Tag Archives: grief and loss

The Mochi Makers

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by Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson

Emi and her grandma (Obaachan) spend time together making a family recipe of mochi. As they work, Obaachan shares the history of the recipe back to her own grandmother. Obaachan brought that recipe with her to America, along with her wedding kimono and some cherished red lacquer dishes. The two also reminisce about Ojiichan (grandpa), who the reader assumes is deceased. They finish the mochi, package some together to gift to family and friends, and then enjoy their mochi – some wrapped in seaweed and dipped in soy sauce just like Ojiichan like to eat it. In this story, mochi is love, family tradition and a thank you.

The soft colors of the mochi and surroundings add to the gentle approach of this book. The love between Emi and Obaachan is evident in the text and the illustrations. This small window into their time together is sweet and filled with memories and promise. The additional back matter – author’s autobiographical note, mochi history and family mochi recipe adds to the richness of this book. Words and illustrations make you feel like you can almost taste the mochi along with Emi and Obaachan. Purchase this one – it’s wonderful!

Just Like That by Gary D. Schmidt

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Set in 1968, following the death of her best friend, Meryl Lee Kowalski goes off to St. Elene’s Preparatory Academy for Girls. Here she struggles to fit in with her wealthy, tight-knit classmates, with grief heavy on her heart. With pressure from her instructors to work toward’s their “Accomplishment” for the year. Feeling inferior in all things, Meryl Lee can’t imagine what her Accomplishment will be.

In a sub-plot, Matt Coffin, seemingly family-less, is on the run from thugs and needs a friend, too. Their lives intertwine as they both search for meaning in their lives in this coming-of-age story, rich with lyrical writing, references to literary works and humor, this book would make a great read-aloud.

Dancing at the Pity Party by: Tyler Feder

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Reviewed by OHS Student, Camille:
Dancing at the Pity Party was an awesome memoir about a not-so-awesome topic. What do you do when your mom dies at a young age? How can you handle the grief? These questions are asked and answered by Tyler Feder as she recounts her life before and after her mother’s death. The art-style was incredibly vibrant and a nice way to express this story. It was funny, but it didn’t make fun of death or cancer or grief. It also surprised me in a lot of ways, it talked about aspects of grief I had never heard of before and also talked a lot about Jewish culture and traditions. I really recommend this book to anybody who can relate to losing a loved one or to anyone who just wants a book that will make them cry (but in a good way). 

Amazon.com: Dancing at the Pity Party (9780525553021): Feder, Tyler: Books
Cover of Dancing at the Pity Party by: Tyler Feder

A Stopwatch from Grampa

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This is a sweet, heartfelt story about a child, who feels very deeply the loss of his grandfather. They were buddies and a stopwatch that he is holding (his grandfather’s) is a symbol of their shared memories. The child is honest, though and says, “I don’t want his stopwatch. I want him.” He tosses the item into a drawer and time seems to drag on, dark and lonely. Seasons pass and he finds his grandpa’s watch again. Now, it brings him happy memories, about which he can begin to smile. He starts to use it again and includes his younger sibling in timing some of the same things he did with grandpa.

The story is lovely and a realistic portrayal of the grief that a child feels about the passing of a loved one. Soft, gentle illustrations add to the melancholic tone of the words, with just the right amount of color. The child’s face is expressive and matches the feelings that he expresses. Highly recommended. This will lead to very meaningful discussions when needed.