is a much-needed beginning to a conversation that can lead to necessary healing for a young child and their parents. Although I wish such a picture book was not necessary in this world.
Where Is My Sister? is available in bookstores and through the University of Minnesota Press website.
Comments
Post a Comment