I recently said goodbye to my dog, Al Pacino. His death was unexpected and far too soon. Al was a Chihuahua mutt with a heart of gold. All he needed in life were belly rubs and chunks of apple. Al was beloved by the children who came to my branch, too, ever since he starred in one of our scavenger hunts.
When Al passed away, my instinct was to go to our shelves and pull out picture books. As a children’s librarian, it’s my wholehearted belief that you are never too old to appreciate a good picture book. In my search for some kind of closure, I came across three titles that stood out to me.
An Ofrenda for Perro by Judith B. Valdés
This book lives in our Holiday Collection for Dia De Los Muertos. However, I think you could read this book any time, especially after the loss of a beloved pet. Perro has been the family dog ever since Benito was born. Benito is gutted by Perro’s death, but learns to honor him in an ofrenda. What I like the most about this book is that it captures the grief in everyday moments. He misses Perro’s snoring, for instance. That one hit home. For a tiny dog, Al Pacino had an impressively loud snore.
Olive by Edwina Wyatt
When Lilah’s cat Olive dies, her parents encourage her to plant an olive tree in the cat’s honor. The tree grows, but Lilah is not interested in looking at it. She doesn’t want to remember Olive. One day she sees another cat trying to sit in Olive’s favorite spots in their yard and Lilah chases the cat up the olive tree. Much like Lilah, there are moments where I don’t want to think about my late pet either. It isn’t because I don’t love him, but because thinking about him is just too painful at times.
Rodney Was a Tortoise by Nan Forler
Rodney the tortoise is old. So old that he used to belong to Bernadette’s Great Aunt. Bernadette loves spending time with Rodney, feeding him and sleeping next to his tank at night. Rodney starts to slow down and soon he stops moving altogether. Bernadette’s mother tells her that he is dead. Bernadette goes to school the next day and is upset that the other students are going about their normal days. All she can think about is Rodney. This is how I felt at work the next day after losing Al Pacino. The book ends with Bernadette’s friend noticing her sadness and keeping her company. Similarly, my coworkers noticed how sad I was and got me flowers.
These picture books have some very relatable messages: 1) as long as you remember your loved ones, they are never truly gone; 2) you have to face your grief to heal so that you can love again; and 3) the best way to help someone grieve is to show up for them.
~posted by Amanda H.
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