Synopsis
An unexpected surprise helps Milly and Molly cope with the death of a school friend.(Concern for Others and Coping with Grief.)
Carlee Hallman - Children's Literature
Milly and Molly had a friend at school, Jimmy. Jimmy liked school and liked to plant things. One day Jimmy was absent. He was gone several days. Maybe he had the measles. Then one day the teacher, Miss Blythe, gathered the children around her and told them Jimmy had died. She stretched her arms around them and they cried together. She talked with them and gave lots of hugs. The children brought flowers for Jimmy's desk. While packing Jimmy's things in a box for his mother, Milly and Molly found a pack of seeds. They planted the seeds and remembered Jimmy. A "Parent Guide" at the end of the book is helpful. To learn which child is which, look at the first picture of the girls sitting on a bench. Milly has brown skin and black, curly hair. Molly has pink skin and straight, blonde hair. At the beginning and end of the book is the saying, "We may look different but we feel the same." The simple, bright pictures carry out the theme. The end papers show Milly, Molly rag dolls. This realistic and sensitive story of coping with loss and caring for others will help children with similar experience. 2003, Milly Molly Books, Ages 4 to 8.