A little girl and one of her dads find healing in the wake of the other dad’s death in this moving and compassionate story. As it opens, the girl reflects on her happy life with Dad and Papa before Papa died. They spent time together on vacations; the sound of Papa’s sewing machine filled their house as he made clothes for others. She and Dad would cook dinner, then they would all read together before bed.
One day, however, “everything changed.” The book doesn’t explain how Papa died, just that his sewing machine was silent. The girl feels lost without him, and so does Dad—until the girl has an idea for how to bring the sound (and by extension, Papa’s presence) back to their home. They gather fabric and thread, and together craft a memorial piece for the man who always made things for others, never for himself. The characters’ small smiles feel bittersweet, but one senses that they will go on despite their grief.
Author/illustrator Aditi Anand’s mixed-media illustrations are warm and textured, colorful but steeped in blue as the family moves through loss. Hindi script on some of the collage pieces, particularly in the marketplace, set the story in India, although the message is universal. Gorgeous and poignant, the story offers a sense of hopefulness to readers who may also have experienced loss of a loved one.
The fact that this is a two-dad family is incidental to the story; families of all types may appreciate this highly recommended book’s message of hope after losing a loved one. At the same time, I can think of no other picture book that shows a child with two dads after one has died, and it offers important representation that may particularly resonate with such families.
