Where Did He Go??
A short story from the POV of a child
keywords: children's picture book, child mental health, social impact, picture book on coping with grief for children, children's editorial, illustrations for children's picturebooks, writing and illustrating
This is a picture book written and illustrated as part of the research journey in my masters project.
Where Did He Go is a short story written and illustrated to share the story of a 5 year old boy who has lost his grandfather and looks everywhere for him. When he cannot find him and realises that his grandpa has ‘made his journey to the other side’, he begins understanding the meaning of death; and grief overcomes him. In this process he realises how writing helps him find peace with his grandfather’s passing away.
The understanding of “gone forever” and “death” for 5-7 y/o children is still developing. ‘Are they coming back? Did I do something? Is it because of me?’, is the guilt a child has, according to Child Bereavement UK.
Guilty, they tend to act “good” to make up for their sense of “badness”; or act “badly” to inflict “punishment” they think they deserve. The 5C's, as the Children's Grief Foundation of Canada highlights are the causes, the inability to control or cure, fear of catching, and caregiver concern.
Children grieve in chunks, called puddle jumping, producing somatic reactions like interrupted sleep, lack of motivation to play, difficulty concentrating, head and tummy aches; misunderstood as tantrums.
The tool I have shared in this story is that of writing, a method and is used by many child psychologists to help them cope with grief and emotions.
Writing and illustrating for children’s picture books is something I have always aspired to do, thus this project is a reflection of the same by making the book interactive.
The most effective ways to help and connect with children is through books. National Literacy Trust quotes: “Reading to children is so powerful, so simple and yet so misunderstood.”
By 5-7 years, parents reading daily to their children drops to 44% as reading becomes a ‘subject’ to learn at school. This also poses a valid question: Are parents aware of how important reading is as a skill in relation to children's literacy and academic performance, but what about reading for pleasure?
This project is an exploration in editorial through illustrations, mix-media and using different materials to communicate a story, an emotion.
This story is a starting point to my journey in children’s editorial and illustrations.
