"The Big Adios", "reset character" or "to be on the wrong side of the grass" - already the title page of this children's non-fiction book gets readers in the mood for the topic by providing them with a variety of phrases for "depart this life". Katharina von der Gathen and Anke Kuhl write and illustrate the topics of dying and death in a lively, empathetic, multi-perspective and informative way.
Childlike curiosity about death, which is all too often taboo, meets a wealth of cultural and historical information in the texts, which skilfully walk the tightrope between comforting advice on coping with grief and an unusually light-footed transfer of knowledge, for example about caring for the dead, crematoria or funeral ceremonies. The illustrations are humorous and cheeky throughout the book and manage to deepen the information in a unique way - factual and tongue-in-cheek at the same time. The drawings are liberatingly funny and therefore encouraging, taking fears seriously in a tender, comforting and activating way, while at the same time conveying the courage that what needs to be said and shown can be said and shown. This title is nominated for the 2024 German ChildrenŐs Literature Award.
