A Sad Story

Is someone you love stuck on depressing stories of unwanted children, mean girls, or life in the trenches of WWI?  Don’t worry; some of us like to read about how bad life can get and how ordinary people can rise to the call of heroism.  These stories inspire us and help us to look beyond ourselves; books like these can help us realize our bounty and see the struggles that others have.  I don’t always read sad books, but when I do I, I get out of  bed the next morning with a real sense of how fortunate I am and how much more I can give.

Here are a few of my favorites: Missing May by Cynthia Rylant (May is a beloved grandmother who dies), Taste of Blackberries by Doris Buchanan Smith (a young boy loses his best friend), Jacob I Have Loved by Katherine Paterson (a favored sister gets all the good things), and Michael Rosen’s Sad Book by Michael Rosen (well-known for his book, Going on a Bear Hunt, Rosen writes and draws a book written after the death of his son).