Books about grief are not new, however, the tone of The Heavy Bag: One Girl’s Journey Through Grief (US Version) has a more European or “classical” feeling to it. This allows things to not be the “same old” we are used to. However, as it does say “US Version” in the title, it might have been adapted to a more American audience or possibly just translated into English (the French title is, Un sac très lourd).
The more poetic nature of dealing with the issues of death and the grieving process might not be for everyone, but it allows for a less contemporary take and yet modern mentality and feelings can come into play at the same time. It is a nice combination of the two ways. The artwork is a “person to person” case and while fits the book itself, they might not be for everyone. Their simplistic (but not simple) look and color scheme gives both a more lighthearted and hopeful overall feeling, but keeps the somber emotions and processing the death of a beloved grandparent/grandfather.
The story itself has the main character of the story, a young girl, Enid, learning of the death of her grandfather. The rest of the story is her packing her sack, putting all the favorite things she and her grandfather had (a sailing boat, biscuits, etc.). But it makes her bag large and heavy. She then sets off for one more walk, and as she goes along she finds friends and neighbors who help her lessen the load until memories are the only thing left. Included are activities you can do with your own child as they process, plus the stages of grief.
Read via an online reader copy as a PW Grab-a-Galley – WINNER, Sarah Surgey and Larisa Ivankovic’s picture book is due April 2024.