Michael Rosen's Sad Book

With unmitigated honesty, a touch of humor, and sensitive illustrations by Quentin Blake, Michael Rosen explores the experience of sadness in a way that resonates with us all.

Sometimes I'm sad and I don’t know why.
It's just a cloud that comes along and covers me up.

Sad things happen to everyone, and sometimes people feel sad for no reason at all. What makes Michael Rosen sad is thinking about his son, Eddie, who died suddenly at the age of eighteen. In this book the author writes about his sadness, how it affects him, and some of the things he does to cope with it—like telling himself that everyone has sad stuff (not just him) and trying every day to do something he can be proud of. Expressively illustrated by the extraordinary Quentin Blake, this is a very personal story that speaks to everyone, from children to parents to grandparents, teachers to grief counselors. Whether or not you have known what it's like to feel deeply sad, the truth of this book will surely touch you.

Publishers Weekly

The candor and personal nature of Rosen's heartrending exploration of sadness, rooted in the death of his son Eddie, are evident from the opening page. The caption under a sunny, smiling portrait reveals, "This is me being sad. Maybe you think I'm happy in this picture. Really I'm sad but pretending I'm happy." A second, gloomy portrait appears as the narrator notes that what makes him most sad is thinking about Eddie. The palette of Blake's (Clown) versatile, evocative pen-and-watercolor art brightens again as an octet of cheerful scenes in window-like panels depict snapshots from Eddie's life. Yet in the accompanying text, the narrator admits that thinking of Eddie's death makes him "really angry" ("How dare he go and die like that? How dare he make me sad"); the eighth panel is empty. This contrast between art and text amplifies the bittersweet experience of losing someone dear; the joy they brought in life, and the pain that comes from the hole they have left behind. The author shares the ways he deals with his sadness: he finds someone to talk to; does "crazy" things like shouting in the shower; tells himself, "everyone has sad stuff"; tries to do one thing daily he can be proud of-and he finds solace in his memories of Eddie. In the book's poignant visual denouement, Blake's buoyant renditions of candlelit birthday celebrations give way to a final wordless spread, in which the narrator is seen, pen in hand, gazing at a sole burning candle and a framed picture. Rosen's poetic revelation of his conflicting emotions and coping strategies will resonate with-and help-anyone mourning a loss or dealing with an indefinable sadness. All ages. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Michael Rosen is an award-winning author and anthologist of books for young readers, including SHAKESPEARE'S ROMEO AND JULIET, illustrated by Jane Ray, and SHAKESPEARE: HIS WORK AND HIS WORLD, illustrated by Robert Ingpen, which was a SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Best Book of the Year and one of New York Public Library's 100 Best Children's Books of the Year. In 1997 he received the Eleanor Farjeon Award for service to children's literature. Michael Rosen lives in London.

Quentin Blake has illustrated more than 250 books by many writers, notably John Yeoman, Russell Hoban, Joan Aiken, Michael Rosen, and, most famously, Roald Dahl. He is also well known for his own picture books, such as CLOWN and ZAGAZOO. Quentin Blake was a tutor at the Royal College of Art from 1965 to 1988, and for eight of those years was head of the Illustration Department. In 1999 he was appointed the first British Children's Laureate, and in 2002 the Quentin Blake Europe School in Berlin was named for him. He is also a recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration. Quentin Blake lives in London.