To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Having read Michael Rosen's poetry throughout my childhood- full of hilarious and fun stories of Eddie as a little boy and later a big brother, it is clear how adored he was by his Dad. The book chronicles Rosen's grief over the loss of his son Eddie, who died of meningococcal septicaemia aged 18.

Quentin Blake's illustrations sensitively complement an account of grief that is both searingly personal and reassuringly universal. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.I've endured a boatload of grief and disappointment as each member of my family has passed to the great beyond and there are no other relatives. Michael Rosen's Sad Book chronicles Michael's grief at the death of his son Eddie from meningitis at the age of 19. Rosen said that the book arose after a group of children asked him questions about his son's death and they were able to discuss it in a "matter-of-fact" way.

We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. The Daily Telegraph considered whether it was suitable for children, and felt that parents would need to use the book as a stimulus for discussion and have to explain some of its ideas. The book frequently uses a disconnection between text and image to communicate the complex feelings of grief.The remainder of the book discusses the different feelings that bereavement brings, and ways of coping with them including distracting oneself and expressing feelings through writing. Publishers Weekly praised it for its candour and said that it "will resonate with – and help – anyone mourning a loss or dealing with an indefinable sadness".

He was the Children’s Laureate from 2007-2009 and has published over 200 books for children and adults, including the recent bestseller Many Different Kinds of Love and On The Move. The following suggestions offer a spectrum of different perspectives and are well worth seeking out. Both the words and the images articulate strong emotion with admirable economy and convey a sense of the preciousness of life without being sentimental, platitudinous or falsely hopeful. It could help with articulating the difficult thoughts and the many, sometimes, conflicting, emotions that come with grief. A children's author and illustrator, most well-known for his illustratrations for books by Roald Dahl.The Guardian noted that the book was indeed sad but highly recommended it, saying, " Sad Book doesn't hide the darkness. His first degree in English Literature and Language was from Wadham College, Oxford and he went on to study for an MA at the University of Reading and a PhD at the former University of North London, now London Metropolitan.

A heartbreakingly honest account of a father’s grief for his son from the illustrious pairing of two former Children’s Laureates. The subject of bereavement is treated in an unusual way in Michael Rosen's Sad Book, which deals with the death of the author's own son.And Quentin Blake says that the picture of Michael "being sad but trying to look happy" is the most difficult drawing he's ever done. It wasn't made like any other book either; Michael Rosen said of the text, " I wrote it at a moment of extreme feeling and it went straight down onto the page . I am a counsellor and would strongly recommend this book to help people get in touch with their grief. It is beautifully written with sensitivity and a reality which touches all ages, and can help us to start to understand the profound impact that death has on us.