The Funeral
Norma and her parents are going to her great-uncle Frank’s funeral, and Norma is more excited than sad. She is looking forward to playing with her favorite cousin, Ray, but when she arrives at the church, she is confronted with rituals and ideas that have never occurred to her before. While not all questions can be answered, when the day is over Norma is certain of one thing — Uncle Frank would have enjoyed his funeral.
This sensitive and life-affirming story will lead young readers to ask their own questions about life, death and how we remember those who have gone before us.
★ "Enveloping and original, James' authorial debut offers an honest exploration of a difficult and delicate subject. Exceptional." — Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW
★ "James uniquely and playfully captures the particularities of a child’s perspective." — Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
★ "Witnessing the acceptance of varied reactions to death and the elements of memorial will help children prepare for or reflect upon their first funeral. A notable portrayal." — School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
★ ”Matt James's (I Know Here) quiet, child's-eye view of a funeral, with all its mysterious rituals and traditions, is a pitch-perfect introduction to a sometimes-difficult theme. . . . [A] graceful, beautifully illustrated picture book about death, customs and emotions.” —Shelf Awareness , STARRED REVIEW
★ "In his first outing as author, Canadian artist James examines the way the funeral of a distant relative feels to a child. . . . [the story] traces with a big heart the way she makes sense of this puzzling event." — Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
★ “[A] book that gives young viewers a glimpse of the funeral experience but tacitly champions their right to process it in their own way.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, STARRED REVIEW