The Scar (original 2009; edition 2011)

A young boy grapples with the loss of his mother in this poignant picture-book exploration of the grieving process, originally published in France as La croûte. Reacting first with anger, when he learns that she has died in the night, and thereby abandoned him, and then with concern for his father, who has likewise been abandoned, the boy moves on to a desperate campaign to retain what he can of his mother. Closing all the windows, despite the stifling summer heat, in an effort to trap his mother's scent; picking a scab, in order to feel the pain, and recall his mother's comforting voice whenever he would hurt himself, the boy does everything he can to hold onto his memories. It takes a visit from his Grandma, and her wise words about where his mother is still alive - in his own heart - to begin the healing process.

This moving story about the loss of a mother reminded me of Roddy Doyle's recent picture-book exploration of the same theme, Her Mother's Face. Both books address a child's fear of forgetting a lost mother, although the Doyle story occurs some time after the death, while Charlotte Moundlic's story deals with the immediate aftermath. The text here is direct, sugar-coating nothing - I knew that she wasn't gone - she was dead and I would never see her again. They were going to put her in a box and then in the ground, where she would turn into dust - but it also contains quite a bit of sly humor, as when the boy wonders about taking care of sad grownups. The artwork, done by the talented Olivier Tallec, whose projects range from the minimalist cartoon-like illustrations in the Rita and Whatsit series, to the more lush and colorful (not to mention surreal) paintings in the Big Wolf and Little Wolf books, is simple and powerful. Using mostly black, white and red, he captures the stark reality of the boy's loss, and the pathos of his grief. Highly recommended, particularly to children who have recently lost a loved one, or two adults looking for children's stories with the theme of grief. ( )

I first heard of this book when I was reading about picture books for older children. It sounded quite interesting but I didn’t think any more of it until I was exploring the children’s library in a newly opened library and found the book hidden in one of the many cubby holes waiting to be found. I opened it to read the first couple of pages and that was enough for me to bring it home for a proper read. It is a beautiful book that packs a very real emotional punch.

The book is narrated by a little boy whose mother has just died, he tells the story from waking up to find that she has succumbed to the illness that she has been suffering from for some time. He talks about how he feels straight away and about how he feels and what he does in the weeks to come. Told by him the story feels genuine and honest, and unfiltered in that way young children have, Tallec captures his voice very well. The book is an emotional and sometimes difficult read, I’m sure most readers will be able to identify to some extent with how he feels and acts.

The illustrations in the book are beautiful and simple, the use of a restricted range of colours works really well - it feels like the yellows add warmth and the strong reliance on red adds to the emotional punch of the book. I loved the little details included in the drawings, little birds and toys appear on many of the pages.

I think this book would be a really useful addition to most libraries, it could be used both with children who have experienced the death of a loved one themselves and with other children e.g. in the class of a bereaved child to help them to understand how their classmate might be feeling. I would recommend that any adult planning on reading it with a child reads it first themselves to judge whether it is appropriate for the individual child. ( )

I first heard of this book when I was reading about picture books for older children. It sounded quite interesting but I didn’t think any more of it until I was exploring the children’s library in a newly opened library and found the book hidden in one of the many cubby holes waiting to be found. I opened it to read the first couple of pages and that was enough for me to bring it home for a proper read. It is a beautiful book that packs a very real emotional punch.

The book is narrated by a little boy whose mother has just died, he tells the story from waking up to find that she has succumbed to the illness that she has been suffering from for some time. He talks about how he feels straight away and about how he feels and what he does in the weeks to come. Told by him the story feels genuine and honest, and unfiltered in that way young children have, Tallec captures his voice very well. The book is an emotional and sometimes difficult read, I’m sure most readers will be able to identify to some extent with how he feels and acts.

The illustrations in the book are beautiful and simple, the use of a restricted range of colours works really well - it feels like the yellows add warmth and the strong reliance on red adds to the emotional punch of the book. I loved the little details included in the drawings, little birds and toys appear on many of the pages.

I think this book would be a really useful addition to most libraries, it could be used both with children who have experienced the death of a loved one themselves and with other children e.g. in the class of a bereaved child to help them to understand how their classmate might be feeling. I would recommend that any adult planning on reading it with a child reads it first themselves to judge whether it is appropriate for the individual child. ( )

Extremely well written. Concepts are pretty advanced for picture-book aged kids but I think they would relate to the feelings. I think this is a good book for adults to understand how kids feel upon the death of a parent. ( )

A powerful, deeply touching story about a young boy grieving for his recently deceased mother. ( )