Title: REMEMBERING ETHAN
Author: LESLÉA NEWMAN
Illustrator: TRACY NISHIMURA BISHOP
Genre: CHILDREN’S FICTION, GRIEF, SOCIAL THEMES
Ages: 4 to 8
Length: 40 PAGES
Publisher: MAGINATION PRESS – A Division of the AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
Received From: NETGALLEY
Release Date: APRIL 7, 2020
ISBN: 9781433831133 (Hardcover)
Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
DESCRIPTION:
This is a tender book to read alongside some useful books about death, such as The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst, The Memory Box: A Book About Grief by Joanna Rowland, and The Invisible String by Patrice Karst, beloved and bestselling author Lesléa Newman offers a tender tribute to a lost family member in this touching story that can help families start to heal.
Ethan. Sarah misses her adored big brother with all her heart. She wants to celebrate all the fun times she and her parents spent with him. But ever since Ethan died, Mommy and Daddy won’t mention him.
Sarah can’t even say his name without upsetting them.
Why don’t they want to remember Ethan?
MY REVIEW:
In REMEMBERING ETHAN, a young girl named Sarah misses her deceased big brother and wants to talk about him to the people she loves.
Sarah doesn’t understand why her parents don’t talk about Ethan, and in fact, won’t even mention his name. She believes that because they won’t talk about him, that they do not miss him as much as Sarah and her cat Buttons miss Ethan.
When I was a child I do not remember reading any books with grief as a theme. In fact, I do not remember my parents ever talking about death and grief. This denial of unpleasant truths did absolutely nothing to prepare me for dealing with death.
I vividly remember being taken to a darkened funeral home by my Great Aunt and being forced to view the body of one of her friends. I ran from the room and was spanked for being disrespectful. Thankfully, things have changed dramatically since then.
Books, such as REMEMBERING ETHAN are extremely necessary. They let kids know that their feelings are valid and that they are not the only kids to have ever experienced grief.
The fact that this book is published by MAGINATION PRESS which is part of the APA (American Psychological Association) gives purchasers the assurance that this book has been vetted by professionals.
REMEMBERING ETHAN should be in every children’s library. Preparing children for dealing with their emotions when bad things happen can only be beneficial to that child.
To read an interview with the Author click HERE.
REMEMBERING ETHAN is a touching and tender story with beautiful illustrations. I rate both the story and the illustrations as 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.
*** Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lesléa Newman (born 1955, Brooklyn, NY) is the author of over 50 books including Heather Has Two Mommies, A Letter To Harvey Milk, Writing From The Heart, In Every Laugh a Tear, The Femme Mystique, Still Life with Buddy, Fat Chance and Out of the Closet and Nothing to Wear.
She has received many literary awards including Poetry Fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Fellowship Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Highlights for Children Fiction Writing Award, the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement, and two Pushcart Prize Nominations.
Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award finalists.
Ms. Newman wrote Heather Has Two Mommies, the first children’s book to portray lesbian families in a positive way, and has followed up this pioneering work with several more children’s books on lesbian and gay families: Gloria Goes To Gay Pride, Belinda’s Bouquet, Too Far Away to Touch, and Saturday Is Pattyday.
She is also the author of many books for adults that deal with lesbian identity, Jewish identity and the intersection and collision between the two.
Other topics Ms. Newman explores include AIDS, eating disorders, butch/femme relationships and sexual abuse. Her award-winning short story, A Letter To Harvey Milk has been made into a film and adapted for the stage.
In addition to being an author, Ms. Newman is a popular guest lecturer, and has spoken on college campuses across the country including Harvard University, Yale University, the University of Oregon, Bryn Mawr College, Smith College and the University of Judaism.
From 2005-2009, Lesléa was a faculty member of the Stonecoast MFA program at the University of Southern Maine.
Currently, she is the Poet Laureate of Northampton, MA.
To learn more about this author, visit the following links:
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:
Tracy Bishop has a degree from San Jose University in graphic design, with a focus on illustration and animation, and is the illustrator of more than 20 children’s books.
She lives in San Jose, California.
To learn more about this Illustrator visit the following links:
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER:
The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychologists in the United States and the largest association of psychologists worldwide. APA is committed to publishing the highest quality titles in all areas of psychology and in the behavioral and social sciences more broadly.
APA also publishes the trade imprint APA LifeTools, as well as the children’s book imprint Magination Press.
Magination Press publishes beautifully written and accessible picture books, middle school readers, teen guides, and workbooks written by psychologists and experts to help children deal with a wide variety of psychological concerns and challenges.
To learn more about this Publisher visit the following links:
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